What Are the Latest Trends in Digital Signage?
July 8, 2019
Are your employees still changing out letters and numbers by hand—or with awkward high-reach tools—to switch up the messaging on your company’s digital signage boards or pole signs? Now is the time to banish this chore from your operations. It’s easier than ever to bring your signs into the 21st century by converting them to digital formats that can be remotely controlled.
So, what are you waiting for?
While it’s true that many business owners worry that digital signs are expensive, difficult to maintain, or unreliable, these are myths—especially when you partner with a full-service, professional sign management resource like Egan Sign. The costs of digital sign technology have fallen considerably in recent years, and we can take all the headaches out of installation and upkeep of these great branding assets.
Today’s post offers a closer look at some of the latest trends and tech available in the digital signage universe to show you how these attention-grabbing displays can work for your business both inside and out.
LED Displays
In 2019, most if not all digital signage is made with LED (light-emitting diode) lighting sources. Unlike traditional bulbs, LEDs are long-lived and exceptionally bright.
They do not “burn out” the way bulbs do, and are also physically tiny in size, which means many can be packed into a small space to create brilliant, higher resolution graphics. Plus, if a single diode does fail, it’s much less noticeable than when a big bulb goes out in the middle of your digital monument sign, for instance.
LED signs have an excellent track record in driving business, as well. If you’re a subscriber to our Egan Sign email list, you may recall our recent message touting the benefits of outdoor LED signage. One of the most impressive stats we relayed in that message is the fact that LED displays attract 400% more glances than static signs, according to survey data. They also encourage customers to take action much more effectively than easy-to-ignore static signs—perhaps up to 100 times more often—based on experimental data!
Add graphics to your digital signage and you’re doing even more to be memorable to your customers!
Better Affordability for Small Businesses
Have you noticed that digital signage has been popping up in front of smaller businesses and even public buildings within the last few years? From your local elementary school and community center to the pharmacy on the corner—all now seem to be using digital signs to advertise everything from scheduling details to sales promos.
How can these diverse organizations afford such impressive signage? The answer is that as LED technology has been getting better and better, the cost has been coming down with each passing year. New display manufacturers have entered the marketplace, too, which has made competition fierce—another positive for business owners who want to adopt these high tech signs.
While the data is now somewhat outdated, annual industry pricing studies conducted between 2004 (when digital signage was just becoming popular) and 2011 often showed double-digit increases in affordability of LED signage. This has translated into budget-friendliness for more small businesses all the time as pricing continues to trend downward.
Fantastic Durability
We’ve all seen the sad digital signs with multiple burned-out bulbs that garble the images and messages on the display. The truth is, these are often old, outdated displays that have been in place for many years and are ready to be upgraded.
LED displays especially are extremely durable. You’ll find that the major digital signage manufacturers spend a great deal of research time and money on making signage incredibly weather resistant. And, if you should experience problems, these displays are designed to be maintenance friendly.
Impressive Tech for Better Message Targeting
As all the machines around us are becoming ever “smarter”—from computers to cars to household appliances—so too are both exterior and interior signs. These are just a few of the technological advancements now available to help you draw more business with digital signage.
Proximity Sensors and Responsiveness
Signs are beginning to respond to the smartphones in our pockets. Some can now change messaging to be more targeted to individual customers as they move near. Others, like some of the advanced video screens in sports stadiums and entertainment venues, even allow spectators to submit their own messaging to be displayed.
Digital kiosks in places like medical offices, transportation centers, and shopping areas now feature touchscreen interactivity and even facial recognition to help consumers navigate their experiences. Could your business solve customer service issues by introducing these kinds of tools?
LED Dynamic Message Signs (DMS)
While DMS solutions have been around since at least the late 1980s (remember those scrolling red letter bars that seemed to be everywhere several years ago?), LED displays have helped them to evolve and expand to new uses. These solutions are popular in the transportation sector for things like adaptable speed limit signs and travel time displays, but they have broader applications across many industries.
Transparent Digital Graphics
An elegant signage solution with strong video projection capability, transparent digital graphics involve a thick glass display that might be incorporated into a storefront window, freestanding, or mounted to a wall or ceiling. You’ve likely encountered these signs in upscale shopping or entertainment venues. They are not yet in widespread use, but their unobtrusive nature and sophisticated good looks attract people’s attention, especially when used with video-based messaging.
Egan Sign is Here to Help You Discover the Best Digital Signs for Your Business
It’s true that as signs become more technologically advanced, there has been an explosion of available signage options. And this can make it difficult for busy executives to choose the best signs to benefit their businesses. The good news is you don’t have to go it alone when it comes to branding and signage.
Trust the experts at Egan Sign to guide you in a signage program that will generate results without you having to spend time researching, contacting sign makers and installers, applying for permits, or worrying whether you chose the right signage in the end. Simply give us a call to start the conversation about your business’s signage and branding needs.
