Digital Signage Done Right

Where to Put Digital Signs

Where to Put Digital Signs

EPISODE 79 | Derek DeWitt, communications specialist for Visix

Even the best message designs can’t engage viewers if your screens are inaccessible or inconvenient. A lot of folks start with a blank spot on the wall then design their digital signage system around that. But as in all things, you need a strategy. Start with a content plan, consider your audience’s needs and preferences, do a site survey, then map out where to put digital signs for the most impact.

In this podcast, we look at both technical and content considerations that can affect screen placement, and give you practical tips to decide the best places to put digital signs in your facility.

- Explore how to map content to locations before installing digital signs

- Get basic screen placement recommendations for interactive and non-interactive screens

- Understand how height, glare, audio and ADA regulations can affect screen placement

- Hear content recommendations for different locations, audiences and industries

- Discover how to extend your messaging reach with room signs, personal devices and websites

See the full transcript HERE

Learn more in our Masterclass Guide: Digital Signage Systems Overview Guide 

Why Integration Partners Matter

Why Integration Partners Matter

EPISODE 78 | Guest: Trey Hicks, chief sales officer for Visix, Inc.

You need a digital signage system. So now what? You can research software and hardware vendors online, but who takes care of installing the screens, networking and cabling, and getting all of your systems to work together seamlessly? That’s where audiovisual integration partners come in.

In this episode, we discuss the value of working with an AV integrator to help you plan, install, spin up and maintain your digital signage system and, most of all, how they can save you a lot of time and headaches.

- Understand how the process works and where integration partners fit in
- Learn how integrators assess projects to create scalable, repeatable solutions
- Explore physical installation, training and support services
- Discover how experts can integrate disparate business systems to work together 
- Hear how integration partners help you after the installation is complete

See the full transcript HERE

Get more information about Visix integration partners on our Partners webpage.

Building a Content Strategy (for the New Year)

Building a Content Strategy (for the New Year)

EPISODE 77 | Guest: Debbie DeWitt, marketing communications manager for Visix, Inc.

Crafting a content strategy for your digital signage system can help finetune your goals, streamline your processes and save you time in the long run. More importantly, it can ensure you’re delivering messages and campaigns that will attract attention and inspire interaction.

In this episode, we walk you through nine easy steps to build a content strategy that’s focused and inclusive. Whether your plan covers one month, one quarter or a whole year, getting a gameplan together will benefit both your signage team and your audience.

- Understand why you need a content strategy

- Hear nine practical steps to create a formal plan

- Discover why audience demographics can be misleading

- Learn how to find out if you’re measuring the right things

- Get tips on crowdsourcing tasks, calendars, policies and goals

 

See the full transcript HERE

Get more tips in our Masterclass Guide 2: Digital Signage Communications Planning Guide

Get Into the Content Operations Mindset

Get Into the Content Operations Mindset

EPISODE 76 | Guest: Ray Walsh, communications consultant & author of Localizing Employee Communications

Your company wants to promote its social responsibility initiative. You’ll need text and graphics to roll out a print PDF, PowerPoint deck, messaging on your digital signage system, as well as posts on your intranet, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And each of these platforms require different lengths of text and unique image file formats. Now imagine you need all of this in several languages.

The number of communication channels continues to grow and diversify, which puts a huge burden on content creation teams. Creating every message from scratch is impractical, and even repurposing content can be a burden when source files are hard to find or hard to edit.

In this episode, we talk with internal communications expert Ray Walsh. He gives us practical advice on working within a content operations mindset – the processes, people, and technologies needed for strategically planning, creating, managing, and analyzing all content types for all channels across an enterprise.

- Understand why handcrafting content is untenable in the long term

- Hear how multichannel planning can save a lot of work

- Explore tagging and tools that can make your job easier

- Discover why collaboration is key to operationalizing content

- Get links to expert sources for content operations advice

See the full transcript HERE

Get more communications advice from Ray’s website and blog. Check out Ray’s book Localizing Employee Communications at Amazon or direct from XML Press.

 

The Best Event Signs Are Digital

The Best Event Signs Are Digital

EPISODE 75 | Ellyce Kelly, professional services consultant for Visix

The number one thing shown on digital signs outside of retail settings is events. But showing events doesn’t just mean listing event and meeting schedules. You can use your digital signs to show countdowns and promotions before an event, stream video and tweets during an event, and follow up with your audience afterwards and share those results on screens.

