Installing an advertising screen on your premises
Have you ever thought that you would like to improve customer service and information efficiency by installing an advertising display in your business premises, but you don’t really know how to get started?
There are different solutions on the market, but on the other hand, you know that you could build such a system yourself. There are so many options, that in the end you’re left halfway to the end?
WHAT YOU NEED
- A screen (TV or monitor, both are fine)
- Computer (any idle normal PC)
- Brackets and cables (brackets for mounting the monitor: wall/ceiling bracket, or just a table stand -Up to you- and HDMI (or other) cable for attaching the computer to the monitor). NOTE! If you are using a TV with a built-in media player, you may not need a separate computer to display the presentation in this self-service version.
WITHIN
The “easiest” quick fix of all is to build the system yourself. You get a screen (TV or monitor, but a normal TV will do just fine) and a computer, and set it up on the corner of some nice desk (note: if you’re lucky enough to have a new, fancy smart TV, you may not need a separate computer at all, just a TV and a USB stick will do). You can also mount the screen on a wall/ceiling mount on the ceiling or wall, but in this DIY option, updating content can be a bit of a chore with this option.
Then you make your first leaflet, which can be as simple as a notice about opening hours, or anything else you want to highlight to your customers. For example, you can create a newsletter using Microsoft Office family Word. If you don’t have the IT skills to create a leaflet, you can ask someone to help you.
Once you’ve completed the newsletter, you can transfer it to a USB stick, for example, and plug the stick into the “side” of your new advertising screen – easy, right?
If you are familiar with Microsoft programs, you can also format a longer presentation using, for example, Powerpoint, which will give you more content.
With PowerPoint, you can make your presentation visually appealing by adding different animations and/or page-turning techniques, etc.
TELEVISION WITH ITS OWN BUILT-IN MEDIA PLAYER
Most modern TVs have a built-in Player program that allows you to use the screen as an Info TV without a separate computer (I referred to this briefly in the previous paragraph).
Many entrepreneurs will start with either of these options, but with such solutions the file format support is very limited and the system is unlikely to support any automation, such as timing of presentations and/or files, etc. in these options.
It sounds easy and simple, and it is, if the same information is played on the screen day after day and content is updated infrequently, say once a month.
EFFICIENCY
At the point when you really want to produce timely content that serves your customers or employees, it can become cumbersome and even unprofitable to spend your precious working time running from screen to screen with a stick.
paid info tv control software costs the price of a detached house – or does it?
For decades, there have been systems on the market that allow the content of Info screens to be managed centrally and predictably, from a single location, for example from the comfort of your own home.
But since they cost (someone once said about a vendor’s system that even “the price of a private house” :D), this “off-the-shelf” solution often pops up sooner or later, especially if you have no more than average IT skills.
Then, if/when this “off-the-shelf” system is in place and the practicalities of upgrading are realised, a proper tool for controlling and timing the system in the background may be desired.
customer focus
It is not helpful to the customer if the same information is always displayed on the screen, let alone if the information is out of date.
If a passer-by pays attention to outdated information or the same ads enough times, he or she will later stop paying attention to the screen altogether, even if the content has changed.
It is as if the whole existence of the screen loses its meaning.
external advertising for an advertising agency
If you don’t have the time or skills to update the screen yourself, you can outsource the updating to an advertising agency, for example, so you can be sure that your automated customer service agents will serve your customers optimally.
Purchase of Info tv control software
If you happen to already have this self-developed solution in place, and you’ve been thinking about streamlining the whole thing by buying control software, it’s easy enough. All you need to do is install your own Presentation PC (Player computer) behind the screen to control the screen. In other words, we can make good use of the equipment you already have at your disposal to build the whole system.
There are several different solutions on the market for the centralised management of Info Displays. The common feature of most of these options is that the user has to learn to use a new editor to compile the presentations on the screens.
No learning a new editor
Fiscalin solution has been developed taking into account the fact that users may not have the time to learn how to use any new software while working. Fiscal Info TV software currently supports 52 different file formats, which means that the information you create with familiar tools (e.g. Microsoft Office programs) will appear on the Info TV agenda as it is. You can schedule your releases for the screens you want in advance, and you can also predefine the desired end time for a particular presentation, so that, for example, a Merry Christmas greeting will no longer be shown to customers on Boxing Day.
Save time and resources with proactive communication
Proactive communication saves resources and time for the most productive work, while maintaining quality customer service.
Do you need help planning the installation of an Info TV system, or an advertising screen in your business premises? Book a free consultation (2h) here!
Remember the parking disc?
Marika Sarajärvi
The author is an entrepreneur at Lappi Action Oy and the parent of an entrepreneurial family in the IT sector, read more > here>
