Digital signage should be thought of as one component of the overall sign industry. The issue the industry faces, however, is how digital signage may appear at first to be confusing, complex and even intimidating to traditional sign shops. To quell such apprehension, it is important to understand there are many similarities between all segments of the sign industry and, as such, there are very real opportunities for sign shops to expand their business and increase their profits by entering the digital signage arena. To find a clear-cut path to do so, signmakers need to start by considering a number of core elements of digital signage as alternative medium.
数字标牌应该被看做整个标识行业的一个组成部分。然而，该行业所面临的问题是，数字标牌的出现使得传统标识商铺变得混乱不清、复杂甚至令人生畏。要想平息这样的忧虑，充分了解标识行业各个组成部分之间的相似性是很重要的。同样地，标识商铺拓宽数字标牌领域之后，有很大的机会来扩展其业务，从而增加利润。为了寻找一种明确的扩展业务方案，标识制作商首先需要考虑将数字标牌作为替代媒介的几个核心因素。
Defining the opportunity
抓住机会
At their core, all businesses will seek new opportunities to grow, but the traditional sign industry has been relatively slow to add digital signage to its activities, for a number of reasons. Over the past few years, the opportunity to enter this niche has become more attractive, addressable and attainable than many signmakers might have assumed.
所有企业都会寻求新的发展机遇，这就是标识行业的核心所在。但是由于某些原因，传统标识行业减缓了将数字标牌作为其新业务来发展的步伐。在过去几年里，与标识制作商的设想不一样的是，进入该市场的机会变得更具吸引力、更有迹可循且更易成功。
Digital signage is an exciting, fast-growing market segment where the traditional sign, information technology (IT) and audiovisual (AV) industries intersect. It has far-reaching implications in terms of opening markets for signmakers, system designers, AV integrators and content creators, among other professionals.
数字标牌在传统标识、信息技术（IT）和视听（AV）行业中，是一个发展迅速的市场。它对开放市场中的标识制作商、系统设计师、AV集成商和内容创建者等专业人士都产生了深远的影响。
Digital signage has found success where it can provide relevant, targeted messaging to the right viewers at the most appropriate time. As conditions change, whether environmental or informational, digital signs can be designed to respond to those changes. Content management and updates can be performed in real time from a central or remote location.
数字标牌的成功之处就在于，它能够在最恰当的时间为参观者提供相关的、有针对性的信息。随着情况的改变，无论环境还是信息，数字标牌都能够应对这些变化。内容管理和实时更新都是从中心或远程位置来控制操作的。
Further, digital signage has been shown to influence its viewers' behaviour, both short- and long-term, by helping to create a more visually stimulating environment. The value of this influence has been substantiated by increases in return on investment (ROI) for the medium's users.
此外，数字标牌还会影响参观者的行为举止，包括短期和长期的影响，因为它帮助人们创建了一个更具视觉刺激的环境。数字标牌用户投资回报（ROI）的增长，证实了这种影响的价值。
The New York Times recently reported 68 per cent of people see digital signage every day. And research shows the inherently dynamic nature of digital signs captures up to 10 times more eye contact than traditional static signs.
《纽约时报》最近报道，68%的人每天都能看到数字标牌。研究显示，动态数字标牌对人们的吸引力比传统静态标识高达10倍。
The most obvious ‘explosion’ of digital signage has been in retail environments, but there have also been many applications for corporate communications, wayfinding, education and public transportation venues. This is why industry pundits predict a double-digit compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through to at least 2020.
数字标牌最明显的‘激增’是在零售环境中的应用，但也有很多用于企业交流、导视系统、教育和公共交通场所。这就是标识行业专家预测，两位数的符合年增长率（CAGR）至少会持续到2020年的原因。
A sign shop should not feel intimidated by the billions of dollars in digital signage sales forecasts or reports of many thousands of screens being rolled out for major networks. While the largest projects tend to get all of the mainstream attention, the average digital signage system sale actually involves five or fewer screens. This type of project, which represents the vast majority of those billions of dollars, is right in the ‘sweet spot’ for most traditional sign shops to handle.
