Digital Advertising Software: Considerations When Choosing A Content Provider For Your Digital Signage Or Narrowcast Network
Digital signage and narrowcast advertising systems ? from the arrays of monitors featuring short clips and advertising that play in stores, lobbies, and over the gas pumps, to the small screens in elevators, commuter trains, airplanes and even taxis - has proliferated.
Hardware systems can be set up to market outside products to consumers, or to advertise products and services at the location where digital signage is displayed. Digital signage affords operators additional revenue streams wherever so called ?captive audiences? can be enticed to watch a few moments or many minutes of video ? whether this is in the form of straight marketing video aimed at shaping customer behaviour, or whether it is paid advertising interspersed with news, sports, business and entertainment clips.
There is a wide choice of monitor arrays and hardware to support and display these clips and ads available on the market. While it is not a simpler matter of what-you-see-is-what-you-get, perhaps the tougher decision is in choosing which of the many digital advertising software systems that run a digital signage or narrowcasting system is right for your operation.
In a recent issue of Digital Signage Weekly, columnist Lyle Bunn reviewed some of the considerations that purchasers should take into account when selecting the digital advertising software that is right for their operation. (Of course, in some instances, the choice of digital advertising software will dictate which digital signage hardware system is selected.)
The following is a summary of points to consider when selecting the software operating system and software provider that is optimal for the digital sign or narrowcasting system you wish to operate:
Flexibility of Media Formats: Will your preferred software system be able to import and play a range of file formats? Being able to use a variety of file formats, such as JPEG, PDF, MPEG and Flash Files, is obviously preferable to being stuck with only one or two formats which will limit the content you can play on your system.
Authoring and Editing Flexibility: Does the software enable you to edit and add additional graphics, animation or text to the content delivered over your digital signage system? You may wish to add your own content to the data that is being fed and displayed on your digital signage system. (For example, location operators may wish to add daily or weekly specials that are specific to their site, and not offered in every location receiving a digital advertising feed.)
User Options vs. One-Size-Fits-All: Does the software package you are looking at come with different pricing options? Can you customize the digital advertising that is being fed to your location?
Bundled vs. Separate Software Packages: Is the software package you are looking at provided separately, or do you have to purchase the media player, displays support and software etc. all from the same provider?
Stability of the Provider and Ongoing Support: Will technical support be provided? How much and at what cost? Does the provider have a long track record, and what are the assurances that the provider will be able to continue to provide content and technical support 3 to 4 years into the life of your network?
Ease of Operation: How much expertise is required to run your digital signage/narrowcast network? Will you need to make extra expenditures to support and maintain the system?
Compatibility with Existing Systems: Is the software system you are considering compatible with other IT systems you will be running? Will you be able to interface your digital signage system with your inventory system, for example, if you are promoting your own products?
It is suggested that your digital advertising software system selection should be based on careful consideration of a wide range of these criteria, remembering that digital signage and narrowcast systems are typically deployed for anywhere from 4 to 8 years and that there are a wide range of choices in this growing market.
For more information on digital signage, narrowcasting and digital advertising software, please visit EK3 Technologies Inc. at EK3.com or call 1-866-353-8324 to learn more about business solutions and services that capture your audience and deliver your message.
Related Articles:
Liberty Street Software Releases StampManage Stamp Collecting Software; Catalog & Value Your Stamp Collection
Liberty Street Software has released the latest version of their StampManage Stamp Collecting Software. Windows-based StampManage is a SCOTT™-licensed software program that is used to catalog & value stamp collections. Included is a comprehensive database of stamps & stamp images from several countries.
