The 4 Pillars For Stable Digital Signage
Stability is the number one reason a digital signage network is successful or is a failure. To obtain this stability, your network needs to have 4 basic parts, or pillars that work together to form a solid foundation. Content, Software, Hardware, and Philosophy.
No matter what your intended use for digital signage is, be it menu boards, hotel reader boards, manufacturing metric displays, it is important to keep in mind these four critical elements in order to maintain a stable and successful network. If you install a network without all four of these elements then you will fail miserably and spectacularly!
Well maybe not spectacularly. It will be more like a slow quiet, unremarkable death, alone in a cabin in some dark forgotten corner of a forest.
Think of the four elements for your network as pillars holding up a platform. On that platform is your signage network. Omit one of the pillars or use the wrong kind, the platform will be unsteady.
Let’s take an overview of these four elements.
1. Hardware When people think of Digital signage they usually think about the hardware first. The LCDs, the cables, players, mounts, enclosures and the specs for these. These are important things to consider but there is a lot more to digital signage than just the hardware.
2. Software Software gets a lot of attention during demonstrations and while watching online help videos and for good reason. Software will determine how your content will be displayed, how it can be scheduled. How often you will need to manually update your content or if you can have your content update automatically.
3. Content It has been said a million times. Content is King. True, it is very important but I would not describe it as King. It is more like the prime minister and as such still has to answer to the real king, the audience. It needs to be inline with the other pillars to be effective.
Usually, the desire to show content is what drives the decision to purchase digital signage in the first place, and becomes the visible result of the combination of the four pillars.
4. Philosophy The fourth pillar is Philosophy. It is like the culture of digital signage. While an intangible, it is strongly felt in a network. It is also strongly missed when absent. Often overlooked, philosophy should actually be considered first when beginning to delve into Digital Signage, as it will steer the rest of your Digital Signage purchase and usage.
While mastering all these pillars can seem daunting, you are not on your own to discover them. Check out our free Digital Signage Basics eBook, which guides you through the beginning steps to assembling a successful Digital Signage network.
