5 Tips on Understanding Which Type of Digital Signage You Need

Our today’s article will cover the dilemma of choosing between the available digital signage types. We compiled a list of tips that will help you find the right direction so that you wouldn’t get lost in the woods of the different types of digital signage. 

When you’re trying to set up a digital signage network for your business, there are plenty of things to consider. The hardware part, software selection — you’ve got to dive a bit deeper into the digital signage niche to make a truly informed decision. 

Kitcast prepared a short yet detailed guide for you so that you could make a decision having all the practical tips on hands. Unfortunately, making the wrong choice of digital signage type can cost you and your business a lot. So our guide will not just benefit your business from the marketing perspective, but also help you save your budget on the common mistakes.

1. Define the purpose first

Everyone who decides to use digital signage software and hardware to boost marketing efforts has to understand and define what is the goal of signage utilization.

The purpose of digital signage usage can be different and can depend on the business niche that you operate in, the specifics of your target audience, etc. You’ve got to have market research of your brand’s end-user, his habits, lifestyle, and how you plan to reach him as a prospective customer. 

On the other hand, the purpose of your digital signage advertising depends on the marketing strategy that your company has. Do you plan to increase brand awareness? Or maybe you want to advertise your products/services with the call-to-action elements? Or you can simply use digital signage to provide your offline business visitors with interactive services. There are plenty of ideas that digital signage can support and help you implement. 

Here is a shortlist of purposes that you can consider:

• Direct advertising to people who pass by.
• Menu in the restaurant, cafe, etc.
• Promote your brand and deliver a brand’s message through the network of digital signs.
• Improve the interaction of your customers with your company.
• Internal communication and corporate message delivery.
• Display public and entertaining information (news, movies, music videos, etc.).
• And so on.

So the bottom line is — know your goals before you consider the types of digital signage.

2. Clarify the types of content you will produce

Also, different digital signage solutions can support certain types of content. This means that if you want to deliver more interactive ways of communication with the touch screen feature — you need to use the LCD booth with a specific touch screen display. 

Or, if you want to have a dynamic feed of content with the ability to change the feed in a few clicks — you’ve got to choose the right software. 

If you just want to showcase static ads — digital posters will do that job. And so on.

3. Determine whether you need interactive or passive digital signage

You also have to know how you will engage your target audience and what kind of services you want to provide them with. 

If you want to deliver more ways of interactive communication, the touch screen digital signage will help you implement the most complex system you ever dreamed of. 

If you just want to showcase the ads with the call-to-action slogans and no interactive engagement — you won’t have to waste money on that. In case you decide to build a really complex marketing campaign that will go viral, you may need the digital signage booth with the smoke detectors, movement detectors, etc. This will cost more but will bring you more flexibility and opportunities to deliver something creative. 

So basically, it also depends on how far going your creative boundaries are.

4. Research the available options on the market

Make a research on the options that are currently available on the market. You can include the pricing, scalability of the software, cost of hardware installation to your final market report. This will help you choose the solution that will fit your budget and your marketing purposes. 

Here are the types of digital signage available on the market as of right now: 

1. Indoor digital signage. 
2. Digital Posters.
3. Digital Menu Boards.
4. Outdoor Digital Signage.

They all may have additional features included, such as touch screens, integration with third-party devices/services, and so on. Basically, you’ve got to know the location where you want to install your digital screens (is it indoor or outdoor?), the information on your marketing purposes, and how your target audience engages with the content.

5. Are you tech-savvy enough?

This is the question that some of you have to ask themselves before they choose the digital signage type. Of course, we are talking about both hardware and software solutions. Cause when it comes to installing the hardware — the team of professionals will probably help you. 

But when it comes to the digital signage software: Are you sure you will handle that? Or will you need to hire additional personnel for digital signage management? 

The ease of use of the digital signage usually depends on the budget that you’re ready to spend on the DS network and on whether you did a deep enough research before settling with the DS company.

Be pragmatic and prepared

So we would like to sum up the thoughts on the digital signage types and how you can choose them. Our ultimate tip would be staying pragmatic and prepared. You’ve got to select the system that will do the job, not the one that’s cheaper/more expensive and not the one that looks nice. 

Do the market research, review the comparisons that you can find online, and settle with the solution that suits you the most.