When companies decide to use digital media as part of their corporate communications program, they might be entering a world of technology and content that is new and confusing to them. To guide their decisions, The Marlin Company, a visual communications and digital signage provider, published a guide that outlines eight basic questions, along with some advice, about workplace digital signage:
1] Why are you doing this? The biggest mistake companies make is to focus on the technology first, when it’s far more important to define their communications objectives and desired outcomes.
2] What do you want to say? Are you using digital media to build a safe culture, or to get employees on the same page? What about improving performance, or announcing company news? Have a clear idea of what you want to tell employees.
3] Who are you talking to? Are you trying to reach everyone in the company, or just select groups? How do you convey your message to employees who don’t always work in the office? You need to consider what each employee group needs to know, and then tailor your message accordingly.
4] What’s your strategy? It’s important that your content ties back to your objectives and goals. Marlin recommends five steps: assess your current mode of communication to determine what’s working and what digital signage can replace; set up an editorial and delivery calendar; assemble a content team; identify sources that can be ongoing sources of information; and determine your review and quality control processes.
5] How do you make your content sing? Vary the content you deliver to keep it fresh. Add visuals, like photos and videos and graphics, whenever possible. Call out professional milestones, like anniversaries and birthdays. Make the content fun.
6] How do you sustain your message? Nurture sources. Stick to your editorial calendar. Add self-updating content. Keep your IT people in the loop and involved. Plan for expanding your digital messaging. And, when necessary, call on outside experts for help.
7] How will you know it’s working? Solicit feedback often, especially when you’re trying to measure the quality of your messaging, such as whether it’s leading to productivity improvements or higher employee morale.
8] What technology should you use? There are three main components in digital signage: monitors, media players, and content management software. The last is the most important, so choose what enables you to post content easily to any format, schedule posts, and manage users. Monitors, especially those that will be running 24/7, need to be commercial-grade. Determine how many you will need, what size, what image quality, what’s the surrounding environment, and who will install and maintain them. Media players are the “brains” of digital signage, and generally you’ll need one per screen.
Related Stories
| Jan 14, 2015
10 change management practices that can ease workplace moves
No matter the level of complexity, workplace change can be a challenge for your client's employees. VOA's Angie Lee breaks down the process of moving offices as efficiently as possible, from creating a "change team" to hosting hard-hat tours.
| Jan 13, 2015
Steven Holl unveils design for $450 million redevelopment of Houston's Museum of Fine Arts
Holl designed the campus’ north side to be a pedestrian-centered cultural hub on a lively landscape with ample underground parking.
| Jan 12, 2015
23 projects win AIA's highest architecture award
Bjarke Ingels' Danish Maritime Museum and William Rawn's Cambridge Public Library are among the winning projects.
| Jan 9, 2015
Santiago Calatrava talks with BBC about St. Nicholas Church on Ground Zero
Calatrava reveals that he wanted to retain the “tiny home” feel of the original church building that was destroyed with the twin towers on 9/11.
| Jan 9, 2015
Nonresidential construction hiring surges in December 2014
The U.S. construction industry added 48,000 jobs in December, including 22,800 jobs in nonresidential construction, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics preliminary estimate released Jan. 9.
| Jan 9, 2015
10 surprising lessons Perkins+Will has learned about workplace projects
P+W's Janice Barnes shares some of most unexpected lessons from her firm's work on office design projects, including the importance of post-occupancy evaluations and having a cohesive transition strategy for workers.
| Jan 9, 2015
Technology and media tenants, not financial companies, fill up One World Trade Center
The financial sector has almost no presence in the new tower, with creative and media companies, such as magazine publisher Conde Nast, dominating the vast majority of leased space.
| Jan 8, 2015
Microsoft shutters classic clipart gallery: Reaction from a graphic designer
Microsoft shut down its tried-and-true clipart gallery, ridding the world not only of a trope of graphic design, but a nostalgic piece of digital design history, writes HDR's Dylan Coonrad.
| Jan 8, 2015
The future of alternative work spaces: open-access markets, co-working, and in-between spaces
During the past five years, people have begun to actively seek out third places not just to get a day’s work done, but to develop businesses of a new kind and establish themselves as part of a real-time conversation of diverse entrepreneurs, writes Gensler's Shawn Gehle.
Smart Buildings | Jan 7, 2015
NIBS report: Small commercial buildings offer huge energy efficiency retrofit opportunities
The report identifies several barriers to investment in such retrofits, such as the costs and complexity associated with relatively small loan sizes, and issues many small-building owners have in understanding and trusting predicted retrofit outcomes.