In this episode, Ellyce Kelly walks us through some content ideas you may not have thought of for your events, best practices for event signs and real-world scenarios that work.

- Get content ideas for before, during and after events

- Learn about countdowns and calls to action

- Explore how social media, video and photos can boost participation

- Discover how touchscreens and room signs fit into the events mix

- Understand how scheduling software can feed your screens

See the full transcript HERE

Get more event message ideas in our Masterclass Guide 3: Digital Signage Content

 

How Digital Signage Fits into Unified Communications

How Digital Signage Fits into Unified Communications

EPISODE 74 | Sean Matthews, president & CEO of Visix, Inc.

Technology is approaching a more seamless experience for both users and communicators. The term unified communications (UC) can mean different things to different people, depending on whether they approach it from a technology or engagement perspective. Digital signage is a bridge between those two viewpoints. 

New technologies and messaging techniques are emerging that will transform the way people interact with information and one another. By looking at what we use and how we got to where we are today, we can get a glimpse of the shape of things to come.

- Understand what unified communications means in different contexts 
- Learn how unified communications differs from multichannel and omnichannel approaches
- Explore how past technologies point the way towards the future
- Discover how digital signage is a key element in emerging UC ecosystems
- Hear how companies like Visix stay relevant to their clients in a constantly shifting market

See the transcript HERE

Learn more in our Masterclass Guide: Digital Signage Systems Overview Guide

Combatting Workplace Rumors with Good Communications

Combatting Workplace Rumors with Good Communications

EPISODE 73 | Guest: Andrew Brown, co-founder of the Academy of Business Communications

Water cooler talk has moved online, so the number, spread and speed of workplace rumors is growing every day. Ignoring rumors or putting out bad messaging to combat them can do more damage than the original rumor itself. Organizations have to understand the reasons why employees might create or spread rumors, how their communications and culture might be contributing to the rumor mill, and how to take a proactive approach to combat them. 

Andrew Brown walks us through the conditions that create fertile ground for rumors, the very human and social reasons behind them, and some real-world stories and advice for how organizations should and should not try to manage rumors in the workplace. 

- Understand three levels where rumors take hold

- Learn about the three conditions that allow rumors to rise and spread

- Hear four common but ineffective approaches that organizations often take

- Discover the traps that organizations often fall into when addressing rumors

- Get three tips for things an organization can do to combat rumors

- Explore how the hybrid office, technology and different generations play into it

See the full transcript HERE

Get more advice and free tools on the Academy of Business Communications website

EX, CX, VX & Why Experience Matters

EX, CX, VX & Why Experience Matters

EPISODE 72 | Guest: Debbie DeWitt, marketing communications manager, Visix, Inc.

The experience is everything. Whether it be the visitor experience, customer experience or employee experience, focusing on people, their needs and how they interact with your company and culture can make or break your brand.

In this episode, we’ll give you an overview and history of each of the EX, CX and VX disciplines, and talk about how a good experience can lead to higher productivity, improve employee retention, raise revenues and create brand advocates. We also distinguish between employee experience and employee engagement, and give you some tips for how to wrap all of this into your digital signage strategy.

- Understand the difference between EX, CX and VX

- Hear the history of how each of these mindsets developed

- Learn about the evolution from employee engagement to employee experience

- Discover why experience is so important for a brand’s success

- Get tips for how to wrap experience into your communications and content strategies

See the full transcript HERE

Get more tips in our Masterclass Guide 2: Digital Signage Communications Planning Guide

Design Tips for Interactive Screens

Design Tips for Interactive Screens

EPISODE 71 | Guest: Melissa Sartin, creative content artist for Visix

Interactivity is now the norm for screens in our daily lives. Making your digital signage interactive, either using touchscreen or voice interaction, can greatly improve the user experience, but not if what’s on screen is hard to read or hard to navigate.

In this episode, content artist Melissa Sartin walks us through design tips for interactive screens, what you can do using our AxisTV Signage Suite software and the common mistakes to avoid.

