Common Challenges in Digital Signage Management and How to Overcome Them

This article will identify and provide solutions for the common challenges faced in digital signage management, offering insights into the key features and tools needed for effective digital signage operations.

Digital signage plays an integral role in modern business, offering a chance to enhance employee engagement, increase visibility, and improve sales. However, the success of digital signage hinges on effective management. This article will review digital signage management challenges and solutions.

Common challenges in digital signage management

So what are the most common digital signage management system challenges? Top challenges involve protecting against cyber attacks, integrating with other business systems, managing work remotely, scalability, managing diverse content, and more. Thankfully there are solutions to overcome each of these digital signage remote management challenges.

#1. Managing diverse content types and ensuring timely updates

The purpose of a digital signage display is to show something rather than tell it, so don't make the common mistake of only displaying text when you can also capitalize on moving images that are much more eye-catching, including animations and videos.

Solutions:

• Invest in digital signage management software with features that allow you to schedule updates. 
• Consider software with features like image libraries or templates you can use to ensure access to diverse content types (animations, graphics, videos, and text).

#2. Scaling digital signage networks across multiple locations

As companies grow, they need to be able to scale their digital signage networks across multiple networks.

Solutions:

• Work with digital signage management software that has several levels of support and scalability so that your digital signage can grow as your network expands.

#3. Managing and updating digital signage remotely

When companies first invest in digital signage, they might make the mistake of trying to manage things on the ground, running a restaurant or a salon while also checking that the displays are working properly and pushing updates from a computer in the back. But this does not make good use of your time.

Solutions:

• Find digital signage remote management options where you can manage all of your digital networks from anywhere, no matter the location. This allows you to push content and review the efficacy of platforms, whether you are at the office or at home.

#4. Integrating digital signage with other business systems 

Sometimes, people forget to consider integration with other business systems and yet this can be a key selling point in increasing your brand recognition and boosting sales. 

Solutions:

• Find companies with software that enables you to integrate POS or social media based on your audience's needs and behaviors. 

#5. Protecting digital signage systems from cyber threats and unauthorized access

There are several ways in which your digital signage management system can be vulnerable to cyber threats and other unauthorized access. In many situations, user error puts digital signage networks and security at risk because of unsecured networks or weak passwords. 

Solutions:

• Avoid connecting digital signage to a guest network or open network. This leaves it vulnerable to cyber threats. Secure network segments should be accessible only to authorized personnel, something that professional digital signage management software can enable.
• Make sure that the operating system for the digital signage is up to date and that all automatic updates are enabled so that no vulnerabilities remain exposed.
• Provide any team members with relevant training so they understand security.
• Digital signage remote management can include remote monitoring. This will provide automatic checks based on a routine schedule across all devices and eliminate the need for individual business owners to try and manage security updates themselves.

#6. Creating engaging and high-quality content regularly

Without the right digital signage management system, it's far too easy for companies to implement digital signage but fail to create engaging or high-quality content on a regular basis.

Solutions:

• Define the audience, with clear personas for each, so that you can focus on integration and promotions where most relevant, like integration with social media if your audience is active on specific social media platforms. 
• Create a consistent brand message across all of your content. 
• Work with digital signage management software that has templates you can use to ensure new content can be easily created. 
• Find the right type of remote management features for digital signage within the software you choose so that you can manage the sharing of new and highly relevant content remotely. 
• Look for features that let you schedule content in advance. This will enable you to create content when you are able and then schedule the displays. 

#7. Ensuring all displays are functioning correctly and content is displaying as intended

Other common challenges in digital signage are more technical in nature. Far too often, companies don't have relevant training or IT experience, so they don't check that the displays are functioning properly or that their content is displaying the way it should, and when it isn't, they don't know who to turn to.

Solutions:

• Invest in digital signage remote management options, so you have a support team you can turn to when content isn't being displayed properly or displays aren't functioning. 
• Always test your material before it is live so you know it is displaying properly, with the right scale and clarity. 

#8. Keeping content fresh and relevant to the audience

When companies use digital signage, they also run the risk of forgetting about fresh content. This common mistake means that the content produced before might get recycled and published time and time again without checking the relevancy.

Solutions:

• Regularly revisit your audience segments to see if their needs or behaviors have changed and, if so, if your campaigns need to change. 
• Use relevant KPIs based on your company goals to ensure the content is fresh and relevant. 
• Always test content for efficacy and make improvements to campaigns based on data and analytics. 

Conclusion

Some of the most common challenges in digital signage management include managing and updating digital signage remotely, protecting digital signage systems from unauthorized access, ensuring all the displays are functioning as they should, and keeping content fresh. 

Thankfully, there are solutions to each and key features that you can look for in digital signage management software that prevent or diminish these challenges. Always evaluate and choose the right tools and practices to overcome these challenges and enhance your digital signage effectiveness. 

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