The thing about technology these days is that it’s not really the  technology you need to worry about. It’s how the technology works for  you, the end user, and the results it can produce. 

The same can be said of digital signage. When you’re tasked with  getting screens onto walls, producing content, writing playlists and  executing campaigns, which question do you ask first? 

There are so many options available, it can be seriously overwhelming  even for digital signage pros like ourselves! As a result, we believe  you should have a list of contributing factors that you want as standard  from your digital signage supplier:

A great but simple CMS and smooth product experience - without a rocket scientist to help you work things out!

A level of interoperability between screens, devices, tablets, smartphones, etc.

A company prepared to stand behind its product and help with questions or fixes.

Pricing that can scale - no hidden costs.

In the guide below, we’ll run through each of these points, helping  you to make the best digital signage decision for now and in the  future. 

1. Simplistic CMS and product experience 

Of course no one is going to choose a system that’s difficult to use  on purpose, but a stigma has surrounded digital signage for such a long  time, and it can be hard to break.

When you think of simple, well-designed products you use every day,  you might think of Dropbox, Facebook, MailChimp, or any number of other  tools that made once-arduous processes easier. 

Your digital signage CMS should be made of the same stuff. As we  often point out, uploading an image or video to your digital signage CMS  should be as easy as uploading an image to Facebook, something you  probably do without any thought! Creating a playlist - well, that should  be as easy as adding an email list to MailChimp. Organizing files,  changing digital signage content - yes, you got it - it should be as  easy as looking after your Dropbox folders.

Why? Because all of these products have one thing in common. They’re  simple to use and it feels natural to use them. Cloud-based digital  signage systems can be just as simple and you don’t have to stick to the  clunky, heavy products of the past to get your content up onto your  screens. 

When you’re trying out a piece of digital signage software, ask  yourself: how difficult is this to use? Could my marketing manager use  this? What about my HR manager or a teacher at this school? You don’t  want to have to hire someone to train your staff how to use a basic  digital signage CMS. 

Here are some of the things your digital signage manager might have to do:

Get content live onto the screen and test it

Edit content and change it at a moment’s notice

Could the CMS tick all of those boxes? More importantly, how much of  the heavy lifting would it take off of your hands? We know for sure that  one of ScreenCloud’s most popular features is our App Store.

The App Store lets anyone - designer, teacher, chef, office manager -  design content and get it up onto the screen very quickly. This could  save hours of time and budget! These features and the simplicity of use  are what will make a huge difference to your digital signage  deployment. 

Lastly, although this is not a hard and fast rule, we often have  customers comment that the reason they picked ScreenCloud as one of  their software products to test was because of website ease. There was  nothing hidden, they knew exactly what they would be paying, and they  could get into the product without waiting for guidance from a sales  call.

If the CMS you want to try is locked behind a gate, the sales calls  are slow, and it takes you a long time just to log in, what do you think  the product’s going to be like?

Finding a digital signage CMS that will jam with the infrastructure you have in place is a key consideration. 

First is the cloud vs on-premises question. In the past, all digital  signage systems had to be on-premises. They ran using servers, media  players and screens and you needed some room to house them, plus someone  fairly technical to look after the logistics.

Now, you have cloud-based digital signage. To run this type, all you  need is an Internet-connected screen (any Android TV) or a basic TV that  has a small media device like an Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K or Chromecast with Google TV  plugged in to make it smart. That’s all of the hardware needed.

Once setup, you can then turn to your laptop or PC to manage the content from anywhere. 

A big frustration with any software is not being able to try it out,  unassisted, before you have to add credit card details to buy it. One of  the features we were clear about with ScreenCloud is that our users  would be able to try the product themselves, see how it works, and then  give us a call if they needed help.

If a digital signage CMS is claiming to be simple to use, why do you  need a company employee to show you how to use it? Try before you buy  and remember that if you need someone to help you learn the system, your  staff and the next in line will too. 