- Learn the benefits of offering interactivity

- Discover AxisTV Signage Suite’s interactive options and widgets

- Get tips for designing good interactive screen layouts

- Explore design themes, navigation systems, ADA controls, imagery and timeouts

- Understand the importance of testing & success measures

 

See the full transcript HERE

Get more screen design advice in our Masterclass Guide 4: Digital Signage Design

Digital Signs for Business

Digital Signs for Business

EPISODE 70 | Guest: Jason Cain, region sales manager – South Central for Visix

Businesses of all types and sizes are using digital signage to inform and motivate employees, as well as communicate and connect with visitors and the public. But how successful your signage is always depends on what you’re showing on screens and how often you’re refreshing that content.

In this episode, Jason Cain walks us through how companies are using digital signs for business to engage both their internal and external audiences, the most popular content for each, and some of his best and worst real-world examples.

- Learn how businesses handle internal vs. public-facing communications

- Hear the pros and cons of enterprise, cloud and on-premise solutions

- Understand the benefits of automated events, alerts, KPIs and dashboards on screens

- Discover how room signs, interactivity and remote publishing can extend the impact of digital signs

- Explore cool real-world digital signage applications and get tips on what not to do

 

See the full transcript HERE

Get content ideas for campus signage in our white paper: Increasing Employee Engagement with Digital Signs

 

 

Employee Surveys - Dos & Don'ts

Employee Surveys - Dos & Don'ts

EPISODE 69 | Guests: Elizabeth Williams & Andrew Brown, founders of the Academy of Business Communications

Employee surveys are a longstanding tool in the management and communications arsenal. By getting direct feedback from your workforce, you can find out what’s working, what’s misunderstood or unclear, and what improvements your employees feel you need to make. But asking vague questions, crowding surveys with lots of junk and not updating your surveys to reflect current realities can do more harm than good. Also, if your surveys are too infrequent or employees don’t see any action afterwards, you can weaken the employee engagement you were trying to boost.

 

In this episode, employee communications experts Elizabeth Williams and Andrew Brown walk through the potential and pitfalls of employee surveys, what can happen when they’re done well and the dangers of doing them badly.

- Find out when employee surveys are a good idea, and when they’re not

- Learn how to focus surveys and avoid "might-as-well-itis"

- Find out how often to survey employees (it's more often than you think)

- Understand the importance of focus groups and middle managers

- Discover how to set and meet employee expectations around surveys

Get the full transcript HERE

Get more advice and free tools on the Academy of Business Communications website

7 Ways to Keep Remote Workers Engaged

7 Ways to Keep Remote Workers Engaged

EPISODE 68 | Guest: Sean Matthews, president & CEO, Visix, Inc.

What’s the difference between remote workers and in-office workers? Not much, it turns out. Every employee wants to feel motivated, connected and engaged, and every employee requires good communication from all levels of their organization. Remote workers need the same guidance and encouragement as in-office staff, and they can be just as productive (or more so) than the employee sitting in a cubicle if you evolve your mindset and your communication channels to deliver what they need.

In this episode, Sean Matthews talks about the realities of a growing hybrid workforce, specific challenges that Visix has faced and how we addressed them, along with some concrete advice for anyone struggling to engage their remote workers.

- Learn about the myths and mindsets that pose a barrier to remote engagement

- Hear how Visix adapted to an expanded remote workforce

- Understand the benefits of remote work for both employees and the bottom line

- Get seven practical tips on how to keep your remote workers engaged

- Explore technologies and techniques for hybrid office communications

 

Get the full transcript HERE

Get more advice in our free Guide to Engaging Remote Employees

 

Campus Signage - Why Digital Is Better

Campus Signage - Why Digital Is Better

EPISODE 67 | Guest: Dave Leo, region sales manager (North Central) for Visix, Inc.

Universities and colleges of all types and sizes are adopting digital campus signage. And they all have the same needs and the same mission, which is educate, inform and alert their students, staff and visitors. But it’s not enough to just put some screens up in hallways. You have to understand what types of messaging appeal to different viewers, and where and when to publish that content. You have to give your signage managers the tools they need to succeed and always think about the viewer experience.

 

In this episode, Dave Leo walks us through how higher education clients are using campus signage to engage their audiences, some of the dos and don’ts for a successful system, and some real-world examples of campus content.

