Using digital signage templates to create engaging content

People who are familiar with digital signage understand the importance of compelling and engaging content. Some may even go so far as to say digital signage wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for templates. Digital signage templates offer an easy and efficient way of making your content more attractive to viewers.

High-quality content is the reason why viewers pay attention to your screens so it’s worth spending time on design and presentation. Otherwise, you are just wasting time and money.

What’s a digital signage template?

Let’s start with the basics. Digital signage content falls under two categories.

• Full-screen content: Images, videos, PowerPoint slide decks, PDFs, and web content.
• Digital signage templates: Graphical layouts that contain a background image, shapes, media/playlist zones, and text.

Any modern digital signage software can screen full-screen content. It’s digital signage in its simplest form. However, most viewers expect to see more when they glance at a digital signage screen. If they aren’t attracted by what they see, they will look elsewhere which takes away from the digital signage experience.

Digital signage templates let content managers, creative staff, and graphic artists fully exploit the potential of their screens. To achieve this goal, creatives turn to digital signage templates.

Template layouts deliver more context to the audience as it lets creative staff combine real-time data, and multimedia with graphics. By creating your own digital signage content templates and building standardized themes, you enhance your brand.

Depending on the scenario, digital signage templates can include a mix of:

• Static images: JPET, BMP, PNG, PSD, PDF…
• Videos: AVI, MOV, QT, MPEG…
• Presentations: PPTX, PPT, Google Slides…
• Live data: RSS, XML, JSON, social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook…)
• Useful information: the current date and time
• Calendars and appointments: Microsoft Exchange, Google Calendar, and others…

How do digital signage templates work?

Anyone familiar with Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft PowerPoint will understand the concept of graphical layers. Digital signage templates work similarly. Graphics, images, video, and text are layered on top of each other to create a customized digital signage design. The result is a stream of images, videos, and live information that you can broadcast across your screen network.

Digital signage templates are also used in multi-screen and video wall applications where different content can be assigned to one or more screens for added visual impact.

Digital signage template layouts let content designers engage viewers as they visit your place of business or public space.

HTML digital signage templates

Most digital signage software solutions support HTML web pages and some of the more advanced products will let you screen HTML5 web content. While HTML is great for displaying static information extracted from databases, HTML5 provides additional features:

• Slick animations that don’t require plugins
• Enhanced graphical support for better-looking content
• Improved multimedia support

Traditionally, HTML and HTML5 content have been used to create interactive content such as news and e-commerce websites. However, this technology can also be used in a digital signage context to screen different types of information such as:

• Airline flight information screens
• Queue management
• Information/status boards
• Countdown timers, and more…

It used to be that you could only create HTML and HTML5 content by hand coding it yourself, or hire a freelancer to handle the design and coding for you. Both options were out of reach for many smaller fitness chains and gyms so major chains took advantage of this technology.

Nowadays, there are many codeless tools to choose from such as Flexitive, or Canva. These tools can be used to create all sorts of advertising or promotional content, such as professional HTML5.

Lets explore a few scenarios…

Digital Signage Menu Board Templates

Quick Service Restaurants rely on digital signage menu board templates to standardize their messaging across multiple locations. Digital signage graphic designers who develop in-house templates can create new content faster so they can keep up with business demands.

Digital menu board layouts can become very complex and feature many data fields that need to be configured to match the restaurant’s branding. This helps ensure a consistent look and feel on each screen. Templates can also be re-used and modified as needed making the designer’s job a lot easier.

Here are some advantages of using digital signage menu board templates:

• Better Branding: Restaurant chains can reinforce their brand identity by embedding their logos and fonts in their template layouts. By standardizing each location’s menu board template, companies also protect their trademarks and intellectual property.
• Promote Special Events: Layouts can be modified and published as seasons change. Unique themes can be developed and implemented to highlight various holidays and milestones.
• Health Regulation Compliance: Health regulations often vary from one region to another. In some areas, restaurants may be required to screen specific information such as an item’s caloric content or listing specific ingredients. Template layouts help restaurant chains comply with local regulations by ensuring the correct information is embedded in each region’s digital signage content.

