August 16, 2024
A tool is nothing without a strategy and process. We can all agree that digital signage is a powerful tool for communicating and engaging students, faculty, and visitors, but who is scheduling the content? Who is deciding which announcement goes where and who makes sure all of your templates have proper branding?
Digital signage in education is integral to communication and branding strategies, serving as the key platform for promoting events and delivering important announcements, but when your team’s content workflow isn’t clear, your digital signage strategy (and purpose) falls apart.
Colleges and universities need a strong content workflow process to get the most out of their digital signage, beginning with the capabilities of the content management platform (CMS) that they use to create and schedule content.
Digital Signage for College Campuses: Why Does It Matter?
The U.S. higher education market is undergoing significant changes, with enrollment declining from 18.58 million students in 2022 to 15.8 million in 2023 due to factors like declining birth rates, decreased immigration, and concerns over affordability and value.
In this competitive landscape, effective communication and branding are more critical than ever. From class information to building directories to exciting announcements and events, digital signage has become an indispensable channel for delivering valuable content and creating a positive student experience.
Plus, with the recall rate for digital advertising signage being 83% (twice as high as that of traditional advertising), signage spottings on college tours offer the potential to make a lasting impression on prospective students, helping your institution stand out from the crowd.
The Status Quo: A Recipe for Inefficiency
Many campuses operate under the assumption that once digital signage is installed, the job is done. They might use simple templates, give broad permissions to multiple users, and assume this basic approach is sufficient. Or worse, they implement a digital signage software solution that lacks the capabilities and features needed to manage your team’s workflow.
Unfortunately, this leads to disjointed messaging, inconsistent branding, and content that doesn’t meet the specific needs of different departments or locations. Without a unified content workflow that aligns with the digital signage strategy, campuses may encounter several challenges:
- Lack of Cohesion: When different departments create content independently, the result is often a mix of styles, messages, and priorities. This inconsistency can dilute the overall impact of the digital signage and confuse the audience.
- Missed Opportunities: Without the ability to tailor content to specific audiences or schedules, institutions miss the chance to engage students with relevant, timely information.
- Inefficient Use of Resources: Broad permissions and basic templates may seem convenient, but they often lead to content that’s outdated, irrelevant, or off-brand. This can undermine the effectiveness of digital signage and waste valuable resources.
Getting On Track: The Need for a Unified Content Workflow
A well-crafted digital signage strategy, backed by a strong content workflow and capable digital signage CMS, is vital for higher education institutions to avoid the common pitfalls of a fragmented and uncoordinated approach.
Colleges and universities need to create a digital signage strategy that outlines how they plan to use the signage, where it will be located, what content will be displayed and who will be responsible for updating it. A well-defined strategy ensures effective communication with diverse campus communities, enhances engagement and maintains a cohesive brand identity. However, assuming that simply assigning permissions to update the content is sufficient for a successful digital signage implementation is short-sighted.
It’s crucial to understand your organization’s content workflow needs and align them with the digital signage strategy. This ensures that the institution’s overarching goals are met while providing the flexibility needed for individual departments.
Enter, Content Flow Control; the method by which an organization manages and distributes crucial information to its audience—a powerful yet often underutilized practice that can transform how higher education institutions manage and optimize their digital signage, ensuring they maximize its impact across the entire campus.
By integrating content flow control into your digital signage strategy, institutions can unlock the full potential of their CMS, creating a dynamic, cohesive communication tool that enhances the campus experience for everyone.
Streamlining Workflows: A Digital Signage CMS That Fills The Gap
At 22Miles, we understand the complexity of managing digital signage across a university campus, where each department has unique needs. Our digital signage CMS is designed to streamline and unify your content workflow, providing powerful content flow control features that cater to both central and departmental requirements.
One Content Management System
With our CMS, every department utilizes the same platform for all digital signage needs. This centralization allows a master control team to create and distribute branded content that aligns with the institution’s overall messaging, ensuring consistency and cohesion across all screens.
Tailored Solutions for Each Department
While the main institution sets up and oversees the account, each department receives tailored access that suits its specific needs. Administrators can create master templates that are accessible to all users, while also granting permissions at various levels, offering flexibility for departments to manage their own content within a branded framework.
Hierarchical Template Design
Our infrastructure is designed to accommodate different levels of access and content needs through tiered templates. This hierarchical approach allows for differentiation between designers and daily operators, ensuring that each department’s specific requirements are met without compromising the overall brand identity.
Centralized Messaging
Our CMS ensures unified messaging across all screens, while also allowing local or regional teams the flexibility to customize portions of the content. This is ideal for marketing communications, where broad institutional messaging can be paired with localized content control. If needed, a content approval process can be implemented from a central location to maintain consistency.
Content Management Scheduler
We’ve streamlined the scheduling and updating process with integrated coordination and automation features, reducing the need for manual intervention and minimizing the risk of errors. This ensures that your digital signage is always up-to-date, relevant, and aligned with your institution’s communication goals.
Our digital signage CMS is designed to empower your team with advanced tools to create, schedule, and manage content with precision. Whether it’s automating updates for specific departments, ensuring brand consistency across all screens, or providing analytics to measure the effectiveness of your messaging, our CMS is built to support your institution’s unique communication needs.
It’s time for higher education institutions to move beyond the basics and embrace the strategic benefits of content flow control. It’s more than just managing screens; it’s about optimizing how you communicate with your entire campus community.
Ready to get control of your digital signage workflow? Book a demo with us today.
Looking for more on content flow control for higher education institutions? Read our e-book here.
