What Is Digital Signage? [+ How It Can Help Your Business]

Digital signage — uses technology like (LED) video walls, projection displays, and y (LCD) monitors to vividly display content such as websites, videos, directions, restaurant menus, advertisements, images, and more. It supports wayfinding, messaging, marketing, and outdoor advertising, making it a versatile solution in settings like public spaces, museums, sporting arenas, churches, academic buildings, retail stores, corporate offices, and restaurants.

Digital signage plays a pivotal role in sharing public information, delivering internal communications, and providing product details to improve customer service, promotions, and brand recognition.

Now that you know the basics of digital signage , let’s look a few effective ways to use it:

• Promotions: Digital signage displays are perfect for showcasing promotions related to products, services, events, and sales. Using multimedia, including video, animation, and rotating graphics, advertisers can create digital signage content featuring static ads, product demonstrations, or even video testimonials. Retail settings are one of the most common places where digital signage is frequently used.
• Service Offerings: While paper menus or static displays are still common, many businesses are turning to digital signage for a more dynamic way to list their services. Restaurants, salons, spas, auto repair shops, and fitness centers use digital displays to offer rotating content across walls, windows, and high-quality digital screens, enhancing customer engagement.
• Inspirational Quotes: Digital signage isn’t just for advertising — it can also be a powerful way to inform, entertain, and motivate potential customers and employees alike with inspirational quotes. The right quote can make your digital signage more engaging, instantly lifting visitors’ moods. Organizations such as gyms, health and wellness establishments, and open offices can leverage inspirational quotes to increase productivity and create a welcoming environment.
• Interactive Forms & Games: Digital signage doesn’t have to be limited to static wall displays. With interactive digital signage, visitors can engage with content by selecting options, playing games, or subscribing to email newsletters. This not only enhances engagement but also helps businesses collect valuable information for future marketing efforts in an enjoyable, interactive format.
  
• Social Media Streams & News: Bring the online world into your office, facility, or store with social media-integrated digital signage. Sync the screens with your social media feeds and carefully curate hashtags and mentions to propel your brand into the real world. Fans get an opportunity to see their contributions featured in real time, and your content becomes a welcome source of information.
• Company Memos: Rather than relying on emails or paper memos, you can share company-wide updates through digital screens mounted in employee common spaces, including lounges and break rooms. It’s not only a quick and efficient way to communicate but can also increase transparency and improve workplace morale. Compared to text-heavy documents, workers tend to pay more attention to engaging visual content. And when paired with tools such as Hoopla, sales teams can check their real-time rankings on leaderboards — when a deal closes, everyone knows.
  
• Calendars & Event Schedules: Hotels, malls, universities, offices, theme parks, and healthcare facilities can all leverage digital content to display real-time calendars, event schedules, and appointment times. This keeps visitors informed while saving your staff time previously spent fielding questions. Take-out dining establishments can display the order queue, helping customers feel confident their order is being taken care of.
• Maps & Wayfinding: Many large organizations have maps in place that guide people to their destinations. However, these maps need to be updated and republished whenever changes are made to a space and only offer visitors static, standardized information. Digital wayfinding is a modern alternative to static maps, enabling businesses to make updates in real time and utilize interactive tools that provide customized directions based on user input.
• Directories: Digital directories are an essential resource for any modern organization. Aside from helping people find their way, digital directories offer an intuitive way to search for individuals, locations, or services. . Visitors can input names or filter options, receiving customized results quickly and easily.
• Emergency Alerts: Digital signage can be a fast and reliable way to share safety information in the event of an emergency. With the help of digital signage content, real time alerts can be displayed throughout a facility, ensuring employees and visitors receive vital safety information efficiently and effectively.

Digital signage displays is a broad term used to describe the various digitals screen used for advertising and communication purposes.. These displays include:

Digital signage displays vary in size, resolution, and functionality, so it’s important to compare features to choose the right product based on your needs. Here’s some additional information to help you make an informed choice.

