Digital Signage Content

Once again, I will be moderating a panel at Digital Signage Expo on digital signage for corporate communication. We've got a slightly new structure for this year's session based on feedback from last year's attendees. 

At industry event like this one, internal signage doesn't have the same "sex appeal" as signage for retail and other external means. But I know we are grateful that the DSE organizers continue to give us a platform to highlight these "hidden" networks. 

If you're attending this year's Expo out in Vegas, I'd love to see you come to our session titled, "Content strategies for workplace digital signage." It's Thursday morning (March 8) at 9am.

On the panel this year we have Frank Kenna (President, The Marlin Co.), Chris Bias (Communications Consultant, Eli Lily and Co.) and Brian Wood (Arizona Director of Operations, Waste Management). Chris is a customer of ours but it will be nice to have perspective of others on this year's panel.  

If there are questions you'd like for the panel to address, leave them in the comments section below. 

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This post originally appeared on Paul Barton's "Just My Type" blog and we received full permission to re-run the content on this blog. 

Over the years, Paul Barton has become a great friend of mine. We originally "met" via Twitter, but have since reconnected several times at IABC World Conferences.

In this post, he pulled together 20 objectives for employee communicators that I thought were simply brilliant. I'd like to see if anybody can put up an argument against any of them. Check out Paul's 20 guiding principles for employee communications. 

1. Strategic communications help a business achieve its objectives. That is their purpose.
2. Effective communications are those that produce measurable results and they can be a competitive differentiator.
   
3. There are costs associated with communicating, but there can be costs associated with not communicating as well. Internal communications seek cost-effective and creative solutions to solve complex communications challenges.
4. Employees are drowning in information, but starving for understanding. Our job is to make the important interesting.
5. Credibility is the foundation upon which effective communication is built. Unless it is believed, a message has no worth.
6. Face-to-face communication is the most desirable form of communication because it is immediate, personal and interactive. Most employees say their immediate supervisor is their preferred and most credible source of information about the business.
7. Communication is, by definition, a two-way process. Feedback mechanisms must be part of every employee communication.
8. Communication is a management responsibility. Internal Communications supports leaders by serving as consultants, facilitators and resource partners.
9. As in any effective strategy, form should follow function. The medium is the message.
10. Employees should learn of important events affecting them and their company from an internal source rather than an external source. Well-informed employees can serve as informal ambassadors of the company.
11. The more important the information is personally to the receiver, the fewer exposures are needed to make an impression. Make your communications relevant.
12. True effectiveness in communication is the ability to influence and change behavior. Changing behaviors is a long, slow process and therefore measurement of effective communications must be taken over time.
13. The case for change should be found in the marketplace. For change to occur, employees must move through these stages: awareness, understanding, acceptance and commitment. You cannot skip a step. Formal communications (particularly written communications) are most effective in promoting awareness and understanding. Informal communications (leader behaviors, unwritten rules, management decisions, openness, risk-taking tolerance, etc.) are necessary to reach full commitment.
14. External sources are defacto employee communications and therefore external messaging should be aligned with internal strategies. Likewise, employees are informal ambassadors of an organization and therefore internal messaging should be aligned with external strategies. Every internal communication should be written as if it will be read by the news media.
15. Rumors are created to fill communications voids. Fill those voids with valid information. A phrase like “Unfortunately, we have more questions than answers right now but we’re aware of the problem, we’re working on it and we’ll keep you updated with any news” goes a long ways to keep the rumor mill from grinding out of control.
16. Well-defined communication processes and procedures are the foundation for creativity. Key message libraries, templates, crisis plans, etc. free up time for creativity and continuous improvement.
17. The overall tone of employee communications directly reflects the relationship an organization has with its employees. The best tone for strategic communications is the Voice of the Brand, which is primarily what the company is but also what the company is striving to be.
18. With better information, better business decisions can be made. Employees need to understand the “what” and the “why” to be fully engaged.
19. Well-informed employees are more satisfied, more creative, more productive and more committed.
    
20. A common trait among successful companies is open and honest communications with all their key audiences, especially their employees.

Pretty great, eh? Truth be told, each of these principles could be its own blog post. And maybe I'll do just that.