对于数字标牌数十亿美元的预测销售额，或成千上万的屏幕作为主要网络推广手段，标识商铺不必感到恐惧。当最大的项目获得所有主流关注时，其中数字标牌系统平均只包含五个或更少的屏幕。这种类型的项目代表的就是绝大多数的数十亿美元销售额项目，就是为大多数传统标识商铺而准备的。
Addressing barriers
消除障碍
There are, however, several barriers that can impede progress in the field. Many potential customers for digital signage lack an understanding of the technology's capabilities, particularly with regard to the design, creation and refreshment of content. Additionally, financing and funding may remain challenges for their organizations, especially those concerned about a ‘soft’ ROI on ‘hard’ dollars spent.
然而，该领域存在几个影响数字标牌发展的障碍。许多潜在数字标牌客户缺乏技术理解能力，尤其是对设计、创意以及内容更新的理解。同时，融资和资金可能会给他们带来风险，特别是那些密切关注实际美元花费的投资回报率的企业。
Another barrier is the period required for a company-wide rollout in multiple locations, which can be dauntingly long. This means not only a large undertaking for the client, but also a longer sales cycle for the sign shop providing the network.
另一个障碍是全公司在多个位置进行推广所需要的时间是相当长的。这不仅意味着客户在做一项大型工程，而且标识商铺需要更长的销售周期来实现数字标牌的网络连接控制。
One way to prove ROI is through viewer analytics, which can gauge the effectiveness of digital signage and will continue to become more mainstream in the future. And from the perspective of sign shops, it is important to understand digital signage can supplement—not replace—what they have already been doing for many years. It is not an either/or situation, but rather a blending of sign types and strategies to best serve customers by remaining current and relevant to their needs.
一种检验ROI的方法就是通过观众分析得出来的，它可以衡量数字标牌的有效性，并使其在未来变得更加主流。从标识商铺的角度来说，理解数字标牌可以做补足物，而不是替代物是很重要的。这不是非此即彼的情况，而是一种标识类型和宣传策略的结合，最大限度的满足客户的需求。
A natural fit
天作之合
To determine if digital signage is a natural fit for their customers, signmakers must ask where it would make good business sense to add dynamic content to an existing static signage environment. It is up to sign shops—not the customers themselves—to make the case for the ROI of digital signage.
要确定数字标牌对客户来说是否是合适的选择，标识制作商就必须询问清楚，客户要在哪个位置将动态内容叠加在现有静态标识环境中，从而达到良好的商业宣传效果。数字标牌的ROI是由标识商铺决定的，而不是由客户自身决定。
Ultimately, digital signage does a lot of the same things static signage does, just with dynamic movement. Its features and benefits are complementary to a sign shop's existing business.
数字标牌的很多功能基本上都是静态标识已经实现了的，它只是带有动态显示而已。它的特征和优势可以作为标识商铺现有业务的补足物。
There is a significant overlap in the sense that most shops are currently selling static signs to the same retailers, quick-service restaurants (QSRs), corporations, health-care organizations and entertainment venues—among other customers—that have, in many cases, already been shown to benefit from digital signage. A customer segment analysis is recommended, assigning a percentage of a sign shop's current business to each type of client, to help provide guidance as to which niches to concentrate on when adding digital signage to the shop's portfolio.
目前标识行业存在严重的重叠现象，即大多数商铺都将静态标识卖给相同的零售商、快餐店（QSRs）、企业、医疗机构以及娱乐场所，而其他客户已经从数字标牌的应用获得了益处。对标识商铺来说，客户群分析是很有必要的，将现有业务按比例分配给不同类型的客户，当其扩增数字标牌业务时，客户群分析在集中市场方面可以提供指导。
Research shows sign customers are looking for ways to attract, entertain, educate and motivate viewers—and they are willing to pay for new services to do so. It should go without question that shops would prefer for these customers to buy any and all signs directly from them. Existing clients must be thought of as theirs, not anyone else's, for both static and digital signage.
