So,you’ve decided your business or institution will be well served by adding a new digital signage network. Now what?

Where to turn and what to do can be confusing,especially if you’re responsible for your organization’s communications or IT department,but don’t really know anything about a digital sign. While there are many good companies in business to help you achieve your goals,you can make the endeavor easier and far more successful if you avoid the problems many before you have encountered when rolling out and maintaining their digital signage networks.

Having worked with hundreds of customers on their digital signage needs,we’ve seen a lot of difficulties that could easily have been avoided -along with the associated delays and added expense- with a little knowledge up front. As the saying goes,forewarned is forearmed. So,keep these Top 10 Pitfalls in mind as you plan your new network to make the experience smooth and rewarding.

No. 1: Lack of a clear purpose

Someone in your organization,has read digital signage can make marketing messaging more effective. It can reach potential customers at the point of purchase,promote desired behavior,target different demographic groups associated with different times of the day,and do so many wonderful things.

But what exactly does your organization need to accomplish with it? That’s the seminal question. Without clearly defining the purpose of a digital signage network,it is impossible to find success in any phase of its deployment or use.

Taking the time up front to define the expectations for the system and write them out on paper for the approval of key management will provide direction and focus effort on attainable goals. Struggling to fulfill a nebulous purpose for the flat-panel sign network will rack up unnecessary expense and leave everyone connected with the project frustrated.

More information on business signs

No. 2: Taking on digital signage as an IT project

“Digital signage network,” the very words sound IT oriented. While there’s a lot of IT technology involved with it,taking it on as an IT project is dangerous.

While highly skilled,the typical IT manager does not have the background nor the experience needed to roll out a successful digital sign network. There’s a powerful temptation on the part of IT managers to look at dynamic signage playback as if it were a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation. It isn’t.

PowerPoint does an excellent job at making business presentations,but how many TV stations rely on PowerPoint to create and playback the programs,commercials,news and promotions you see nightly? Exactly zero. With respect to playing back video,graphics,text and animation,layering multiple visual elements and building and maintaining a playout schedule,a sign network is much more like a TV station than a boardroom with a projector and a PowerPoint presentation. Keep that in mind if an IT manager volunteers to take on your organization’s project.

No. 3: Lack of content

Congratulations. You have a digital signage network. What are you going to display? Having a network without content is like having a newspaper without print. There’s just a whole lot of nothing and overwhelming sense of emptiness.

Communicating in some form must be part of the reason behind the decision to add a sign network. However, there is no communication without content. Fortunately ,many organizations have existing resources to draw upon that can be repurposed as digital signage content. Logos, commercials, promotional video, print advertising, plans and drawings can all be reused in whole or part to communicate a message on a sign network.

Additionally, RSS Internet feeds are a tremendous resource for updating a sign network with fresh “newsy” content,weather and sports scores that can give an audience a reason to take a second or third look.

Regardless of where it comes from, content is critical to the success of a sign network. Knowing where it will come from is as important as actually having the network in place.

Click here to read more on signage

No. 4: No one assigned to manage the project

While it’s not like designing the International Space Station,putting a digital signage network in place can be a complex undertaking. For that reason,it’s essential that any business or organization taking on a sign network assign someone to manage the project. Having an individual identified to own the project will minimize the impact of the unforeseen problems that inevitably creep into any complex undertaking.

Just as bad as having no one assigned to manage the project is its closely related cousin: management by committee. Offering up conflicting directions from multiple individuals will leave your system integrator bewildered and your project incomplete.

No. 5: No one to update content

While RSS feeds and subscriptions to news wire services are two sources of fresh information for a digital signage network,where will updated content conveying your company’s specific messages and current offerings come from?

A dynamic sign network that attracts attention has an insatiable appetite for fresh content. Thus,it’s essential that an organization taking on a sign network assign a qualified,competent person to the task of creating that content. Without someone in charge of the network’s content,the text,graphics and video being displayed will soon grow tired. Stale content will have the opposite of the desired result for a digital sign. It actually will drive viewers away and impart a sense of “been there,done that” that will be difficult to reverse.

