What makes a successful digital signage project?

So you've heard digital signage is the most effective way to get your message across and reach your target audience. Whether you're new to digital signage or not, starting a new digital signage project can be very fun when you know how to go about it. Don't worry, we're here to help! Today we'll guide you through some of the most important components of what makes a successful digital project.

Here is what you should bear in mind when designing your next digital signage project:

• Build your dream team
• Set up clear goals and objectives
• Choose the right hardware
• Go for the easy-to-use digital signage software
• Create engaging and relevant content
• Regular updates and maintenance

Build your dream team and get buy-in

The first step to any successful digital signage project is to bring the right people in. You need creative people who think outside the box and deliver good content that gets your message across. But you also need the IT department involved to make sure anything software or hardware related is taken care of. Also, you'll need someone with a vision, who thinks strategically and practically and can act as the supervisor of the project. 

While building the dream team, you might need to introduce digital signage in your company in the first place and get people excited about what can be achieved with it. For more practical and useful information, check out these 5 tips for getting buy-in for your signage project.  

Set up clear goals and objectives

An important aspect of every successful digital signage project is to have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve with your displays. Do you want to increase sales, improve customer experience, or communicate important information to your audience? By defining your goals and objectives, you can create targeted and effective content that meets the needs of your audience.

Don't fall into the trap of setting up unrealistic goals for your project. The easiest way to go about setting up goals is to make sure they are realistic by being bound to a certain time frame, and that they can be measured so you can keep track of how things are going and interfere if you see the project isn't going in the right direction. Find out more about getting your objectives straight for your digital signage marketing strategy by reading our blog covering this topic. If you're looking for detailed guidance, download our ebook and learn how to define your vision and objectives for digital signage.

Choose the right hardware 

Once you've decided on what you want to achieve with digital signage it's time to choose the right hardware. With so many options to choose from it might be easy to get overwhelmed. Here is where your goals can save you, by pointing you in the right direction. Let's say you're looking to boost your company's internal communication and you'd like to install displays in the office. Depending on the budget and the size of the location, you might opt for having a couple of displays installed at the entrance, in the cafeteria, and in the hallways of the building. The placement of the displays is therefore quite important – they should be placed in high-traffic areas where they are easily visible to your target audience. 

In order to be effective, your digital signage must grab the attention of your audience. This can be achieved through the use of high-quality displays with bright, vibrant colors and clear, crisp images. Another important note to be made is that some displays, like the ones offered by Samsung, come with built-in players, making it much easier to manage the content shown on the devices. 

Go for the easy-to-use digital signage software 

As with choosing the right hardware for your project, deciding on the best digital signage software is crucial for achieving your goals. There are solutions that come with built-in players, while others require you to download them separately. MagicINFO is one of the most comprehensive digital signage software solutions as it comes with the player already installed. There are many reasons why you should opt for a built-in player. If you'd like to read more about this, check out this blog in which we discuss 4 reasons why to go for a built-in player. We also wrote about the different types of players, comparing the S6 and S10 player options. 

If you opt for the premium version of MagicINFO you can benefit from all the available features so you can easily create, schedule, and manage your digital signage content. MagicINFO includes a variety of templates and tools so you can create professional-looking content without the need for design skills. You can schedule your content in advance and make real-time updates as needed. Another MagicINFO Premium feature is that it allows you to control the displays from any location with the Remote Management function, saving you miles, time, and money in the long run. However, we know that not everyone needs to have the Premium version. If you're a small-to-medium business, you might think the Lite version of MagicINFO is more suitable as it allows you to upload pre-built content and create and schedule different playlists. 

A useful tip is to involve your IT department in the decision-making process as oftentimes, IT brings a different perspective. For example, the IT department can help you decide if a cloud-based solution is more suitable instead of purchasing licenses for the software. Often times purchasing the licensed software means installation costs, which can be prevented by opting for the cloud version. MagicINFO also offers cloud-based Premium and Lite access. Find out more about why companies switch to cloud-based signage. 

Create engaging content for your displays

Once you have your goals set, your displays, and your digital signage software purchased, it is time to dive in and create content. As mentioned previously, if you opt for the MagicINFO Premium solution you'll be able to create content easily in Web Author.  Still, bear in mind the content that is shown on the displays should be engaging, relevant, and valuable to your audience. This can include promotional materials, product information, news, and updates, or interactive content such as games or quizzes. Note that the content you create should also be easy to read and navigate, as well as aesthetically pleasing.

For a comprehensive guide on creating content with digital signage and MagicINFO, download our latest ebook Level up your content strategy in 5 steps. Learn how to design content for each persona, how to effectively target your audience, how the location of your displays matters, and much more. Also, have a look at our creation pillar page for even more useful information on how to create digital signage content. 

Regular updates and maintenance

 Your digital signage project is not a one-time thing– it requires regular maintenance and updates to keep it fresh and relevant. Make sure to schedule regular updates to your content and perform routine maintenance on your displays to ensure that they are functioning properly. Consider assigning specific roles to each person involved in the project. For example, having someone from the IT department maintain the good functioning of the displays, making sure the content runs smoothly at all times can save you calls to the customer support department in case there is an error. 

From time to time, consider having a checkup of your digital signage environment. A checkup is like a health check for your body. This can be very useful especially if you are experiencing strange errors. If you chose MagicINFO as your digital signage solution, you can schedule a meeting with one of our experts. 

There you have it. What makes a digital signage project successful is a combination of taking the right decisions at the right time. It all starts with bringing the right people in and getting everyone excited about digital signage. Then it's time to tick all the little boxes by setting up clear goals and objectives, purchasing the right hardware and software solutions, creating engaging content for your target audience, and regular updates and maintenance of your digital signage project. By taking these into account, you can create a successful digital signage project that effectively communicates your message and engages your audience.