Effective communication with both employees and customers is key to business success. While company-wide email memos can certainly get the job done, they often go unread and get lost in the digital flurry that barrages the modern worker.
An alternative medium for corporate communications is the digital sign. In the article below, we cover the strengths and limitations of this communication medium, and we provide examples of how corporations can use digital signs effectively.
What is a digital sign?
A digital sign is any screen that displays company information. Typically, digital signs are TV screens that are fitted with digital signage player hardware. This hardware renders content from digital signage software to the TV screen.
Cloud-based digital signage software enables businesses to easily manage their digital signage content online. In the past, employees would need to physically visit each screen whenever they wanted to change out screen content. With digital signage software, employees can manage sign content from anywhere with an internet connection. This management includes adding, removing, and swapping out content. Additionally, users can organize content into playlists and schedule these playlists.
Strengths of using digital signs for corporate communications
The main strongpoint of digital signs is that they are immediately accessible. Employees and customers do not have to download an app, they do not have to log in, and they do not have to check their email. Whatever the message is, it can be immediately accessed.
Additionally, digital displays are great at getting key messages across quickly. Many of us have had experiences where we have attended a “this could have been an email” meeting. Likewise, we have all read verbose emails that “could have been digital signage content.” The digital signage medium forces people to be concise and direct with their messages, which often results in increased retention and comprehension among teams.
Also, another strength of digital signs for corporate communications is that it can communicate information that is best viewed in a group context. For example, displaying sales team data and revenue, demos, or calls by reps is most effective when it is displayed in the open. Individuals can see where they stand in relation to other team members, and teams can talk about this information transparently. When teams work well together, this information can drive competitive spirits that result in greater team output.
Limitations of digital signage systems for corporate communications
There are always two sides of the coin. As with most tools, their benefits can, in some contexts, be limitations. With digital signs, their immediate and public display of information is only great so long as the information is appropriate for immediate and public messaging. Some communications are best shared using other formats that are slower and more private. Additionally, some messages are more nuanced and cannot be condensed into a character length that is appropriate for digital signs.
Examples of effective corporate communications with digital signs
The first set of corporate communication use cases for digital signs includes those for internal communications. These digital signs can be used in team offices or even on larger corporate campuses to boost employee engagement. Examples include displaying:
- Real-time messaging on company performance
- Company value and key components of the mission statement
- Company news, events, and other happenings
- Data dashboards and KPIs
- Recent team and individual successes
Corporate communications with digital signage can also be customer-facing. This customer-facing content is typically used to increase customer purchases through promotions or upsells. Additionally, customer-facing content can be used to build the company’s brand. Examples include displaying:
- Limited-time offers and promotions
- Social media feeds
- Video wall content of ad creatives
- User-generated content product reviews.
The list above just shows a few examples of how digital signage can be used for corporate communications. The reality is that digital signage use cases are truly endless. In addition to display image and video content, teams can also integrate their digital signage content with their existing tech stack. This allows teams to allow their business data to display and trigger real time information, such as inventory levels, wait times, and performance metrics as they happen. Check out some of our Edge App digital signage templates for custom applications.
Ready to get started with a corporate digital signage solution?
Screenly makes it easy to get started with digital signage for corporate communications. We offer a 30-day free trial, and you can look inside Screenly right now. You can even start displaying digital signage content without any hardware with our virtual screen feature. While our virtual screen feature does not have all the functionality of a screen powered by a digital signage player, it’s a great way to get a better feel for the Screenly platform quickly and easily.
