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Before you buy digital signage, work out who will look after the content, whether you need single colour or full colour, and whether your site needs council approval. An LED sign or screen is a bigger decision than a new poster, so here is how other businesses use digital signs and what they get from them, then ten things worth weighing up.
Who uses digital signage, and how?
Digital signage is any sign or screen whose content can be changed electronically: LED signs on pylons and shopfronts, screens in windows and foyers, menu boards, the portable signs you see at roadworks, and scoreboards. They can be made for indoors or outdoors, single or double-sided, fixed in place or on wheels, and our hire trailer signs run on solar power.
You will find them at shops, cafes, pubs and clubs, gyms, medical and dental clinics, schools, churches, council offices, sports grounds and work sites. Outside, they bring people in. Inside, they keep customers, visitors and staff informed.
Can a digital sign do more than advertise?
Used well, a digital sign answers questions before anyone has to ask them. A hardware store can show how a product works in a short video. A clinic can explain what to bring to an appointment. A council can tell residents about a road closure, and a school can remind families about a pupil-free day.
Information like this builds trust, because it is useful to the person reading it. And because you update the sign from a laptop or phone, it never has to be out of date.
Ten things to weigh up before you buy
1. You can change it from anywhere
Update the sign from a phone, tablet or laptop, any time. If a delivery is late or the weather turns, the sign can say so within minutes. Before you buy, decide who in your business will look after the content, so the job doesn’t fall between two people.
2. You can schedule it in advance
Set up messages weeks or months ahead and let the sign change over on its own: a lunch menu that appears at 11, Christmas trading hours that start in December, a different message on Saturdays. The software for our NovaStar and HD signs is on our Downloads page, with step by step guides on Brochures & Guides.
3. One sign can speak to different people
The people walking past at 7am are not the people walking past at 3pm. A digital sign can show something different for each group, where a printed sign is stuck with one message for everyone.
4. Waits feel shorter
In a waiting room or a queue, a screen with news, tips or short videos gives people something to watch. It is also a good place to mention your other services, such as skin checks at a medical centre or massage at a beauty salon.
5. Your staff see it too
Staff walk past the same screens as your customers. A sign near the entrance or in the staff room keeps everyone up to date on what is happening this week, even when they are rushing in for a shift.
6. Less printing and less waste
Posters, banners and flyers go in the bin once they are out of date. A digital sign just gets a new message, which saves on printing and keeps waste out of landfill.
7. It links up with your social media
Show your social media handles, your latest posts or a QR code that takes people to your website. It connects the shopfront people see on the street with the business they can follow online.
8. It works day and night, and from further away
An LED sign is lit, so it keeps working after you close, and a bright sign can be read from much further away than a printed one. How far depends on the size of the sign and its pixel pitch, the gap between the lights. Our pixel pitch planner shows how your message would look at different sizes and pitches.
9. It is built for the weather
An outdoor sign has to handle sun, wind and rain. Our outdoor LED signs are made for WA conditions. The FA2 range is sealed to IP68 against dust and heavy rain and keeps running without air conditioning up to 55 degrees. Ask any supplier what warranty you get. Ours run from 1 to 5 years, depending on the product.
10. You can try one first
If you are not sure, hire an LED sign before you buy. You can hire for anything from half a day to months or years, with delivery and set-up included, anywhere in Australia.
Two questions to ask early
Do you need single colour or full colour? Single colour signs suit words and numbers. Full colour signs show logos, photos and video. Our guide to single colour or full colour LED signs compares the two.
Does the sign need council approval? Many outdoor signs do. Our town planning service helps with the application at no extra cost, and our guide to council approval for LED signs explains when it applies.
For the case for a sign in the first place, read why your business needs an LED sign.
As a Perth LED sign company, we design and build every sign at our workshop in Welshpool and install signs across Australia. Ask us for a free quote, or call Aaron on 0416 053 335 or the office on (08) 9335 7944.
