Digital Signage Costs: How Much Will Your Digital Signage Project Cost You, Really?

Is price hampering your digital signage ambitions? Can’t make the numbers work? Can’t justify spending the money? Armagard’s latest blog offers an honest perspective of the ‘elephant in the room’. This is digital signage costs unveiled. Let’s turn this topic on its head, what does your current advertising strategy cost you? Arguably, your current promotional efforts are akin with renting a house, paying someone else for the luxury of space, except your space is in a publication, a slot on a website or air time on TV/radio. It may be that you’re paying an advertising agency an annual fee to handle your publicity. But, what’s all this got to do with how much digital signage costs your business? Well, while there is a cost to installing a digital signage network, we’re emphasising that there’s a price to pay without digital signage, specifically, the ongoing costs and the inefficiency associated with maintaining your current method of advertising. Digital signage on the other hand is the equivalent of owning your own home. Unlike traditional advertising methods, digital signage is dedicated to you. Like your home, it’s your space. No longer are you crowded out by other advertisers, and it offers you an opportunity to make your money back, a luxury that’s not afforded by other platforms. The Truth About Digital Signage Costs The truth is, digital signage costs cannot be quantified. Why? Because every deployment is different and costs expand beyond the initial purchase of a digital signage network. Pricing digital signage can be likened to pricing a building project. You’re given a quote for the project, but as it progresses other costs creep in and sometimes red tape can obstruct your project. For example, do you need planning permission to install your network outdoors? What is true, however, is that hardware & software costs are declining each year as competition between suppliers drives down prices. To estimate the cost of your own digital signage project, what you can do is factor in some key questions during the planning stage that will help you to gauge the cost of your specific project. According to the Digital Signage Experts Group, these specific factors will help you to compile a cost estimation: How many displays will there be and where will they be located? Is power and network connectivity already there or will it have to be added? Will there be interactive displays? How many media players are required? How often will content need to be refreshed & is there a cost involved? What will the installation costs be? What will the cost of service be? This gives you a blueprint of what is required for initial digital signage deployment and with each factor, it’s important that you do not cut corners because they will prove costly long-term. Beyond initial equipment and installation costs, digital signage could have on-going and recurring costs, likely to include: IT administration/management Labour costs for replacing/upgrading displays, mountings, players & software Service contracts Software & licensing renewals Content creation Invest in an all-in-one solution – Rather than sourcing media players, screens, software & hardware separately, get the best value for money with an all-inclusive unit. The Armagard LCD Advertising Display is just one example of digital signage that comes complete with a screen & integrated media player. Protect equipment – Typically, digital signage protection is like the marketing budget when sales are down, it’s the first thing to go from the expenditure list. However, like withdrawing from the public eye, removing the protective element of your digital signage project will cost you long-term. A proportion of digital signage displays lead a premature life, ended by theft, vandalism or the rigours of a hostile environment, resulting in replacement/repair costs. Add to this the labour costs for refitting or repairing a screen and before long, the price to repair or replace exceeds the price to protect. Armagard’s digital signage enclosure can remedy such problems. Lasting up to 10 years or more, this unit will increase the lifespan of your screens, delivering a lower total cost of ownership. As a completely self-sustaining unit, you won’t need to enter into a service contract and because it’s a totally open solution, you can replace, modify or upgrade your own display equipment, i.e the screen and media player, at your convenience. The unit also comes with a five year warranty for mechanical parts & a 12 month warranty for electrical components. Use commercial grade screens – Consumer grade TVs are just not built for the demands of all day use. Before long they will malfunction, leading to downtime. Investing in commercial grade screens when implementing your network will save you money & time.

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