An organisation might invest in a digital signage content management system (CMS) expecting screen updates to become more straightforward. Six months on, those screens are showing expired promotions, approvals are stuck with head office, and venue teams are sending slides to already overworked marketing teams.
This isn’t a software problem. In fact, the software is probably working perfectly. The problem is that digital signage content involves more than publishing files. A CMS might make it easier to manage how content reaches your screens, but it doesn’t manage everything else around it.
The difference between a digital signage content management system and a managed service is that a CMS provides the tools for publishing content. A managed service provides the people and processes needed to create, approve, schedule, and maintain it.
What does a digital signage CMS do?
A CMS is software used to organise, schedule, publish and control content across one or more screens. Depending on the platform, this might allow users to:
- Upload images, videos, animations, and templates
- Build playlists
- Schedule content by time or location
- Manage user permissions
- Publish remotely
- Monitor screens and media players
These are all valuable capabilities. However, a CMS requires the people with the right skills (and time) to manage the content. Someone still needs to decide which sites should show which content, what the schedules should be, which templates should be used, and who approves the content.
This means there’s still work to be done in-house to manage that content. Most CMS platforms will not:
- Decide the purpose of each screen
- Write effective screen copy
- Design or animate campaign assets
- Adapt content for different screen sizes
- Chase information and approvals
- Check offers against stock or event changes
- Prepare fallback content
- Review whether the message produced the intended action
Easy-to-use digital signage software can reduce publishing time, but you’ll still need a dedicated person (or team) to manage the content.
What is a managed content service?
With a managed content service, these operational tasks are coordinated on your behalf through a CMS. This often includes creating templates and assets, implementing schedules, making fast changes, and checking that expired content has been removed.
The level of responsibility you hand over will depend on your in-house resources. Your organisation still owns messaging, commercial priorities, and final approval. The benefit of this is that you maintain oversight while leaning on the knowledge of experienced content managers.
Many organisations use a hybrid model, retaining control of strategy and approvals while a specialist partner handles production, scheduling, and urgent updates. This gives you the best of both worlds, allowing you to handle the bigger picture elements of your digital screen content.
When is a managed service worth considering?
If you’ve been using a CMS but promotions are still launching late, and assets don’t fit brand guidelines across sites, it could be time to consider a managed service. Without timely promotions and content that informs, converts, or guides visitors, your digital screens won’t be working effectively.
Think about how much time your team is spending on these manual tasks:
- Resizing assets
- Changing on-screen promotions daily (between lunch and dinner, for example)
- Following up for sign-off
- Taking down expired promotions
- Tweaking assets for different locations
- Creating content from scratch
- Making last-minute changes when something sells out
This all adds up. A managed content service will free up your in-house staff while also making your screens more effective.
For small venues with only a handful of screens and slides, a single person or small team may be able to handle manual CMS updates. However, if you have a more complex estate with multiple screens, a managed content service will help you drive more value from each screen.
Choose your content model as carefully as the CMS
The right CMS will streamline how you upload and publish content, but that software alone cannot keep your screens current or useful. Before deciding whether to manage content internally or use external support, assess the in-house resources you have available to create, approve, publish, and maintain your screens.
If you already have a digital signage platform and struggle to keep the content moving, Digital Screen Services can work with your existing set-up to create, schedule, and manage your content without adding another system.
Get in touch to discuss a more effective way to manage your screens.