- Learn about popular types of screen content for different audiences

- Understand the unique challenges for higher ed content managers

- Explore menu boards, donor boards, wayfinding and other interactive options

- Discover how digital signage ties into mass alerts

- Get advice and best practices for campus signage systems

 

Get the full transcript HERE

Get content ideas for campus signage in our white paper: Student-Centered Digital Signage for Colleges & Universities

 

Best Digital Signage Widgets for Different Users

Best Digital Signage Widgets for Different Users

EPISODE 66 | Guest: Ellyce Kelly, professional services consultant for Visix, Inc.

Choosing the best digital signage widgets starts with good user management. Different software users need access to the tools they feel most comfortable with, but they don’t necessarily need to see everything. Deciding what they should and shouldn’t interact with all stems from having a solid plan for your user hierarchy, content and workflows. This podcast can help get you started.

In this episode, we go through the main user types who create, schedule and manage content, and which widgets are best for them.

• Learn why and how to organize user profiles
• Explore three user personas – content submitter, content manager and content designer
• Hear about different widgets and how they’re used in screen layouts
• Discover interactive and HTML5 features
• Understand how to set up software users for success

Get the full transcript HERE 

Find out more about widgets on our webpage at: Easy Digital Signage Widgets

12 Tips for Better Employee Communications

12 Tips for Better Employee Communications

EPISODE 65 | Guest: Debbie DeWitt, marketing communications manager for Visix

**

IT’S OUR TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!! Thanks to everyone who tunes in to DSDR. We hope you’ve found our episodes fun and valuable. If you have any suggestions for topics, email us at comms@visix.com. And don't forget that you can subscribe to this podcast and also our YouTube channel.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

**

Better employee communications take work. It’s not enough to create a PowerPoint slide or fill in a template with some text. You have to have a strategy behind your messages, or your employees will just tune out. That goes for every channel – email, digital signs, social networks, collaboration apps, etc. And the need for purposeful, well-thought-out messaging is never more important than for internal communications.

Today’s employees need transparency into your mission and the outcomes of their actions. They want a voice in your operations and how, when, where and what you communicate. If you want to drive and deliver better employee communications, we’re giving you 12 tips that you can put into action today:

- Hear how better employee communications affect engagement and experience

- Learn about best practices for design, content and frequency

- Understand context, clarity and brevity all work together

- Explore how to measure understanding and effectiveness

- Discover how surveys can do some of the work for you

 

Get the full transcript HERE

Use our infographic to take these tips with you.

 

A Modern Guide to Manufacturing Signage

A Modern Guide to Manufacturing Signage

EPISODE 64 | Guest: Chip Kepner, region sales manager - West Great Lakes for Visix, Inc.

Just as factories, warehouses and assembly lines have embraced technology to help them do their work, manufacturing signage has evolved to modernize communications with a fast-moving, far-flung workforce.

When workers can’t get to a computer to check email, or there’s no good internet in the area of the plant, how do you keep them engaged, informed and safe? In this episode, Chip Kepner walks us through how modern facilities are using digital signs to unify communications across their facilities – both in the office and on the floor.

- Get lots of content ideas for manufacturing signage

- Learn how signage affects employee engagement and productivity

- Hear best practices for HR and safety messaging, KPIs and more

- Discover how to unite messaging across jobs, teams and locations

- Understand what not to do on screens

- Explore some best and worse real-world examples

 

Get the full transcript HERE

Get more content ideas in our white paper: Drive Change and Improve Safety with Digital Signage for Manufacturing

Experiential Design for Digital Signage

Experiential Design for Digital Signage

EPISODE 63 | Derek DeWitt, Communications Specialist for Visix, Inc.

Immersive experiences are being pioneered in a number of fields using experiential design concepts. Though digital signage is mainly a visual medium, there are ways to engage the other four senses as well. Yes – hearing, touch, smell and even taste.

The more ways you can get someone’s attention, the better chance you have of attracting them and giving them an experience that they’ll remember for a long time. And that means they’ll remember your message and your brand longer. This is more than thinking outside the box, it’s thinking outside the eye.