No. 6: Taking the cheap way out

There’s nothing wrong with being budget conscious about a digital signage installation; however, selecting products, including displays, controllers and software, and services like content creation solely on their price tag can result in a system that in the long wrong will cost an organization dearly.

Systems designed solely on the price of the component miss the point. Digital sign networks are about communicating information -perhaps a marketing message, maps and directions or instructions- to their intended audience. Spending money on an inexpensive system just because it’s cheap could cost a business or organization far more than the money saved in lost opportunities.

Click here to read more on signage

No. 7: Not knowing the locations of the signs

Knowing where your organization wants to locate the flat panel monitors in its digital signage network is important for a few reasons. First, locating the digital sign media players needed depends on where the sign or signs it’s controlling are located. The length of cable runs between player and sign must be taken into account. Clearly defining the location of the signs will allow you to minimize construction/renovation expense and avoid paying for “do overs.”

Second, understanding exactly where the signs will be positioned will make it easier to understand what will be needed to mount the flat panels in use. Are wall studs available where a sign will be located? Or,will a freestanding structure be required? What’s the condition of the wall studs? Is electrical power available? What’s the status of ambient light sources? Will a window or skylight need to be shaded to reduce glare?

Third,not knowing where the signs need to located may be a symptom of a bigger problem,namely not having a clear idea about the purpose of the digital signage installation.

No. 8: Installers without general contractor capability

Installing digital signage can be messy. Drywall and plaster may need to be cut. New electrical plugs with isolated grounds may need to be installed. Beyond those obvious construction challenges,less apparent structural modifications may be required. Those can vary from relocating HVAC ducts to re-enforcing walls.

For that reason,choosing a digital signage installer without the skill and experience to serve as a general contractor for the project can be a big mistake. Depending on the specific installation,it’s not unreasonable to assume carpenters,electricians,plumbers and even heating and cooling contractors might need to be involved to make necessary structural modifications. Having an installer who can serve as a general contractor to bring those diverse resources together and manage them properly can save lots of time and expense.

No. 9: Failing to allot adequate time to learn the system

Far too often,the people responsible for new digital signage installations at businesses or organizations are so excited about their systems that they can’t wait to show them off to upper management. After all,a significant sum of money went in to making the digital sign network a reality. So showing it off as soon as possible only seems natural.

However,creating content for a system,scheduling it and making changes to playback along the way require some skill. It takes time to be properly trained to use a sign network. Failing to allocate sufficient time to learn how to use the system not only could be embarrassing in front of management,but disastrous to your communications efforts with the general public,if they’re your first audience.

No. 10: Failing to keep future expansion in mind at the time of initial design

Designing yourself into a box when first contemplating a digital signage network can be costly. Without casting an eye towards future needs,it’s possible that portions of the network might need replacement before they’ve been amortized to accommodate expansion.

Without exception,experience shows that businesses and organizations that fund the addition of digital sign networks express interest in expanding their systems after they’re installed.

Take these lessons to heart as you proceed with your digital sign rollout,and you’re much more likely to have a successful experience. More importantly,your company or institution will avoid costly mistakes that will delay the installation and prevent your communications from having their desired effect.

A Mexican ceramic planter is a great way to plant flowers or vegetables in a way that can be both an attractive decoration and a practical addition to your gardening area. In particular Mexican Talavera planters will add charm,color and light to your garden.

While fired ceramic presents some unique problems when it comes to being made into items like roofing tiles because it is porous,this quality makes ceramic pots a great way for plants to gradually absorb water left in a dish that the planter sits in.

Talavera Ceramic pots can be textured or smooth and have a variety of other finishes. If you can bear to water your plant a bit more often,you can find a number of painted ceramic planters that are much more attractive than traditional terracotta’s brownish red. The art of pottery creation has been in Mexico for centuries and passed from generation to generation. The most distinctive trait of a Mexican Talavera planter is its colors: Vibrant,strong and radiant.

A painted ceramic planter will look great indoors or in an outdoors patio area. Mexican planters are hand-made and hand-painted with the same care and tradition of outstanding craftsmanship as Mexican Talavera tiles,both of which,by the way,can be found at Fine Crafts Imports.