调查显示，标识客户正在探寻能够吸引、娱乐、教育和激励观众且观众愿意消费的新型服务方式。标识商铺想要这些客户直接购买他们的任何标识，这是没有问题的。标识商铺必须要将现有客户看做自己的，而不是其他任何商铺的，包括静态标识和数字标牌客户。
It is important to keep in mind their customers will not abandon static signs, but rather add digital signage to their communications mix. Supplying that digital signage is a good way for sign shops to retain those customers and expand their business.
记住很重要的一点，客户不会舍弃静态标识，而是将数字标牌扩增到他们的经营业务中。供应数字标牌对标识商铺留住客户和扩展业务是一个很好的办法。
Navigating a tangled web
浏览复杂网页
While digital signage should not intimidate signmakers, it does represent a somewhat tangled web of interconnected technologies that must work together. Many companies understand some of these parts—such as displays, networking or content—but only a few grasp the whole picture.
尽管数字标牌对标识制作商不会造成威胁，但是它代表的是一个复杂的相互影响的互联网络技术。许多企业只知道其中一些应用，例如显示、网络连接或内容，只有少数人能够理解数字标牌全貌。
To truly succeed in digital signage, a company must understand the various elements and be able to convey their value to customers who will pay for it. Most digital signage failures are situations involving poor due diligence and business planning.
要想在数字标牌领域取得成功，企业必须了解所有相关要素，并且能够将其价值带给客户。大多数失败的数字标牌案例都是因为较差的服务和业务规划造成的。
Each project must begin with a plan and a clear articulation of the client's objective or purpose. Examples include:
Building a brand.
Increasing sales of goods/services.
Disseminating information.
Wayfinding.
Improving the customer experience.
每个项目都必须从实现客户目标的清晰严密计划开始。
案例包括：
创建一个品牌。
增加销售商品/服务。
传播信息。
导视系统。
改善客户体验。
Content must then be planned to suit the objective. The creation of digital signage content is an art form specific to the medium, generally involving more than simply reformatting graphics produced for broadcast or printing. There may be a mix of advertising and information.
数字标牌的内容必须适应其客观环境。数字标牌内容的创建对媒介来说是一种特别的艺术形式，通常情况下，它不仅涉及用于广播或喷印行业的图形重组形式，可能还会有广告和信息混合的形式。
The design of the system must also meet the project's purpose, linking hardware and software in an integrated package that will be both manageable and successful. The scale and scope of the deployment must be factored into its design. Other issues to consider include indoor or outdoor installation locations, heat, humidity, ambient light, security and the potential for vandalism.
数字标牌整个系统的设计也要符合项目的目标，将硬件和软件连接好做成一个集成块，从而达到可控的目的。整个系统的规模和范围必须要包含在设计方案里面。其他要考虑的问题是，室内或户外安装位置、热度、湿度、背景光、安全性和潜在破坏性。
Another important choice is which software to use.There are subscription-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) options, as well as packaged software for on-premise use, which is either purchased outright or included with a system package. Software provides the ‘brain’ of a digital signage system, including the management, scheduling and distribution of content.
另外非常重要的是，选择哪种操作软件。有基于订阅的软件即服务（SaaS），还有供内部使用的压缩软件，即可以直接购买或包含在系统集成块内的软件。软件相当于数字标牌系统的‘大脑’，它包含内容管理、调度和分配的功能。
Hardware is a more obvious, visible and easily understood element of digital signage, including displays, mounts, stands, media players, cables, connectors and distribution amplifiers. All of the major suppliers produce good to excellent equipment and most are on par with each other.
硬件是数字标牌中更明显、可见且易于理解的组成部分，它包括显示器、底座、托架、媒体播放器、电缆、连接器和配电放大器。所有主要硬件供应商都对完美的数字标牌系统提供了优质产品，并且其发挥的作用都是旗鼓相当。
If software is the brain, then connectivity to the Internet is the nervous system of digital signage. Wired systems are the most reliable, but depending on installation issues at a given location, they may be the most expensive or even impractical. Wireless and cellular connectivity has improved significantly over the past few years, though it can still encounter problems with reception and bandwidth.
