In business, good communication is essential. We live in an age where our means of communication is shifting. Enabled by digital transformation, we communicate via screens, and an interesting phenomenon is happening where cultural transformation is happening in parallel with digital advancements. 

One of those is businesses using digital signage for their internal communications.

How has internal comms changed over the years?

In days of yore, internal communications used to rely on traditional practices such as informing employees via letters in the post, company-wide emails or staff updating physical notice boards in communal areas with important information and posters. 

As you’d expect in this modern and transformative age, we’ve all become a bit too accustomed to physical notice boards and emails. Sometimes not even batting an eyelid to any updates or changes, and the engagement rate with these methods is usually minimal. That’s why new methods for engagement are needed.

Most of us walk right by physical advertisements and posters; we just don’t interact with these media forms anymore - we’re too busy looking at tiny screens in our hands. And that’s how businesses need to adapt their comms, by using screens to engage. 

In other words, a classic case of, ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’. When it comes to engagement, this is where digital signage changes the game as well as it generally being a great tool to use.

What are the benefits of using digital signage for internal comms?

• Communicate information to employees easily

With digital signage screens, you can create ambience in a way that you never could with a poster or memo. Your message can include music, video or interactivity. Unlike other forms, a display screen catches our eye but it's not too disruptive. It can calmly sit on a wall in a communal area, providing constant content that everyone will see.

• Grabs and holds our attention

An obvious point, but digital signage NEEDS to catch your employees' eyes and draw them into its contents. This means that any screens need to be strategically placed and have moving images, such as video, live feeds, etc. 

When hardware is paired with flexible digital signage software, you can ensure that your content is updated from anywhere and that it remains relevant.

• Keeps employees ‘in the know’

If you want to let people in your organisation know information quickly, then digital signage is a great method for doing so. When digital signage is placed in a high traffic area, it can work instantaneously. The first to see its message will also help disperse the information to their team, whose curiosity will also be peaked and encouraged to take a look also.

For thriving employee engagement, transparent communication is key as this helps employees feel like they are in the ‘know’. With digital signage, you can regularly update the content to keep transparency and an active discourse on company updates.

• Share content to the many, not the few

As we’ve mentioned in the point above, if you’re looking for a way to spread information on mass, then screens located across your office or buildings are a great way to achieve this, especially if they are placed in areas that receive a lot of attention and traffic. 

With digital signage, you can open up communication and increase your company’s transparency with employees. This is because information spread via digital signage is not selective or limited, it can be viewed by all.

Where and how can you use digital signage for internal comms?

• Outside meeting rooms to display bookings

To improve communication and the operation of company meetings, it can be important to install a meeting room booking system, and display screens in or outside meeting rooms.

Outside meeting rooms, digital signage can be set up to display room bookings, including who has booked the room, and how long for. Display screens can also be used inside the meeting room, to project meeting agendas, notes, slides, videos, video sharing and more.

• As an internal data dashboard

When visitors or employees walk into a room or office building, wouldn’t it be great to showcase the latest internal data for your company? This could include daily graphs displaying sales figures, current visitors on a website, geographical coverage that your product/ service has reached. 

This type of usage is not necessarily applicable for every business, but it is great for companies that are data-driven and feel empowered to make data-driven decisions - such as manufacturing or the finance industry.

• Display wall with social media feeds

For places that are a little more social-driven, digital signage can be used to display social media feeds. The reason for implementing this is that it's great for keeping an eye on your brand engagement and any customer issues, or your company reputation. 

This can be customised to show posts from customers mentioning your company, or using a particular hashtag during a campaign, or display employee posts. In conjunction with analytics for your page's social media performance.

• Enhance employee engagement through digital screens and notice boards

If you’re looking to increase your employee engagement, then you can utilise digital signage screens to display and advertise company events, congratulate promotions, celebrate achievements/ birthdays and more.

By transmitting your information via a screen, you can be much more effective and transparent with announcing updates, figures or visions for the future. 

When employees feel connected to your company, it has been proven that productivity increases. A great way to boost employee input is through setting up a digital notice board; you could start an ‘ideas board, this allows employees to send over ideas and builds up a good conversation space within the office.

• Improve universal messaging and communication across all internal offices

If your company has more than one office, then you can integrate a digital signage network across the locations to better deliver your internal communications strategy. This enables the same message to reach employees across your offices, which is great for transmitting one message. 

Alternatively, you can produce targeted, geo-specific messages and content for different locations.

How to make the most of your internal digital signage?

• By changing the content regularly

An obvious point, but change the content on your digital signage screens regularly. Compared to digital signage in public spaces, your employees will be viewing these screens a lot more regularly. You can create different playlists of content, such as meeting information, company and team updates, customer-focused metrics, or even linking to social media feeds as this continually refreshes new content.

• Gain feedback from staff

By far, the best and most effective way to improve your internal digital signage is asking employees to give you feedback.

What would they like to see more of or less of?

You can also play around with different ideas for engagement, such as integrating company figures and news with live news channels or even YouTube videos to provide a bit of variety and break up the seriousness.

Another piece of feedback to gain is how engaged people are with the screens: do they look at and use them often? Or only notice when new content is added? Is it a useful place for them to find metrics or company communications, or do they find out information through other channels or means?

By gaining feedback on the content you put out, as well as the engagement, you can then improve your strategy and use this information to inform your next content strategy decisions.

How can your business get started? Contact AOPEN

If you’re looking for digital signage that you can rely on for your internal communications, then check out AOPEN’s extensive range.

AOPEN supplies and manufactures a wide range of digital signage media players. If you need assistance, you can call our helpful and knowledgeable team on +31 (0)73 646 6400, or send an email with your enquiry or questions to request@aopen.com and we’d be happy to help.