You might think of a planter as a fairly large contraption. Planters can come in all sort of different sizes,they can be as small as a bowl,which would be a great place to store flowers at a dining room table or herbs to grow within reach of your kitchen. However,the most common size will be at least 10″ diameter to hold dirt and a plant in your garden. there are also the vertical planter version,which attaches usually to a wall and the plant hangs out of it.

You could also paint a terra cotta planter yourself (not the Talavera type,though). Having children paint a small planter is a great gift idea for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. Apply water sealant to the planter before applying a base coat of paint. While water sealant negates ceramic’s porous qualities,it is important to apply it so that the paint you apply won’t bubble or crack as water attempts to move through the ceramic. A handmade ceramic planter is nice but for a professional looking planter painted by an expert,it is usually best to buy a ceramic planter that doubles as a piece of art.

By John Sage Melbourne

Allow’s take a look at unacceptable generalisations from personal experiences.

In addition to being misguided by others,combatants might additionally misguide themselves. This can occur when they develop unacceptable ideas and also attitudes from their personal experiences with cash,spending and also developing wealth. For instance,rather than seeing times of economic hardship as a ‘wake up telephone call’ to learn how to be extra monetarily proficient (and also thus empowered),they could formulate a sight that wealth creation is hard and also not truly feasible for the average individual like themselves (thus ending up being dis-empowered). If offered sufficient support,this sort of over-generalisation can turn into a full idea system that will misinform and also misguide their future perceptions,decisions and also perspective toward wealth creation.

Surprisingly,the ability for somebody to inappropriately generalise from personal experience can occur whether that experience was regarded as good or negative at the time. It’s understandable how somebody can create unacceptable ideas and also attitudes from a negative economic experience,however how does it function when the experience declared?

An instance of somebody developing an unacceptable generalisation from a positive economic experience could occur if they had made a big amount of cash really promptly from a risky financial investment,bargain,or organisation endeavor. And let’s claim,for this instance,that their lucrative returns actually had more to do with good luck than sharp planning. Since this person might not possess the economic competence required to discern the difference in between good economic decisions and also large good luck,they might inappropriately wrap up that the high-risk strategy they used was a good one. In addition,that idea is enhanced in their mind by seeing the high returns they’ve “attained” by using such a strategy.

Consequently,they might inappropriately decide that the strategy is good enough to use once more in the future. What ultimately takes place is that they will wind up shedding more cash than they win,and also their funds will at ideal carry out like an unforeseeable roller coaster,or at worst they will merely keep shedding a growing number of cash with each “bargain” they go after. The ultimate outcome is that they will remain to fight with their economic status and also never ever truly prosper.

Comply With John Sage Melbourne for extra professional property financial investment guidance.

In addition to good and also bad experiences,somebody might additionally create unacceptable generalisations from no experience at all! As an example,somebody might believe they are not able to invest or feel it is a lot too terrifying to invest merely due to the fact that they have never ever done it previously. For many people,a lot of their restricting ideas,point of views,assumptions and also attitudes about developing wealth in their lives originate from not just knowledge-based ignorance however additionally from experiential ignorance. Once somebody starts to do something about it they will get experience. From experience can come understanding,and also from learning can come confidence. Confidence can then bring about more action and also the cycle then develops momentum. Lots of Misguided Combatants can hold unacceptable assumptions and also ideas about wealth creation merely due to the fact that they have never ever taken action to discover the reality of how it works in real practise.

Moreover,somebody can additionally create unacceptable generalisations about wealth creation from vicarious experiences of others. Lots of combatants are misguided by their very own assumptions,reasonings and also dreams about the financial investment experiences of good friends,family members,and also also total unfamiliar people. For instance,a combatant might hear a story from a pal of how an financial investment situation had gone wrong. The combatant might then visualize how distressed they would certainly really feel if they remained in that same situation.

Consequently,they might inappropriately wrap up that all such financial investments are bad and also undesirable. As opposed to picking up from the story about how to be a smarter investor,rather they dis-empower themselves by developing an unacceptable generalisation from their vicarious experience of somebody else’s financial investment blunder.

To find out more about investor types,see John Sage Melbourne here.