如果软件是大脑，那么网络连通性就是数字标牌的神经系统。有线系统的可靠性最高，但是根据给定位置的安装条件，有线系统或许是最昂贵的或不切实际的。无线移动连接在过去几年里有了显著的改进，但是它仍然会受到信号接收和带宽的限制。
Once the network is completed, it will need to be managed on a daily basis. Support, service and maintenance are ultimately the processes that will make a project continue to work within definable costs. Not accounting for these processes will necessitate additional outlays of money when (not if) something goes wrong.
一旦网络连接成功，数字标牌就需要进行日常管理了。支撑、服务和维护进程是确保数字标牌在既定成本内继续工作的前提。当出现没有占用这些进程的问题时就需要额外的费用。
What to sell
产品销售
The display is the most visible part of any digital signage system. There are all types and sizes of screens available today, but the most common are flat-panel liquid crystal displays (LCDs). They tend to range from 152-mm (6-in.) kiosk screens to 2.4-m (95-in.) large-format displays. Digital projectors are also common, making up 20 per cent of the overall market. And light-emitting diode (LED) arrays are becoming increasingly popular as video walls.
显示屏是所有数字标识系统最显眼的部分。目前市场中包含各种类型、尺寸的屏幕，但是最常见的就是平板液晶显示屏（LCDs），其尺寸范围包括从152-mm (6-in.)的荧幕到2.4-m (95-in.)的大幅显示屏。数字放映机也很常见，占整个市场的20%。同时发光二极管（LED）模组在视频墙中的应用也越来越受欢迎。
Displays have become commodities today, with low profit margins for those selling them, but these can be made up for through the sale of peripherals and add-ons. There are many products, for example, designed for mounting screens and projectors to walls, from ceilings or in stand-alone kiosks. The addition of mounts, along with enclosures (for outdoor applications), power conditioning and extended warranties can turn a low-margin flat-panel display into a profitable system.
显示屏如今已经成为供应商的低利润商品，但是这些损失的利润可以通过销售外围设备和附件来做弥补。这些产品设备有很多种，例如，用于将屏幕和投影仪安装到墙壁上的设备，包括安装到天花板上或单独的亭位上。底座、附件（用于户外应用）、电源适配器和延长的保修期，可以将低利润的平板显示屏转变成高利润的系统。
Media players are devices dedicated to storing content and bringing it to the screens. They may be stand-alone personal computers (PCs) or boxes that attach to the back of a display. In some cases, they are built into the displays; these are often referred to as system-on-a-chip (SoC) players.
媒体播放器是专门用于存储内容并将其传送给屏幕的设备。它们可能是单独的个人电脑（PCs），或者是依附于显示屏背面的盒子。在某些情况下，它们被安装在显示屏内部；这些通常指的是片上系统（SoC）播放器。
Software also resides on a PC server for the management and distribution of content. Cables and connectors, which allow displays, media players and servers to communicate with each other, are another category of profitable peripherals.
软件通常驻留在PC服务器端，来实现内容的管理和分配。电缆和连接器可以实现显示屏、媒体播放器和服务器之间的相互通信，是另外一种高利润的外围设备。
Beyond these items, however, the real profits in digital signage are in the design, integration and recurring revenues from content creation, software updates, service and maintenance. The time invested in the client's needs analysis to discover the objectives of the project is a tangible value and a price must be charged.
然而，除了这些设备之外，数字标牌的真正利润都来自内容创作、软件更新、服务和维护方面的收益。在客户需求分析方面花费时间来确定项目目标，是一种有形价值，并且必须被定价。
Content is the driving force of digital signage, just as with static signage. The production and refreshing of animated graphics—supplemented by data feeds, such as weather forecasts, news headlines or sports scores—is the most profitable part of the business.
内容是数字标牌发展的驱动力，就像静态标识的内容一样。动态图像的制作和更新是该业务中最有利可图的部分，可以通过数据反馈的形式进行补充，例如天气预报、新闻头条或运动赛事。
The necessity of regular service and maintenance cannot be overstated. A digital signage network needs to be checked regularly to provide maximum uptime. Displays need to be calibrated to ensure colours and contrast levels match the source content. A service contract with the client will help reduce risks before they become problems.
