The 6 Dos and Don’ts of Digital Signage
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Displaying digital signage for employee communication is a great way to convey information, increase your reach and engagement, and enliven any (office) environment. But investing in digital signage software isn’t a surefire way to get the most out of your digital signage. Let us help you get started to make your digital signage effective for your business. These are the six dos and don’ts of digital signage!
Table of contents
Do: focus on content before anything else
Now, you’ve got a bunch of eye-catching screens across your buildings, which is clearly beneficial. But it’s only the beginning. Digital signage is only as good as the content it displays. Content is king! Creating high-quality content is a must and the only way to make your digital signage effective and successful.
This means your content should be clean, clear, and well-legible. Choose a large, bold font and make your content stand out by using contrasting colors. For example, use light-colored text on a dark-colored background so your content is more visible from a distance.
Do: always keep your content up to date
There is no rule regarding the tempo at which you should update your digital signage content. However, nobody wants to read yesterday’s newspapers. Consider a schedule that regularly changes up your content to keep it fresh and interesting for your employees – if it’s new, it will draw attention.
If the information is important and must be displayed for an extended period, combining the initial message with other content that complements the original information can be worthwhile. This can help keep your staff’s attention on the message and continuously highlight the important information you wish to convey.
Do: redirect your staff to the full information
We’re all busy, attention spans are short, and nobody’s got time to read paragraphs and paragraphs of information. Keeping it short and sweet is an effective way to reach staff, visitors, and customers. Cut to the chase and provide quick information to accommodate these needs.
And if you can’t, summarize the information, put it on your digital signage screens, and redirect staff to the complete information on your intranet, an employee app with an output for mobile and desktop, or an e-mail. Pro tip: add a QR code to any slides linked to additional information. Your employees can scan it with their smartphones and will be redirected to the right information. Zero extra effort!
Don’t: overdo it
Though digital signage gives content creators some creative freedom, don’t go overboard. Graphics, colors, videos, or moving images such as GIFs will surely draw attention to your message. However, too much won’t do justice to your message or digital signage screens. Try to keep it easy to read and match your digital signage slides’ design to your corporate’s brand identity to ensure recognition and consistency.
Don’t: use your digital signage as static screens
The strong suit of digital signage is that it’s dynamic, so make sure to use that important feature to help draw attention to the information displayed. Ensure your screens always have multiple messages in a carousel, so your screens aren’t static – you may as well simply put up posters if you do.
GIFs and videos are also great ways to draw attention to specific or more important messages, as the movement will draw attention to your display.
Don’t: use too much text
Trying to communicate as much information as possible through your digital signage screens may be tempting. Don’t! Less is more when it comes to digital signage content. We recommend a maximum of 300 characters; people can read this amount of text in about 20 seconds.
Pro tip: read your text, time how long it takes you to finish reading, add 3 seconds, and consider if this is too much text to read while quickly passing by. If the screen is too busy, your employees won’t see what it is you’re actually trying to communicate, which completely defeats your purpose.
Need some inspiration for your digital signage content? Download our guide for 38 awesome employee communication content ideas. Want to get started with digital signage? Get in touch with our consultants; they are happy to look at your situation and show you everything Netpresenter has to offer in a free 30-minute demo.