If you'd like to learn more about Paul, you can follow him on Twitter (@PaulBartonABC) or connect with him on LinkedIn. He is a proud Iowa St. Cyclone, but more importantly has tremendous experience with internal communication, having worked at Hawaiian Airlines, PetSmart and America West Airlines in his career. 

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The Super Bowl is less than two weeks away and MediaTile will be there. . . sort of. Let me explain.

MediaTile is headquartered out of California, but I live and work in Indianapolis, this year's host of the Super Bowl. It's been a point of pride for the city ever since the NFL announced Indy as the host for the big game. 

Well now it's here and we're ready show off the city. The Super Bowl Host Committee asked me and 45 other local social media enthusiasts to join its #Social46 crew. Our task is helping spread the word about all of the great events going on in the city and improving communication to our networks, leading up to the matchup between the Giants and Patriots. 
 They are calling this year's game the most urban is history, thanks to Lucas Oil Stadium's great downtown location. And we are working to also make it the most connected in history. Mashable has written about the Social Media Command Center, which we will all have access to. 

If you're on Twitter and either heading to the Super Bowl or just want to check out what's going on, be sure to follow #social46 and share anything with your network that are helpful or interesting. 


So what does this have to do with digital signage or MediaTile? Nothing, except that I work here. But one of MediaTile's partners, Verizon Wireless, is making news with its 4G LTE network. Our digital signage hardware, including the HumanKiosk, can all run on Verizon's super fast network. 

A few years back when Indy hosted the Final Four, it was nearly impossible to send out a call or text due to the bandwidth crunch from tens of thousands of visitors. 

Now with hundreds of thousands coming into town, Verizon is doing its part to help. As this Super Bowl is the first with 4G LTE, Verizon is prepared for its customers by adding all sorts of extra bandwidth. This makes me happy since I have a Verizon Wireless MiFi device. 

Check out this video from Gotta Be Mobile for more details on Verizon's work. 

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This content originally appeared on JTPR's Spread the Word and has been reposted with permission. 

It happens over and over. We ask new clients about the audiences they need to reach in order to achieve their objectives, and they quickly zero in on potential clients and customers. Then they talk about collaborators and marketplace influencers. Then, as an afterthought, they might mention employees.

Usually, this isn’t because there is some desire NOT to communicate with employees. It’s just that, when these clients focus on making sales and closing deals, they too often take their own people for granted. They assume they’re onboard and now what they need to know.

And then they wonder why their people say things like, “I don’t know what our company’s strategy is,” or “I really can’t say what our priorities are now.”

1. Tell employees everything you can when you can.
2. Don’t lie. (This might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many organizations justify lying to employees, or at least not telling the full truth.)
3. Tell employees first – before anyone outside the company’s walls – and never let them learn anything about the organization through the media unless it is absolutely unavoidable (for public companies, for example, legal or SEC regs sometimes dictate timing, and all organizations could encounter a rare exception based on business developments or relationships … however, even in those cases, employees must be informed as soon as is legal and feasible).
4. Never put out vague or incomplete communications – you’ll raise more questions than you answer.
5. Never leave employees to draw their own conclusions.
6. Understand that any information void will fill quickly with rumor, speculation and gossip.
7. Treat employees like adults – give them bad news as well as good news. Be clear, don’t sugarcoat, don’t try to sell them on a particular point of view.
8. Always assume that a question raised by a number of employees is on the minds of many more – but don’t respond on a global scale to a localized problem – and always be prepared to answer calmly and directly the most cynical questions.
9. Overcommunicate … but remember that burying employees in useless information will dull their senses to real information.
10. Consider: Is there a chance I will regret what I am saying? Will I have to eat my words, or explain myself later?

If you thought Las Vegas couldn’t jam more blinking lights into its city limits, the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) has news for you – Vegas can and did.

In arguably its biggest show ever, CES allowed consumers and companies alike to see what the future holds in the consumer technology marketplace. From Ultra-flat panel 3D TVs to Justin Beiber, CES delivered the goods.

