Guest Post: DIY Digital Signage: 4 Poor Boy Tactics for Saving Coin on Your Next Deployment

Thanks to scalable technology, the digital signage systems of 2013 and beyond represent a massive cost-advantage over the clunky systems of yesteryear. The past five years in particular have not necessarily been kind on “our kind,” so to speak. Global financial calamities coupled with a drought of advertisers for a somewhat nascent and altogether unfamiliar (at least by traditional standards) medium, forced discipline in solutions as well as pricing. That’s been great for one group in particular: the consumer of digital signage software and hardware solutions. Massive drops in pricing coupled with robust tools have really helped in the proliferation of solutions. But, when money is tight, and it always is, there are still ways in which networks are able to pinch their pennies to save a buck. Here are a few.

The Display

When the likes of some of our dinosaur counterparts began in the mid 1980’s, the earliest form of digital signage was seen in the CCTV networks. Luckily today, what passes as a digital signage display can be loosely defined. From flatscreen and 3D LCD televisions to tablets and other mobile-connected devices, the myriad of options has rapidly expanded. With the expansion in display options, pricing has concurrently made a move.

One of the best ways to avoid over-priced gadgetry in the realms of a DIY digital sign or digital menu project will first occur in your digital display. I consistently steer many a would-be digital signage junkie away from commercial displays. They’re typically twice as expensive and the warranties on the units can sometimes be on-par with those purchased for consumer use. Moreover, they’re enhanced features are marginal to those simply looking to deliver a message.

In fact, many of today’s smaller form-factor displays are being performed by tablet devices at the point of sale. Sometimes when thinking about moving up in the display size, it can even be more impactful to move down and multiply the effectiveness with more than one display. It can also save coin.

The Player

Two rockin’ player strategies come to mind when you’re looking to save a buck or two when on your signage media player. First off, growing your own doesn’t always mean building a player from scratch or reaching out directly to some hardware manufacturer in China. It can be as simple as reusing existing hardware you may have on hand. For instance, we’ve a number of clients who, in an effort to be economical, are actually utilizing old office PCs that would have been fodder for the trash can had they not found a way to put them to good use. Luckily, they work marvelously behind the scenes as they power a small, internal corporate digital sign network. The “players” (so-called) certainly leave a great deal to be desired in terms of aesthetics, but most of them reside in false ceilings or behind desks, out of site. It may not be as convenient as as an internal player or one mounted directly to the rear of the display, but for some it can even add another level of security heretofore unrealized.

Yet another method for saving money on one’s digital signage media player is by utilizing the thumb drive option. Playback on a dynamic basis doesn’t have to occur with an always-active web connection or even a pre-defined schedule. Sometimes playback is better if performed simply, which brings me to my next point.

The Connection

Using a flash disk as the player also can help save needed recurring hosting or connectivity costs for your small network. If no other connectivity options exist, one of the most expensive methods of connection can by a wireless mobile device. These have gratefully become more economic in recent years, however, they still represent a cost to the display owner. Avoiding connectivity costs may not be the highest priority for someone shelling out money on an initial installation, but it’ll hit the pocket book monthly. Decrease those fixed expenses where you possibly can by using thumb drives and running a sneakernet.

The Content

I would never suggest skimping on the content’s quality and as the saying goes, cost, quality or speed work in tandem as a zero-sum game. Ergo, the foregone conclusion is that less-expensive content would mean the quality automatically reverts to sub-par as well. Luckily, today’s market for content creators doesn’t just include high-flying NYC design agencies. There are plenty of boutique shops with “the skills to pay the bills” that won’t rip you off for creating templates and getting dynamic video done right. Shop around. You can replace cost with speed, but don’t replace it with quality.

There are a number of other cost components to your network where you can save money and truly install digital signage on a poor-boy budget. If you have further suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments below.

About the author

Nate Nead is the president of signage.biz, a U.S.-based digital signage provider of digital signage hardware and software tools.

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