Digital Signage Software: How to Make the Most of Your Video Wall
LED video walls continue to grow in popularity, and it’s no surprise: They’re bright, reliable and more affordable than ever. Office lobbies, retail stores, university recreation centers, churches and conference rooms are ideal spaces for LED video walls.
But what most users don’t realize — until after the installation — is that your video wall is only as good as the content you display. Without the right content, your new video wall will look more disappointing than dazzling. So how can you find and manage the right content for your video walls? If you don’t have an onsite content creator, can you display more than just a static image or slideshow? This is where choosing the right digital signage software can make a difference. Let’s take a look at digital signage software choices to power your video wall.
What Is Digital Signage Software?
Digital signage software enables you to curate and share content on your video wall. It helps ensure the imagery and messaging on your display captures the attention of your audience, shares important messaging for your organization and projects up-to-date information that encourages viewing on future visits.
Digital signage software is often cloud-based, enabling users to manage displays anywhere and anytime. Also, by connecting to real-time sources of information, digital signage software can share current news, weather or social media feeds.
Why Is a Quality Software Important for Your Digital Signage?
What you share on your LED video wall needs to resonate with your audience, or they’ll just tune it out. Great content is interactive, eye-catching and timely. If your audience demands fresh content, it takes work to keep that content up to date. Depending on the size and shape of your wall, the size of your image may not render correctly on your wall without the right software. The right digital signage software can address all of these needs and issues and automate the process, saving your organization time and money.
What to Look For in Digital Signage Software
Here are some key considerations for your digital signage software investment:
- How much of a budget have you designated for your project, and have you considered an ongoing allocation for software?
- Are you looking to pay an ongoing SaaS cost for your software, or would you prefer to pay upfront?
- Does the provider have solutions that align with your specific industry as evidenced by their features or client list?
- How important is it for your solution to share current content like news or social media?
- How many walls are you managing, and will they have the same or different content?
You’ll also want to consider how successful your partner is. Software companies often go out of business and a time investment to learn and set up a platform would be lost if you choose the wrong partner. And while an up-front cost may seem appealing, adding features may quickly increase your overall spend.
Thankfully, software websites and partners like DGI have demos that allow you to see the software in action, and many offer free trials. While research can help, it may be the case that you’ll know the solution “when you see it.”
Best Digital Signage Software in 2020
Everybody has heard of Zoom, and smart businesses have embraced Zoom Rooms as a way to provide an easy and integrated meeting experience. If you have Zoom Rooms software, you already have a powerful platform to share content on your LED video wall and other digital signage. The Zoom Rooms platform allows you to share pictures, images and video across any display type, including video walls. Within the Zoom admin portal you have the ability to upload and manage content across multiple displays — including how it’s displayed. While some internal management and content creation is required, choosing existing Zoom Rooms software eliminates the need for additional software costs.
Looking to share on-brand, up-to-date and engaging content? Seenspire is the perfect platform to engage your audience through your digital signage. Seenspire allows you to share up-to-the-minute information like news and weather, as well as your latest company social media content. Seenspire works particularly well when your digital signage is in large public areas. You can provide visually appealing and timely content interwoven with branded advertising or team-building messaging. Seenspire can leverage RSS feeds and unique company metadata to deliver a resonant, clear voice to your audience. Seenspire offers a 14-day free trial to experience the platform for yourself.
There are several other players in the digital signage space worth considering, depending on your specific needs:
- With its focus on security, advertising and sales and workflow, Broadsign is good potential partner for billboard or advertising-focused digital signage solutions.
- Carousel‘s out-of-the-box branded content packages and training make content creation and collaboration across teams — particularly in the education sector — — quick and easy.
- BrightSign is tailoring its cloud-based application to those affected by COVID-19. They’re using QR code technology to connect LED video wall content to viewers’ smartphones via BrightLink and partnering with innovators like BlueFox, utilizing traffic analytics to address crowd control and trigger digital signage updates in public spaces.
- REACH Media Network is a large, established and affordable option with a broad range of cloud-based apps that serve everything from big corporate offices and small businesses to college athletic programs and restaurant menus using an intuitive, drag-and-drop user interface.
- Others, including Enplug, OptiSigns, truDigital, and Mvix have captured market share in this space, which continues to expand every day.
Conclusion
When you partner with an organization like DGI, we take into account all aspects of designing your LED wall solutions. We can help you experience your new space before it’s built through Modus VR, work on a detailed design plan and installation and help you choose and master the right digital signage software solution. We cover all of your bases; contact us today to learn more.