MediaTile was prominently featured in both the Verizon Wireless and Alcatel Lucent booths in the form of The GameTime Media Table. After winning the 2012 DIGI Award for "Best New Content Management Software/Web-based”, absent was “The HumanKiosk” featuring Video Presence. But born from the same value propositions of being cellular connected and cloud controlled, The GameTime Media Table delivered the rich on screen content and unique experiences over 4G LTE that drew visitors to both booths consistently over three days. This is super-powered cellular digital signage. 

The GameTime Media Table showcases multiple interactive features including the ability to upload and display pictures instantly from your smart phone, play music, watch movie previews and the coup de grace: playing video games (single or multi player) where smart phones act the controllers. So if you are thinking to yourself, ‘MediaCast can deliver media like movie/music files, streaming videos, live intelligently routed video calls, interactive gaming and everything in between!’ your thinking would be spot on. Verizon’s network and Brass Monkey’s video games deliver the blows, but it’s the MediaCast muscle that ensures maximum impact (also in attendance at CES was UFC Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem, hence the metaphor). Gaming on digital signage... and then some!

It was great to be part of CES and MediaTile is honored to partner with industry leaders like Verizon Wireless and Alcatel Lucent to launch solutions that will steer the industry and delight users for years to come…or at least until CES 2013.

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We put a lot of work into our blog (and I hope those that read it find our posts helpful). I thought I'd go back and find the top eight most-read blog posts from the past year. Why eight? Because it was a crazy year. 

I hope you enjoy. 

1. If you're in employee communications, watch this video now
   
   
2. The top holiday gift ideas for internal communicators
   
   
3. What impact did Twitter have on the IABC World Conference? 
   
   
4. Digital signage and the Powerpoint problem
   
   
5. Repetition is key to successful internal communication
   
   
6. Another incredible milestone for the digital signage community
   
   
7. Digital signage gets its own Twitter parody
   
   
8. When redundant communication is effective communication

And for those who question the value of blogging, we had two posts that were written back in 2009 that were part of our most read. 

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What a great way to kick off the New Year. Digital Signage Magazine awarded MediaTile the coveted 2012 DIGI Award for our innovative MediaCast Video Presence system.  

MediaCast Video Presence, which powers the revolutionary HumanKiosk solution, has received a first place award for Best New Product in the New Content Management Software/Web Based (SaaS) category.  

'Tis the season of giving. But do you have that hard-to-buy-for employee communicator in your life and are struggling with what to get them for Christmas?

To help you with ideas, I reached out to several of my employee communication friends on Twitter to see what they thought every communicator needs on his or her Christmas list. Some were serious. But most were not. 

Dana Leeson A suit of armor to protect you when delivering honest feedback to the CEO about their approach to an employee briefing to deflecting missile launched laptops when you remove the coveted cafeteria menu from the intranet. 
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Colleen Hawk An extra large bottle of aspirin, an additional two hours in the day, and clients who don't try to do your job.
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Paul Barton Starbucks gift card (caffeine is our lifeblood), kitchen sink (we do everything), hat rack (we wear many hats), & a CPR course (we bring dead copy to life). 
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Steve Crescenzo The Kodak Zi6 HD Pocket Video Camera with a microphone and cord for better audio. 
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Rachel Miller Mine would be scissors to cut through red tape & silos to enable conversations to happen. That or a fabulous pair of Jimmy Choos!
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Sean Williams Three things: subscriptions to Melcrum's IC Hub & Strategic Communications Management magazine, plus a course in knowledge management.
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Christy Loerzel Advil. No really - a case for iPad/old school notebook. Nice pens and notebooks rate with me!
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Dave Meyer Evernote Premium for papers (and a Fujitsu Scansnap to import their papers)
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Jenni Wheller Honesty... So we can understand more and support our colleagues better
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Christopher Swan I'd go with the external communications experience. Consumer marketing and social features can translate to the internal world. Stretch your ideas!
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Jeremy Schultz I recently bought the Tascam DR-05 digital recorder…light years better than my old one.
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If you have your own gift idea, please share it in the comments and I'll add them to the list. Or better yet, post them on Twitter with the hashtag #icgifts. 