不要过分强调定期服务和维护的必要性。数字标牌的网络连接需要定期检查，以确保提供最长的运行时间。显示屏需要经过校准，以确保颜色和对比度水平与源码内容相匹配。与客户达成服务协议将有助于在出现问题之前降低风险。
Partnerships and risk abatement
伙伴关系和风险规避
Most dedicated digital signage companies, let alone most traditional sign shops, do not have mastery over all of the elements of the medium. Instead, they need to look to partners—not just vendors—who can supply the knowledge and experience they lack.
大多数专门从事数字标牌的企业尚且没有掌握媒介的所有要素，更不要说绝大多数的传统标识商铺了。相反地，他们不仅需要寻求供应商，还要寻求合作伙伴，可以提供他们所欠缺的知识和经验。
Digital signage system design and content development are two of the most commonly outsourced tasks. While many sign shops handle content creation as one of their core activities, there are instances where outsourcing it makes more sense. Some third-party companies focus only on developing video content, for example, on a project-by-project basis.
数字标牌系统的设计和内容的发展是两个最常见的外包业务。尽管许多标识商铺将内容创建作为其核心业务之一，但在某些情况下，外包会更有意义。一些第三方企业只专注于开发视频内容，例如，基于单个项目的实施。
Logistics and installation are also often outsourced on a regional basis. If a shop lands a digital signage deployment project outside its usual coverage area, it can be highly beneficial to have someone else get the components on-site, install them and manage logistics. There are specialized service providers of this type that do not compete with sign shops.
后勤和安装通常也是以地域为基准进行外包的。如果标识商铺将数字标牌安置在陌生的环境中，那么对某个将所有组件运到现场，将其安装好并做出适当后勤管理的企业是很有益处的。这种类型的专业服务供应商不会成为标识商铺的竞争对手。
Most hardware manufacturers and software developers sell their products for digital signage through distributors. It is worthwhile to work with a distributor that provides value-added support, rather than simply reselling products.
大多数硬件制作商和软件开发商都是通过经销商将产品卖给数字标牌供应商的。与经销商合作是一件值得做的事，它可以提供增值服务，而不是简单的转售产品。
Content management system (CMS) software is key to any digital signage network and one size does not fit all. The nature of the application will determine what level of CMS is needed, whether simple or complex.
内容管理系统（CMS）软件是所有数字标牌网络连接的关键，且一种规格并不适用于所有的数字标牌。CMS级别是由应用程序的性质决定的，无论是简单的还是复杂的。
As for the digital displays themselves, all distributors of major brands should provide strong warranties and after-sale service.
至于数字显示屏本身，所有主要品牌经销商都应该提供严谨的保修条款和售后服务。
Positioning and promoting services
定位和推广服务
The addition of digital signage can make a sign shop more profitable and help it retain existing customers. As with static signage, there are many vertical markets to choose from and each has its own unique applications and challenges.
数字标牌业务的扩增能够为标识商铺创造更大的利润，同时有助于挽留现有客户。与静态标识一样，数字标牌有许多可以选择的纵向市场，并且每个市场都有其独特的应用和挑战。
After looking at opportunities from the perspectives of these customers and developing a better understanding of their overall signage needs, it is important to actively invest in positioning and promoting the shop to the selected vertical markets. Digital signage providers need to differentiate themselves by offering full turnkey systems, rather than just stand-alone products. Success in this context involves not only forming new, meaningful partnerships with outside specialists, but also helping customers better understand the value of digital signage with measurable ROI. If done properly, all of this will add to the bottom line of nearly any sign shop.
从客户的角度来看待这些机遇，并对他们的整体标识需求有更深入的理解之后，在商铺选择的纵向市场中积极地进行定位和推广投资。数字标牌供应商需要通过提供完整的系统，来区别于其他供应商，而不只是提供单独的产品。要想在数字标牌领域取得成功，不仅要与外部专家形成新的意义深远的伙伴关系，还要帮助客户更好地理解数字标牌投资回报的价值。如果操作得当，所有提到的这些因素会对所有标识商铺的业务底线产生影响。