Most modern digital signage systems will repurpose your content to  the correct screen ratio. However, some other compatibility  considerations are:

Resolution: Will it support full-HD or 4K screens?

Can I switch between portrait and landscape?

What about zoning my display and is this easy to use?

Does it continue to work offline if my Internet goes down?

If there’s a power interruption, will it manually reboot or will I have to reset everything?

These considerations will come down to what you’re trying to achieve, but are still worth asking in the early stages. 

If you’re a ScreenCloud customer, you’ve probably had some type of  dealing with Mark, our CEO. Building chemistry with your digital signage  vendor and having a great relationship from the start is so important!

Digital signage is such a prominent marketing method (anyone walking  by will see your screens!), that feeling supported and like you’re  working with a company who has your back will make a huge difference. 

For us, user support and being in touch with the needs of trialists,  current users and potential future users has been key to building a  product led by the things people need and want. 

Look for this quality from your digital signage CMS - trust us, it makes a big difference. 

If you need a fix or have a question, who do you get in touch with?  Is it easy to call for help? More importantly, how does the company  stand behind its product? If they aren’t interested in feedback now, or  if they struggle to give a defined roadmap for what you might consider  as a basic feature, you may want to look elsewhere. 

Testimonials often play a big part in the early stages of choosing a digital signage CMS. 

If you search the name of the CMS, can you easily find social proof  and client feedback? We often turn to forums and personal  recommendations through channels such as Facebook and online reviews to  get an honest review of the product in question.

This is a great way to see what other people, just like you, are  saying. If others have had a great experience, you can be confident that  the system is worth spending time exploring. 

If you’re in the early stages of getting your digital signage system  up and running, perhaps just for one screen, you may miss a crucial area  of consideration.

Ensuring your digital signage CMS has the ability to scale will prevent it from clipping your wings later in the journey.

This is often one of the first barriers to large-scale deployment.  There are a few different cost models within digital signage where you  could make a monthly subscription payment or a one-off licensing fee. 

You could pay per screen or per organization. You will also want to ask questions such as:

Are there any hidden costs? For example, if I want to add more than one administrator or multiple organizations?

What happens if I add/remove screens? Is this easy to do or will I still get charged?

With some digital signage systems, setting up one screen to show  content can be completely different to setting up 500 screens. It may be beneficial to look into devices that have large scale deployment capabilities, a great example of which is our own ScreenCloud OS device, Station P1 Pro. It comes with ScreenCloud’s software pre-installed and uses a ScreenCloud OS provisioning USB flash drive to configure your network settings quickly, allowing devices to be set up and ready to go in just a few minutes. If you think your campaign has the ability to scale, or you know that it does,  look into future capabilities. 

Can you split screens by organization? Are there easy ways to name, segment and search through your content? 

Content folders, playlist naming and different schedules may not be  that important now, but they will be when you have 50 different screens  and content plans to manage. 

Most digital signage systems will offer a discount for enterprise  users or those looking to adopt a platform at scale. You may also want  to consider if the level of support you’ll receive throughout is  correlated to how much you’re spending, although hopefully it won’t be. 

Like ScreenCloud, you will also find you can get a discount by paying  annually, or by being a NFP or education user. If in doubt, ask the  question - you could make a huge saving! 

Hopefully the above has given you a firm footing to get started with  your digital signage strategy. Picking which digital signage CMS to use  is probably the biggest decision you’ll make when starting out, and it’s  crucial to get it right.

If you have any other questions about choosing a CMS, we’d love to help - get in touch on hello@screen.cloud. If you’d like to try a 14-day free trial of ScreenCloud, head here. 

How to choose a digital signage CMS and the best digital signage software features to go for, including playlists, schedules, support and adaptability.

A checklist of considerations to think about early on in your digital signage journey.

4 Things to Look for from your Digital Signage CMS

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4 Things to Look for from your Digital Signage CMS

4 Things to Look for from your Digital Signage CMS

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