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Image via Kevin Dooley

Our friends at IPG's MediaLab certainly know how to throw a party – from innovative eats (pizza hanging from meat hooks), a funked up DJ and highly attentive service hosts, this launch event in NYC yesterday evening was definitely Madison Avenue-style (actually 100 West 33rd to be precise).  With roaming camera crews, floating celebs, and of course the hip swinging robot with cute LED blue eyes – guests were put at ease to casually learn and get hands-on experience of some of the cutting edge (some of them bleeding) applications of technology to take consumer/brand retail experiences to a whole new level.

The DailyDOOH picked up on this event and rightly described the new Lab as an "immersive exploration center."  It commented that "At any given time, The Lab will feature 50 of these technologies, platforms and applications from the industry’s most pioneering companies".

MediaTile is one of those pioneering companies and has worked with the Lab team for over a year now – first in the Wilshire Blvd, LA MediaLab and now in NYC - by showcasing MediaCast Video Presence on the HumanKiosk.  So from first-hand experience I can say that the Lab is a very creative space and the IPG team (many thanks to Scott, Sonya and the rest of the team) is great to work with; providing constructive feedback, local technical support in the Lab, a can-do attitude and sharing high levels of enthusiasm about the solutions to both their clients and technology partners like ourselves.

I was at the cocktail party in NYC last night to show guests how to 'get personal' with the HumanKiosk – a fusion of interactive digital signage and video-enabled customer service.  Remote expert agents were on hand in California to take the video calls from the MediaLab guests (thus proving out one of the benefits of remote video agents…..shift work by time zones!).  If you weren't on the guest list last night you can still check out the HumanKiosk at www.humankiosk.com

Along side of the HumanKiosk was an array of many promising Retail and Marketing technologies; from multi-touch product experience tables that allow you to quickly select a large number of product range items and evaluate color, type, or performance merits – through to visual dressing rooms that allow you to see yourself 'virtually' with different clothes, accessories and color/styles without even touching a screen.  In the Consumer Intelligence/Business Intelligence (CI/BI) area there was a great Executive Dashboard that in real time drew visitor statistics from all the social media channels and attempted to correlate them to events and activities, whether local or national, to help create actionable management information. And then there was anonymous video analytics…..those cameras were everywhere!  I saw three different demonstration stations showing different applications of this powerful tool, including one that purported to gauge your emotional response to displayed content.  I pulled a face and made a gesture and sure enough the graph on the demo screen spiked!  I wonder what those CI gurus are making of that this morning……?

The IPG MediaLab launch event reminded me of the theme of CETW event that had wrapped up at the Javits Center just a couple of hours earlier that day:  ENGAGE!  Whether it's self-serve kiosks/tables, interactive digital signage or mobile/social apps – or all three working in tandem – our job in the industry is to engage the viewer/consumer, give them a personalized, relevant and rewarding experience, and do it simply and quickly.  A big thank you to the IPG MediaLab team for making the next steps towards that goal more possible.

Rather than bother everybody's Twitter stream with updates, I thought it would be better to provide presentation thoughts here (and serves as good note-taking for me).

Sebastian White, JetBlue Airways: “How Culture Drives Business Performance”

• JetBlue is now the largest airline in New York City. 
• Focus on service starts inside with a fanatacism toward culture: Safety, Caring, Integrity, Fun and Passion. 
• To combat declining JD Power scores, they created a "Culture is Service" to drive improved business results. 
• JetBlue asked front-facing employees what's getting in their way of providing magnificent customer service to employees. 
• In the summits, employees had to write an essay about why they should attend these working sessions to help provide effective business communication. 
• JetBlue uses NetPromoter to provide a score that impact employee communication. 
• All 14,000 employees at jetBlue have email access and the intranet is the hub of all internal communication activity. The intranet is available outside the corporate firewall and it's open to comments. With the relaunch, employees were told to stop sending email. 
• JetBlue's intranet site also features industry news from other airlines. 
• They use videos and podcasts, even as responses to crisis communication, so that employees can stay in the loop. 
• JetBlue's recommendation: "Throw in a contest and people will pay attention." They even name their jets with the "blue" name in them. 
• They encourage customers and employees to post pictures on JetBlue's Flickr page. These photos then get used internally. 