- Learn how much each sense influences how we process information

- Understand the importance of high-quality visuals and motion

- Explore ways to use audio and music effectively

- Consider using scent diffusers to add a smell element

- Don’t forget about haptics to engage the tactile sense

- Surprise people by offering a way to engage their taste buds

- Hear examples of how experiential design elements can work independently or together

 

See the full transcript HERE

Get more content ideas in our Masterclass Guide 3: Digital Signage Content

Designing Good Digital Signage Templates

Designing Good Digital Signage Templates

EPISODE 62 | Guest: Melissa Sartin, creative content artist for Visix, Inc.

Using templates for digital signage messages and layouts helps you save time, streamline workflows for content creators, and keep control over what people put up on your screens. No matter who’s making and scheduling messages to your system, you can rest easy knowing that everything fits within your brand and design standards.

In this episode, we talk with the designer who created over 900 templates for Visix about why using templates is a wise choice for many organizations. We look at best practices for specific template elements like background, images (and where to source them), font types and styles, and the various options available in AxisTV Signage Suite for template creators.

- Find out how templates can improve your signage

- Learn what backgrounds to use, and when

- Understand how to use images and where you can get them

- Explore font options and the psychology behind them

- Hear some real-world examples and use cases for different template elements

- Discover the difference between message templates and layout templates

 

See the full transcript HERE

Get more design tips with our Masterclass Digital Signage Design Guide

Feeding the Face-to-Face Channel

Feeding the Face-to-Face Channel

EPISODE 61 | Guest: Ray Walsh, communications consultant & author of the book Localizing Employee Communications

You work hard to manage digital signage, emails, intranets and other communication channels, but you might be neglecting the most important one of all: the face-to-face channel.

In this episode, we talk with internal communications expert Ray Walsh. He gives us practical advice on how to prepare managers and team leaders to share your campaigns so that they generate buzz and word of mouth. We walk through a real-world example and how to lay the groundwork for your internal communications to make your messaging much more effective.

- Understand why digital channels aren’t enough

- Hear why managers and team leaders are critical to success

- Explore why context is essential for engagement

- Discover how to make your communications sharable

- Find out how to be an active recipient

 

See the full transcript HERE

Get more communications advice from Ray's website and blog. Check out Ray’s book Localizing Employee Communications at Amazon or direct from XML Press.

Internal Communication Trends for 2021

Internal Communication Trends for 2021

EPISODE 60 | Guest: Debbie DeWitt, marketing & communications manager for Visix, Inc.

A new study by Gallagher on internal communication trends gives insights into the changing landscape of reaching employees and keeping them engaged. We take a look at a few of the findings – the good and the bad – and discuss possible reasons for why respondents said what they said. Along the way, we examine what organizations can do in the near future to improve their messaging, and how IC is changing in the coming years.

- Examine new priorities for internal communication (IC) and employee experience (EX)

- Hear how IC, HR and the C-suite are using new tools, tech and training

- Understand the growth of digital, interactive, multisensory and omnichannel comms

- Consider how new technologies, channels and content will impact IC strategies

- Learn how to expand measurement beyond reach to evaluate outcomes

 

See the full transcript HERE

For more IC stats from the study, see our infographic: 30 New IC Statistics

You can also read the entire Gallagher study here: State of the Sector 2021: The definitive global survey of the internal communication and employee engagement landscape.

Employee Engagement Trends in 2021

Employee Engagement Trends in 2021

EPISODE 59 | Guest: Debbie DeWitt, marketing & communications manager for Visix, Inc.

Employee engagement has been greatly affected by the upheavals of 2020. Internal Communications, Human Resources, the C-suite, managers and workers are all adjusting to the new work-from-home culture, the technology that makes it possible and the challenges of communicating remotely.

In this episode, we discuss employee engagement trends highlighted in a new Gallup report. We cover where organizations are doing better than before, and where there’s still work to be done, and take a look at some of the reasons why the numbers are what they are.

- Hear the latest stats for engaged and unengaged employees

- Discover how HR and IC are adapting to the new normal

- Understand the risks of disengagement and burnout

- Learn why meaningful feedback and wellbeing are top priorities

- Explore how the C-suite and managers fit into engagement

 

See the full transcript HERE

Want more tips on communications for employee engagement? Download our Masterclass Guide 2: Digital Signage Communications Planning

Hardware Considerations for Digital Signage

Hardware Considerations for Digital Signage

EPISODE 58 | Guest: Joe Murray, systems engineer & architect, Visix, Inc.