Create An Endless Number Of Unique Articles Easily With Article Generator Software
Creating unique articles can be a costly and labor intensive task I've written many articles so I can very much empathize with you
SkiTrak Software Imports and Analyzes Data Collected from a Portable GPS Device Worn While Skiing to Enable Skiers to Track and Map Their Skiing
After a successful launch at the Ski Fever and BEWI Sports Ski Shows beginning in Seattle and culminating in Boston on November 18, 2007, SkiTrak? LLC today announces the general availability of the SkiTrak software. SkiTrak enables you to systematically track and store your ski activity in explicit detail utilizing GPS technology.
numberGo Announces Publisher Reporting Software Now Free
Publisher brings reporting to life through analyzing and sharing data in a powerful and simple way.
PrintsMadeEasy.com Reveals Goals for Business Card Design Software
Business cards (http://www.printsmadeeasy.com/) leader remains committed to an innovative online ordering experience.
YourEcommerce Shopping Cart Software Promises to Change the way Small Businesses Sell Online
The company's new shopping cart software is the first of its kind that allows merchants to quickly adapt to customer demands. Merchants deal with smarter shoppers by creating and maintaining a website that resonates with visitors to turn them into paying customers.
Computer Hardware Preventive Maintenance Software
Computers often break down at the worst of all times. These problems can be averted, or at least minimized with preventive maintenance.
Top Questions to Ask Before Buying a Help Desk & Asset Management Software
#5 All your hardware components like Printers, PCs etc come under various maintenance contracts with different maintenance vendors. Do you know which batch of PCs are under warranty & for what number of PCs is the warranty about to expire (so that you can plan for an AMC)? Can you split up & tell how much AMC charges do you pay for each hardware component & how much for each vendor? Can you re-calculate the costs if an AMC with a vendor is to be renewed?#4 Typically your company gets hardware parts and accessories from different vendors.
Shootout: 7 Pro Audio Software Products Rated
Digital Music Doctor announces the release a new analysis which compares seven of the most popular Digital Audio Workstation software products from DigiDesign, Steinberg, Cakewalk, Sony, Apple, Ableton and Image Line. This analysis is an update of an ongoing study and now includes ratings for FL Studio 8 from Image Line. The analysis measures these products based on two ratings, an overall functional rating and a value ratio. In the functional rating Cubase 4 remains the leader by a small margin over Sonar 7. However, FL Studio 8 has replaced Pro Tools 7 as the product which provides the most value for the money.
POS Software: Revolutionize Your Business!
POS software, or point of sale software, has gained an incredible amount of popularity with businesses in recent years. It is what enables cashiers to scan items and process credit cards. POS software has many advantages for the retailer.
Online Training Leader lynda.com Announces Its Attendance at Macworld Conference & Expo Will Feature New Training Courses on Popular Software from App
lynda.com, the leader in online software training, today announced that it will exhibit at Macworld Conference & Expo 2008 in San Francisco, CA.
Playing Xbox Games In Mac Osx Using Xbox Emulator Software
Xbox, developed by Microsoft, has emerged as one of the most popular gaming console available in the market today. Xbox deliver quality entertainment by providing stunning graphics and tremendous sound effects.
Anti-Virus Software
Anti-virus software is used to find, remove or fix files that are infected with computer viruses. Most anti-virus companies release weekly updates of their databases to help keep you safe.
TotalEdit Premium Editing Software Makes it Easy to Edit Across a Wide Range of Programming Languages
CoderTools latest offering is a full-featured code editing package designed to make creating code faster and easier, especially across different languages. TotalEdit v 3.50 adds a powerful suite of features to the already robust editing package.
Portfolio-Xpert Helps Companies Find Infringed Patents Strategic Patent Portfolio Management - Software Uses Statistical Quality Analysis
Patents are being increasingly referred to as the "new corporate capital", and effective portfolio management is key to increasing stakeholder value.
PatentCafe's new portfolio management software performs the heavy lifting in the strategic portfolio management process. The new software generates more quantitative patent data than manual processes ever could, even if given unlimited time looking at a company's patents.
Portfolio-Xpert™ leverages PatentCafe's advanced linguistics, international patent data center, and computerized patent quality-scoring system to evaluate legal, commercial & technology value.