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This week I’ll be attending CETW (Consumer Engagement Technology World) in New York City November 9-11.  CETW is one of the more interesting shows, as it highlights elements from three distinct, yet converging worlds:  the world of interactive digital signage, kiosk-based self-service systems and the mobile communications.  The common thread:  “customer engagement,” which is right in line with our thinking and our new campaign “get personal.”  The HumanKiosk solution is the fusion of live, video call routing to on-demand experts, and interactive signage so we’ll be right a home with all comers to the event.

You can find me supporting DFI Tech, one of our HumanKiosk hardware partners, in booth #334  - so stop by and see the latest generation of the HumanKiosk solution and our MediCast Video Presence solution that powers this end-to-end system. If you can’t make it to the show, please have a look at our short video on YouTube,  or visit our site to learn more about this revolution in customer service and support in point-of-sale and point-of-service environments.

The day before the show, I’ll be attending the DSA (Digital ScreenMedia Association) advisory committee meeting. As the industry’s largest digital signage trade association, it will be great to see everyone and learn about the new activities underway to further promote our industry and support its participants through advocacy and education.  If you’re a customer of digital signage it’s free to join, so if you haven’t yet done so, please visit their site  http://www.digitalscreenmedia.org/join-users-deployers – you’ll have access to a wealth of industry information as well as experts at no charge.

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To borrow a term from one of our premier partners, commercially 4G means "lightning fast speed" but that is obviously geared more toward cell phone services. 4G in the world of digital signage means something exponentially different. To the digital signage customer, 4G means no longer sacrificing content or interactive features in an effort to reduce cost and complexities of screen installation. 

What 4G allows MediaTile's digital signage solution set to deliver is more dynamic content thanks to the increased bandwidth 4G provides. Specifically, MediaCast can now deliver live, 2-way video communication on screen or "Video Presence". When Video Presence is utilized, our 4G digital signage solution set becomes "The HumanKiosk" (at this point I like to image a mild mannered digital signage screen entering an old-time phone and changing into the HK. You know, like Superman).  The HumanKiosk provides all the benefits of traditional digital signage to attract, engage, and immerse users in relevant digital information but now adds experts, live on-demand.

Beyond delivering Video Presence, the benefit of 4G for digital signage is the ability to start answering the questions "what if?" and "why not?" Because 4G can deliver data only traditionally provided by a CAT5 line, many customers (with guidance from vendor experts like MediaTile's MediaServices Team) are discovering integration points to help increase both hard dollar and soft dollar return on their digital signage investment. 

4G is changing the digital signage marketplace and I look forward to seeing how 5G only raises the stakes. 

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I just spent the past several days in Washington DC, attending the inaugural GovComm 2011 show.  This new show is focused on serving WDC area technology managers, end users and procurement officers in the government sector and other local markets.  With our hardware partner DFI Tech, we’ve been showcasing our HumanKiosk solution and have received a lot of attention and interest. 

As with today’s commercial businesses, government agencies and institutions such as libraries and museums are also looking for new, innovative and cost-effective ways of getting their messages directly to their constituents, in a manner that is more relevant and personally engaging.    Given that our HumanKiosk solution, powered by MediaCast Video Presence, fuses interactive digital signage with live and intelligent 2-way video calling, we’ve again hit a sweet spot with our audience here at this government show.

Most of the government buyers I’ve spoken with over the past two days were especially interested in using the HumanKiosk solution to reach remote, highly targeted audiences in a compelling and personal manner.  Of significant interest was our ability to provide intelligent video call routing.  This enables the user in front of the display to make specific on-screen selections, then have a face-to-face conversation with a remote expert agent who has detailed subject matter expertise conversation, even in the native language of the viewer. 

As we’ve seen at other government shows, such as the G-Tech conference, providing a more interactive and engaging method of servicing customers is top of mind with today’s government buyers.  And, by delivering live experts virtually through video presence, labor costs and associated on-site expenses can be dramatically reduced.   If you haven’t seen our video yet, take a moment to see how you can get personal with your customers.

Simon Wilson
CEO, MediaTile

This just in…  Our HumanKiosk has been recognized by the CMO Council as an emerging technology solution that can help brands and businesses localize their marketing programs to optimize sales effectiveness. Check out the full announcement.