Digital Directory Displays

Digital directory displays provide real-time information and navigation assistance through interactive displays. LED walls or smaller traditional displays are commonly found in malls, office buildings, and hospitals, offering visitors easy-to-access-information. These displays are user-friendly and can be updated in real time, ensuring that information is always accurate. By using digital message signs, facilities can quickly update information, events, or directions, which is especially valuable in fast-paced environments.

Examples of digital directory displays include:

• Advertising monitors in malls to help shoppers find stores and discover promotions
• Digital signage displays in corporate buildings to aid employees and visitors with navigation and announcements
• Digital wayfinding in hospitals to guide patients to departments and services

Digital directory displays are a versatile communication tool, improving the visitor experience and enhancing information dissemination across various settings.

Electronic Message Signs

Electronic message signs are digital displays — typically LED displays or screens — designed to share information and advertisements in the form of text, graphics, and video content, all in real-time. They can be easily updated to reflect the latest information.

Examples of electronic message signs include:

• Digital signage used to promote sales, special offers, and store hours in retail environments
• Digital displays showcasing schedules, delays, and important travel information in airports and train stations
• Digital wayfinding in healthcare facilities, providing directional assistance and patient updates

For a real-world example of electronic message signs in action, look no further than Christian Dior. After implementing these signs in its stores to highlight daily deals and timely promotions, the designer retailer saw a 15% increase in sales.

Advertising Monitors

Advertising monitors are digital screens used to display targeted marketing content, promotional offers, and advertisements. They can be strategically placed in high-traffic areas to capture potential customers’ attention. Advertising monitors are particularly effective because they can feature dynamic, interactive content such as videos, animations, and product demonstrations, which are far more engaging than static signs.

For example, Starbucks uses advertising monitors to promote new products and customer reviews. Following initial implementation, the famous coffee chain experienced a 25% increase in foot traffic and higher sales of featured items.

If you’re looking to implement digital signage in your store, facility, or office, there are few things to consider:

• Area Coverage: How large of an area do you want the display to cover?
• Visibility Range: How far away should the screen be visible? ?
• Content Type: Will you be displaying text, images, videos, or a combination of all three?
• Budget: What is your budget for both hardware and software?

Once you’re ready to move forward with your installation, here’s what to expect:

• Installation: Your installation partner will perform a site survey to ensure everything is ready and guide you through every step of the process.
• Hardware: You’ll need display screens, mounts, cabling , and other components to support the systems.
• Software: A digital signage software solution is crucial for your media player, content management system (CMS), and device management.
• Network: You’ll need to consider how your digital signage will integrate with your other systems, such as WiFi or hardwired connections. .
• Digital Content: Lastly, you’ll need to develop compelling content to display on your screens.

Digital signage projects should be planned and executed by professionals, especially if your project has a complicated scope. Your installation partner will be able to determine whether your goals are feasible, to suggest the right technology, and to ensure proper setup and ongoing maintenance.

Digital Signage Software

Beyond choosing the right hardware for your installation, you’ll also need the signage software tools to manage digital content. A CMS — such as Appspace, Korbyt, and Seenspire— is one of the best ways to organize and present your content. Depending on your system, you may also have the option of using media player software to ensure smooth feedback

Also, consider the scope of your display network. A device management software system can give you remote control of your network, which is essential for maintaining and updating content across a widespread network of displays.

A Note on Costs

Many businesses shy away from using digital signage, assuming it’s too costly, but recent advancements in technology have made solutions such as large LED walls attainable for a wider range of businesses.

With digital signage, you have the power to communicate your message in a vivid, engaging and impactful way. Whether it’s for marketing, employee engagement, or wayfinding, there’s no shortage of applications for this technology. If you’re seeking an innovative solution to boost your marketing efforts, energize your team, or enhance your space, digital signage is worth considering — especially when installed by a trusted partner like DGI.

As a leading provider of audio-visual communication solutions, we guide you from concept to completion, delivering custom-built digital signage solutions tailored to your business needs. Explore our past projects or connect with our team to get started on your own.