and-temperature should rotate every third or fourth sequence. This gives people a reason to look at your sign, even if they pass that way every day.” Smith advises that you can combine as many as ten or twelve screens for a two-minute loop that continually plays throughout the day. Content management software even allows display owners to filter RSS feeds for adding fresh content to the mix. “Pick elements that give people timely information: local sports scores, stock quotes, the weather, news headlines, etc.,” suggests Smith. “A radio station can use this capability to display whatever song they’re playing at that moment, while a restaurant can display something from their breakfast menu in the morning and their dinner menu at night.” Users just need to be sure they have allocated the creative services necessary to properly create content for these signs. “Each manufacturer has its own propriety software for developing and managing the content,” notes Klausmeier. “The problem is that people who
buy these signs often underestimate the creative resources required, the complexity of it, and issues like dwell time.”
Content Specialists Software allows many end-users to assume content development and management for themselves, at least initially. Over time though, some ultimately turn to their sign supplier or an outside vendor for these services. “When people come to us, they often say they had no idea there was this much work involved,” notes Deb Tracy, owner of LED content development and management specialist Sign Programmers (www.signprogrammers.com) “Or they say the content they’ve been able to put up just doesn’t look as good as the demonstration that convinced them to purchase a video display system.” For those who prefer to handle content in-house, Tracy advises to assign this responsibility to a staff member who already enjoys working with computers. And no matter the message, always refresh it periodically. “Every three
to five days, do something a little different—even if it’s only changing the color or moving the text and graphics around—so that it looks new to people who are passing by,” says Tracy. For those who don’t want to assume another responsibility, turnkey content services ensure a better return on the investment in an expensive display system. Professional services can also project the best image on the display, for the good of all. “When people put up messages that just don’t look good, it hurts everyone involved—the manufacturer, the sign producer, and the sign owner,” says Tracy. (Note: Tracy has also developed content for sign companies to show in their sales presentations.) “The best thing a sign producer can do is have some examples of well done content to show when selling these systems,” advises Klausmeier. “Some are finding they can develop a new revenue stream for themselves, if they sell those services when they sell the systems.”
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Sign Builder Illustrated
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Sign Builder Illustrated
April 2012 // Sign Builder Illustrated
47