Today’s news follows the CMO Council’s release of its “Localize to Optimize Sales Channel Effectiveness” research report, announced on Monday. It reveals that 86% percent of national marketers surveyed intend to look for better ways to modify, adapt and localize their marketing content, messaging and prospect engagement practices. Highlighted in this research were the “preferred” marketing mediums to achieve “localization,” which include interactive digital signage along with electronic messaging, and social networks over broadcast television, local magazines and other traditional B2C communications.

This is an important milestone for our industry, for MediaTile and our HumanKiosk and MediaCast Video Presence solution, as it highlights the core “needs” and business value which is driving the high demand and interest in the HumanKiosk digital signage solution. Simply stated, businesses (and brands) are being driven by both profitability and competitive positioning needs to deliver marketing programs that increase customer relevance and direct engagement.

For example, 67% of companies participating in the survey indicated that localized marketing strategies and programs would help them achieve greater customer relevance, response and return; while 40% reported they desired better customer conversations and connectivity.

Donovan Neale-May, executive director of the CMO Council, had this to say: "The HumanKiosk solution is a perfect fit for today's innovative brands and businesses seeking to localize their marketing efforts by connecting directly with consumers where and when they are making a considered purchase decision. The CMO Council's research, compiled from more than 300 member interactions across leading industry sectors, indicates that brands are moving to more targeted, personalized, interactive and measureable forms of local engagement - and the HumanKiosk does just that."

Here is the link to the CMO Council’s press release, and to their research report (fee based).   Click here for more information on the HumanKiosk Solution andMediaCast Video Presence.

Mike Foster
CMO and Co-Founder, MediaTile

All this month, we've been sharing 31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage. And given the rather spooky month October is, we thought it was a great time to share this information. It was a lot of work but also a lot of fun. 

We know it can be intimidating launching a network, but that's why we're here. We try to take as much fear out of the equation as possible through education and awareness (hence, this blog). We are open to having as many conversations or demos as needed to help you get your project off the ground. 

So in case you missed any of our 31 reasons or want to stroll through memory lane, here they all are:

1.  Networking
2. Cellular
3. WiFi
4. LAN
5. Scalability
6. SaaS
7. Unlimited users
8. Cost of installation
9. Complexity of installation
10. Variety of file types
11. Scheduling
12. Digital signage hardware
13. Content management
14. Content expansion
15. Component players
16. The Cloud
17. Touch screens
18. Training
19. Digital signage content creation
20. Custom-branded templates
21. Video
22. Security
23. IT involvement
24. Custom training
25. Support
26. Content best practices
27. Screen placement
28. Project management
29. Return on investment
30. Enterprise deployments
31. Roles and permissions

We hope everybody has a safe and fun Halloween. We'll leave you with this spooky message. 

In light of October being a rather scary month, we thought we would highlight 31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage. We hope you enjoy them.

Reason #31: Roles & permissions

Roles and permission sounds so formal, almost militaristic. I prefer the term "team." There is nothing better when many within an organization take an active role in a digital signage network because there is so much to gain. Whether it's the folks in sales or the HR group, a digital signage network can provide them all with a unique sounding board for their respective messages. 

MediaCast makes itself available via a secure web portal and can be reached on most internet connected devices. Don't be worried, MediaCast still requires a username and password to make sure your content is secure. MediaCast lets your create users, assign permissions, set up alerts even customize what your content management portal looks like. You can easily establish access rights for each active network participant at a very granular level. You can also create "Roles" for users with more common functions. "Clients" can be setup as well to manage particular content elements, schedules, and playlist. This will give you control over specific media-based assets to those on your internal network team or external users who may contribute more complex content (think agencies). 

Roles and permissions invites all those you want to participate in and keeps those you don't want on your network out. 

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In light of October being a rather scary month, we thought we would highlight 31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage. We hope you enjoy them.

Reason #29: ROI

What is ROI? Commonly it refers to "Return on Investment" and, even with digital signage, there are online calculators which can help you formulate how long it may take for your network to pay for itself. Generally the easiest model is the one applied to the retail vertical in that the increase in product sales where signs are located is subtracted from your hard dollar investment. The resulting number tells you if your investment in digital signage was worth it or not.

