3.28.2018

The other costs of running digital signage.

Depending your services and options, Digital Signage does require maintenance and upkeep, similar to good ole' fashioned brick and mortar and steel and aluminum and plastic (and low-cost alternative) business store signs. This can typically be guessed accurately: update the software and monitors and lighting equipment during EOM maintenance. What can be forgotten along the way are the extra resources that go into making your digital signage incredible, dynamic, constantly fresh and cranking out incredible content for your customers. Here are additional things to remember.

Hardware updates.

Once again, depending on your setup, there's your digital sign, and then there are the pieces that update and control your signage. Your computer, mobile device, "cloud access," all of it needs to stay compliant and up-to-date with your digital signage's system.

The software on the "other" end.

Warning: If you're not computer-savvy, this might make your eyes permanently roll back in your head. The software needs to stay compliant on both ends: the signage's end and your computer system's end. Everything needs to stick together, talk together, and stay compliant with each other while staying compliant with your sign's system while staying up to date with the newest code to keep it as safe & secure as possible.

The Network.

Some signs will be equipped with IoT tech and talk directly to a cloud via a mobile connection. Some can be updated from an app. But, for now, at the time of this writing, most will be tied to the location's business network. This makes your computer network an additional upkeep cost.

Training.

Someone's going to need to know how to do all this. Typically, everybody has somebody. If you need somebody, let us know. We know many, many people.

Content.

You'll want to get this right. If you learn nothing else from those great Fed-Ex Office studies, it's that no one likes a sign that doesn't look clean, edited, and crafted for them. Make sure you take the time to brain storm and, if nothing else, have a good selection of stock assets to give your digital content a sharp, professional look that matches your brand and intent.

Now that we've scared you, we want to put your mind at ease.

Digital signs are exciting, euphoric experience that absolutely captures your audience's attention. The reward will be more than worth the effort.