What you should consider before you buy a digital signage solutions for pub s
It has taken the average UK pub a number of years to grasp the powerful capabilities that deploying a digital signage solution can bring to their venue. In recent years a fall in hardware and software price has made this a much more appealing opportunity; However, there are still a number of issues that remain a barrier to the average single site operator as well as Pubco's, especially with networks that are often run independently of one another.
So now I need a designer?
Traditional digital signage systems relied heavily on a continued supply of premium content; anyone requiring a highly professional solution would either need a high level of technical knowledge and / or a keen eye for design. Software solutions often provided the means to distribute, schedule and report on the content delivered to the screens but relied on the user's ability to provide their own content and also arrange this on screen in a way that looked professional. Not an easy thing to achieve.
This is where template based digital signage solutions provide a much better option, the user chooses from a bank of pre-designed professional templates, and then edits the copy to reflect their offer or announcement, no design skills or technical savvy required.
The cost of employing a designer to create content for your digital signage software is very often restricted by the fact that the cost of designing the content outweighs the actual offer being promoted, £ 80 to create an advert to promote a lunch time offer simply just does not make sense. Again, template based systems address this issue and the cost per advert can be minimal depending on the subscription or license fees involved. One system we looked at charged only £ 19.99 per week for unlimited adverts; the cost here for running 40 ads per week can be as little as 50p per advert.
Technical skills
It is often said that if something is difficult to use, people just will not use it. This is especially true for digital signage software and our research shows that busy pub landlords have very little time to dedicate to creating their signage each week, they need a solution that offers a simple click and edit service and the content is on their screens.
Most leading signage systems require a high degree of technical knowledge and understanding of files types. Editing screen layouts can prove quite challenging for the inexperienced and again this points back to the benefits of template based solutions, find the ad, edit the ad and send it to your screens.
Installation
Integration into your existing AV structure is a key point to consider when opting for a digital signage system, who wants additional wires running to all your screens? Where will the main screen be located? Will everyone in the pub be able to see it? Can the player connect to your existing AV screens? These are questions that should be seriously consider before you make a final decision on what systems to choose.
License Fees and additional costs
And finally, license fees and pricing cost is the key factor when choosing a digital signage solution for pubs , does the software come with a yearly license fee? What are the renewable costs? Can we use or own designers or do we have to pay software provider to upload content? How many adverts can I run at any one time? These are just some of the questions you should consider. Finding a template based system with a set weekly or monthly subscription would have the best option for ensuring that your fees are set at a fixed pre-determined and manageable price.