Why college digital signage is a good idea in 2021

While college digital signage has been on the rise, 2020 was a hard year for virtually every industry. Education is not an exception, many institutions closed their doors to students because of the pandemic. Now as it’s 2021, life slowly goes back to normal and campuses need digital solutions more than ever. Here’s why it’s important.

Although colleges and universities vary in size, the communication between the institution and the students is at the core of the process. The more effective and straightforward it is, the more trust students and their parents have in colleges. And trust is a great asset for the future development of the industry, and it ensures that the institution in question is a desirable place to study in. That’s why more and more colleges are looking for technological solutions to level up their game.

Digital signage on college campuses is one such solution that offers institutions a myriad of opportunities to show content and ace the communication with their students. By installing screens you’re getting much more than a mere digital tool, you are creating an efficient ecosystem that can be easily adapted to the needs of your college and ensure that the communication and marketing purposes are aligned.

Of course, just adding displays doesn’t do the magic instantly. College digital signage requires:

• knowledge of your audience
• good strategy
• readiness to experiment

The good news is that it is super flexible and gives you an opportunity to try out many things at once without additional costs. 

Let’s dive into the great advantages of digital electronic signage systems in colleges and see how technology can help your institution get through 2021 and beyond. 

1. Keeping everyone safe 

If it was 2019, we would start with safety as the first thing college digital signage helps you with but in 2021 it’s the number one priority. In order to function properly, a college has to… well, actually work. And while there are huge successes in a mass vaccination rollout, the risks of new outbreaks are still very high. New variants bring new worries and nobody wants to be confined again. That’s why it’s of the highest importance to ensure that your campus is a safe place to visit. 

Screens are a perfect medium for alerts. Their visual appeal, instant attention-grabbing and flexibility make for a great tool to remind everyone at your college about the importance of adhering to the social distancing norms. Displays at the entrance can announce the obligatory mask use, you can run alerts notifying students about the healthcare-related issues, the screens can be used to remind those who are feeling unwell to stay at home and describe the symptoms of the novel coronavirus. 

2. Digital signage on college campuses transforms notifications

If you have a message to share with the students or staff, college digital signage is just right for that. For example, with the templates Kitcast offers, you can design announcements and show them instantly to any number of screens.

Displays give you a chance to broadcast any information you’re willing to and do it all in a matter of seconds from a centralized network. This comes in extra handy for the schedules, opening hours, various informational flyers and wayfinding. 

3. Improving student engagement 

As we said earlier, trust is very important when it comes to creating a good communication trajectory between your college and students. Screens are there to facilitate this process.

You can use displays to gather feedback, run surveys, ask for reviews, and interact through social media with your students. 

This way you will show them that you actually care about their time at your institution and that their opinion is valued. 

4. Better promotion of student events

With many events taking place at different times and rooms it is easy to get lost. Digital signage eliminates this problem by introducing a digital way of announcing things. 

Is there a concert? Run an advert for that across all the screens and include a QR code for students to easily access the Facebook group or a designated domain. 

5. Cutting costs

It’s 2021 and many colleges and universities are still printing out stuff. While it’s an ineffective way to deal with announcements, it’s also very burdensome on the financial side of things. Instead, you can use the capabilities of college digital signage to completely cut the unnecessary printing costs and save all the time spent on organizing and disseminating printouts across campuses.

6. Digital menus for student cafeteria 

Take your cafeterias to the future by adding digital menus and you are guaranteed to have highly positive feedback from the students.

Kitcast templates will help you to design the menu of your liking that is sure to impress both students and their parents and position your institution as a forward-thinking one. 

7. Making campus smarter

With technology dominating every aspect of the life of the students, colleges should definitely keep a hand on the pulse of the latest advancements. Digital signage lets institutions create a smart ecosystem of screens completely revamping the overall studying experience. That in turn leads to a shortening of the bridge between a college and a student and allows for a fruitful and effective dialogue with the help of technological tools.

Because at the end of the day it’s all about the good old communication. With digital signage you have a state-of-art tool that is guaranteed to help, why not use it to the full force?