Digital Signage Templates for Corporate Communications

Corporate communications is another area where digital signage templates have had a huge impact, especially for small to medium-sized companies. These are the types of businesses that lack the internal resources to continuously feed their office screens with new and interesting content.

To be successful, digital signage projects require a steady stream of updated content that informs, engages, and entertains the viewer. To achieve these goals, businesses are turning in ever greater numbers to digital signage templates.

Here are some of the reasons why…

• More Efficient: Templates can be designed and produced by an outside agency or contracted out to a graphics designer. There is no need to hire creative staff because custom template layouts can be modified and reused multiple times.
• Easier to use: Well-designed digital signage templates are easy to use. Office staff can simply insert their content into a layout and publish it to their screens. It doesn’t get any easier than that.
• H&S Compliance: Just as restaurants need to comply with health regulations, so do other businesses. It’s quite typical for businesses to publish standardized health & safety information for their staff. Small and medium-sized businesses often rely on templates to format and deliver this type of information using a consistent layout.

Digital Signage Templates for Gyms and Fitness Centres

Fitness buffs who lead an active lifestyle need to track their workouts. Gyms that cater to these customers use digital signage templates to deliver targeted information to screens located at each exercise station. Template layouts are designed in such a way the member or guest receives information about the equipment they are using, the types of activities they can perform, and tips on getting the most out of their training session. At the same time, the gym operator will screen a mix of branding, advertising, and personalized content.

Here are some gym and fitness center template benefits…

• Generate ad revenue: Displaying advertising with informational content on a gym’s digital signage screen creates a new revenue stream for the business.
• Deliver personalized content: Fitness center members are more engaged when they encounter useful information they can relate to. Successful gyms rely on personalized content to create a strong bond with guests and members. They will screen health statistics and fitness data gathered from previous sessions to keep members motivated. This helps members track their progress and stick to their fitness program.
• Promote loyalty programs: Fitness centre chains rely on loyalty programs to keep members coming back. This helps lower the cost of acquisition and increase ROI. Fitness centre digital signage templates help deliver a unified identity by displaying loyalty program advertising with personalized statistics and fitness program information.

Social Media Digital Signage Templates

Social media content is a powerful tool for engaging your audience. Digital signage templates for social media make it easy to display dynamic, up-to-date content from platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. These templates automatically pull in live feeds, hashtags, and user-generated content, keeping your screens fresh and relevant.

Benefits of Social Media Digital Signage Templates:

• Real-time Updates: Automatically display the latest posts, tweets, and stories.
• Audience Engagement: Encourage interaction by showcasing user-generated content and social media campaigns.
• Brand Awareness: Highlight your brand’s social media presence and increase followers.
• Versatile Content: Combine social media feeds with promotional graphics, videos, and announcements.

Hotel Digital Signage Templates

Hotels can greatly benefit from digital signage templates to enhance guest experience and streamline operations. Templates can display welcome messages, event schedules, restaurant menus, and local attractions, ensuring guests have access to all the information they need during their stay.

Benefits of Hotel Digital Signage Templates:

• Personalized Welcome Messages: Greet guests with personalized messages and important check-in information.
• Event Schedules: Keep guests informed about daily events, meetings, and conferences.
• Restaurant Menus: Display current restaurant menus, special offers, and dining hours.
• Local Attractions: Provide information on nearby attractions, transportation options, and weather updates.

Recommended Hardware:

In digital signage, choosing the right hardware is crucial for delivering compelling content that engages your audience effectively. The Navori StiX 3800 sets a new standard as an AI-powered digital signage player, perfect for enhancing your communication strategy and driving results for your business

Compact and easy to install behind screens, the StiX 3800 saves space and reduces clutter while offering native 4K@60fps video playback and seamless multimedia performance. It integrates advanced AI-driven audience analytics, measuring footfall and dwell time to provide insightful data for optimizing content delivery.

This media player supports hands-free deployment with minimal maintenance, seamlessly syncing with Navori’s CMS software for easy content scheduling, screen monitoring, and performance analysis. Its industrial durability ensures reliable operation with an MTBF of 50,000 hours, making it a robust choice for long-term use.

Experience the power and versatility of the StiX 3800 to unlock new possibilities for your digital signage needs, ensuring your messages captivate viewers and achieve impactful results.