Communications today are increasingly virtual, but still require physical hardware to work. Although we often remind people that digital signage is about the content, you can’t reach your audience without the infrastructure. And maintaining your digital signage hardware and software is essential to a reliable, scalable and user-friendly system.

Joe Murray talks about what digital signage hardware you need for a digital signage solution, and how to shop smart so you don’t end up with items you need to replace in the near future. He also walks us through why and how you can update your software and hardware to keep your system running smoothly and take advantage of new features.

- Walk through the basic hardware in a digital signage system

- Understand what a content management server is and what it does

- Explore on-premise versus cloud hosting for servers

- Learn how to choose the best media player for your communications

- Hear why updating both hardware and software is essential

- Discover the advantages of remote and scheduled updates

 

See the full transcript HERE

Want the nitty-gritty technical stuff? Download our AxisTV Signage Suite networking guide.

Work From Home: Tech, Trends & Benefits

Work From Home: Tech, Trends & Benefits

EPISODE 57 | Guest: Jonathan Blackwood, editorial director of Commercial Integrator and editor-in-chief of My TechDecisions

How we work is changing, partly because of circumstance and partly due to technology. The pandemic has forced us to conduct the largest workplace experiment in history, but work from home was already a strong movement in the labor market, and has shown positive results for both organizations and their employees. Now that we’ve been forced to adapt, things will never be the same again.

Jonathan Blackwood shares some insights into what will change, what won’t, and even more importantly, why. He also talks about how productivity, health and safety and education are all being affected.

Remote working and learning technology are certainly at the forefront of these changes, but it’s also affecting everything from how managers approach goal setting to talent attraction and retention, to scheduling and collaboration, to space configuration and management.

- Learn about business agility and why it’s key for today’s workplace

- Discover how work-life balance benefits both employer and employees

- Hear how flexibility and hybrid schedules are increasing productivity

- Explore how to leverage in-office and out-of-office technologies

- Consider how digital signage fits into the new, emerging workplace

- Understand why surveys are essential to successfully adopt WFH practices

See the full transcript HERE

Keep up to date with the industry, technologies and more at My TechDecisions and Commercial Integrator.

The Client Onboarding Process & Why It Matters

The Client Onboarding Process & Why It Matters

EPISODE 56 | Guest: Jill Perardi, director of professional services, Visix, Inc.

Software companies are using the HR term “onboarding” to describe the process of familiarizing clients with their products and services, and helping them become proficient enough to achieve their goals. Digital signage is a unique medium, so establishing a partnership between client and vendor is vital to a successful deployment.

Jill Perardi takes us through the client onboarding process at Visix. This gives clients an idea of what they should expect when buying AxisTV Signage Suite software. It also provides a roadmap that clients can use with other software vendors to ensure they get the most from their investment.

- Learn what onboarding is & why it’s important

- Walk through the steps of the Visix onboarding process

- Understand who needs to be involved at each stage

- Discover how success measures shape each step of the process

- Know what to expect and what to ask any company you deal with

See the full transcript HERE

For more help planning your digital signage success, download our Digital Signage Best Practices Guide.

How (Not) to Communicate Effectively

How (Not) to Communicate Effectively

EPISODE 55 | Guest: Dave Haynes, founding editor for Sixteen:Nine, host of the 16:9 Podcast & digital signage consultant

Dave Haynes began in newspapers but started focusing primarily on digital signage and marketing 15 years ago. His refreshing take on how to keep communications honest has made Sixteen:Nine one of the go-to sources in the industry. In this episode, he shares some tips on how to communicate effectively with an audience and how not to screw up your press releases. 

Clear, concise communication is essential in all mediums, so you can apply this advice not only to your press releases, but also your digital signage content, social media and other messaging. Get suggestions on how to communicate both efficiently and effectively: 

- Learn what not to do if you want your story published
- Discover the benefits of hyper-targeting
- Understand the Five Ws & how they can transform your text
- Consider how buzzwords & quotes can hurt you
- Get advice on how to submit images & video
- Hear about queue management & other trends

See the full transcript HERE

For more insights see Sixteen:Nine: All Digital Signage, Some Snark and the 16:9 Podcast