What is harder to measure is the less common ROI or "Return on Involvement." This type of ROI refers to the impact of your content on your audience and how easily they can recall that information and complete your "call to action." For the more sophisticated interactive content experience, it's not only about how easily the information can be recalled but also if the user's experience was a delightful one. The more unique and positive the experience, the more likely your audience is to recall your brand; therefore, regardless of where they maybe in the buying cycle (to continue with our retail example) when it comes time to finally make a purchase they will be more likely remember the great digital signage experience they had with your brand's network.

Part of MediaTile's offering via our MediaServices group is to help you define the measure of success for your digital signage network. Whether it's traditional hard-dollar Return on Investment or soft-dollar Return of Involvement, our consultative approve ensures you will be able to define success and measure in the present and well into the future.

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In light of October being a rather scary month, we thought we would highlight 31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage. We hope you enjoy them.

Reason #28: Project management

When you are ready to kick-off your digital signage project, the management of said project can feel like a whole other job on to itself. MediaTile offers to manage your entire project from start to finish through our MediaServices team. We will work with your primary internal digital signage advocate starting with the kick-off meeting, then concept creation, establishing timelines, approvals, testing, roll out, and reporting. In the case you want to keep the project in house, here are a few suggestions to help your engagement go as smoothly as possible:

• Dedicate a project leader to oversee the processes and make sure it is moving.
• Come up with clearly defined goals for your digital signage network.
• Have a single provider contact so any questions or issues that may arise only require a single call.
• Come up with content designs and templates that maintain a consistent tone with your existing brand messaging (whether your audience is internal or external)
• Have a list of all the hardware and software components you'll need to deliver an individual installation point.
• Schedule your team's training and testing well in advance and encourage "playing" with the content management solution.
• Once your project goes live, make sure either the project leader or some other vital team member is checking on the network daily to ensure success and gather usage data.

If you have any questions about a new project or management of existing one, MediaTile has the experts to consult or inherit the engagement and increase the likelihood of another digital signage project in your future.


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In light of October being a rather scary month, we thought we would highlight 31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage. We hope you enjoy them.

Reason #27: Screen placement

42" digital signage screens, check.

Awesome, eye-catching content, check.

Training, check.

Now please make sure you put your screen where your audience can see it! I know..."the CAT 5 line only reaches so far" or "if I put it here, my WiFi network can't reach it and provide connectivity." Poppycock, MediaTile boasts the benefits of a cellular connection per media player and that means all you need is power. Your audience moves, the floor plan changes, you need to send a digital signage panel to an event - just provide power and your MediaCast supported screen will deliver the right digital message, to the right people, at the right time. 

Screen placement can also be effected by what type of content you put on your screens. If your content is more aligned with traditional digital signage - rotating Jpegs or repeating MPegs videos - then keeping your screen higher than eye-level is fine. However, if you have or may start to use touch screen interactive content, then you screen needs to come down on the wall so your audience can easily touch to navigate appropriately. 

Lastly, if you can't decide, then ask. Onsite visits are the norm in digital signage industry. Whomever your provider is they should be able to advise you on where to place your screens to maximize impact and ROI.

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In light of October being a rather scary month, we thought we would highlight 31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage. We hope you enjoy them.

Reason #26: Content best practices

Whether it's your first digital signage network or you're a seasoned vet, there are always three basic principles to follow when creating content for your digital signage network.

1. Simplicity - choose your words wisely and think of single words as the "headline" versus using full sentences. The last thing you want is to make your digital signage screen look like a wordy power point slide, so don't use too many text heavy messages in one segment of your screen.
2. Repetition - You know the audience you are targeting your communications to, so it's imperative you also know how long they will be at particular screen locations and thus how long your message should be on screen. Point of Sale content usually changes in intervals of 10-12 seconds as the audience is usually on the move. Conversely, Point of Wait content can be on screen longer as the audience's dwell time increases
3. Call to Action - Lastly, make sure your audience understands the point of why you are communicating with them and what they should do next. Be clear on the "next step" and have appropriate deadline messaging in place. Interactive content - such as touch screen and quick response codes - can make this process much easier as it empowers your audience to take control of the "call to action" (touch screen) or have a literal walk away with a QR code.

Remember that your content is meant to evolve over time because fresh content demands audience attention. MediaTile offers an experienced team to help answer your content questions or even help create your initial content to help you get started.


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