8 Apps and Widgets to Use with Digital Signages
There are several reasons why digital signages have become a universal medium of communication for both businesses, and organizations. They are dynamic, flexible, cost-effective, offer exceptional reach, and can deliver a wide variety of content. But there’s one more reason why more and more organizations are turning to digital signages as an important pillar of their communication strategy. They are engaging. With the right apps and widgets, digital signages can offer contextual information, and receive viewer feedback.
Marketing is no more a one-way conversation. With brands and organizations vying for consumers’ attention, communication has to be unique and add value to the lives of the audience. It should also welcome consumers to be part of the process. In that sense, marketing has evolved to be an invitation to join the journey. Digital signages with apps and widgets go a long way in doing just that. Beyond displaying images and videos, they offer businesses the power to be interactive through a varied form a content that delivers immediate value to the viewers. In that regard, here are 8 apps and widgets on Easy Signage that you can use to amplify your communication and make it more effective.
Apps and Widgets for Digital Signages and How to Install Them
1. Weather and Forecast Apps
These offer relevant and highly useful information to the viewers. To install them, open the management console and go to playlists. Then, create a new playlist and choose a layout. Click on a layer and choose weather apps. Enter the location and choose from the options provided by Google. The preview will be static but once you publish, the real weather update will be displayed on your signages. Repeat the same steps for forecast but choose it instead of the weather app.
2. Date, Time, and Countdown Apps
Head to playlists in the management console and create a new playlist or open an existing one. On the ‘add new’ dialog, click on date and time apps. You can choose a digital clock with 12 or 24-hour format and then add the countdown app. You can also add date and time apps in the vertical playlist. Date and time apps don’t need any setup. For setting up the countdown app, click on edit. The countdown text is the title of your countdown. The countdown message is the one that appears when the countdown ends. Now you can choose the time and date you want your countdown to end. If you want it in weeks, click on the checkbox and if you don’t want, keep it unchecked. Click on save and you have your countdown app ready.
3. Follow Us on Social Media with a QR Code Generator
It’s always an excellent idea to get more followers on your social media channels and digital signages give the perfect venue for that process. In fact, this is one of the most common themes across digital signages, To add a ‘Follow us’ app, from the management console, open a playlist. Then click on the layer you want to add ‘Follow us’ to. Click on follow us and choose from Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. On the social media you choose, enter the account name you want people to follow you on, and check the QR code box. Finally, click on save. This will generate the app with the QR code that will direct people to your social media channel.
4. RSS, Twitter, and Custom Tickers
To add an RSS ticker, create a new playlist. Choose a layout with the ticker layer. Then click on the ticker layer and add text ticker. Now get the RSS feed’s URL you want to add, click on the RSS ticker and paste the URL. You control the number of stories you want to display, the speed of the ticker, and its direction. Click save and your RSS ticker is ready.
To add a Twitter ticker, create a new playlist, choose a layout with the ticker layer, and click on text tickers. Then click on the Twitter ticker and enter the account you want to use. You can control the number of tweets, the speed of the ticker, and the ticker direction. Click save, and your Twitter ticker is ready for your display.
For a custom ticker, create a new playlist, choose a layout with the ticker layer. Once you click on it, choose text ticker, and then click on custom ticker. Click on the edit button and add the text you want. If you want to add more text, click on the + button. Once finished, click on done, and then choose the text and background color for your ticker. You can also add a digital clock, and adjust the speed and direction of the ticker. Once you are done, save it, and assign the playlist to your display, and click on publish.
5. Embedded HTML
To add embedded HTML, go to the playlists page, and create a new playlist. Click on the playlist, and then on the desired layer. Click on web, and choose embedded HTML. Then either write your HTML code or paste it here. Once you click on save, a preview of the code will appear. Click on edit to modify, or save it.
6. Google Slides, Docs, Sheets
Digital signages are also an opportunity to share more detailed and professional content, like Google Slides, Docs, and Sheets with your audiences. Open the Google Slide you want to add and click on publish to web. Choose the embed tab, then change the slide size to fit your screen, ideally, 1920 x 1080. Make sure that you check the appropriate boxes to start the slideshow when the player loads, and to repeat the slide once it’s done. Choose your preferred duration for each slide, and then click on publish. Copy the code and go to the management console.
Go to the playlists page and create a new playlist. Click on the playlist, add a layout, and then click on the desired layer. Click on web, choose embedded HTML, and paste the Google Slide embedded code in it. Click save, assign it to display, and publish your content. Choose the same procedure to add Google Docs and Sheets.
7. Websites
The one thing no digital signage should be without is your website. This is an easy, and effective way to get traffic to your site, that too to the content-centric sections. For example, if you want people to find out more details about a particular product, you could link to that particular page. Websites will be loaded to the display, so you have to ensure that there is an uninterrupted internet connection.
Then, open the management console and create a new playlist. Click on the layer you want to add the website to, click on web, and enter the website URL. Click on save and wait for the website to load. Once you get the preview, you can edit the duration the website will be shown.
8. Twitter App
To add the Twitter app, add a new playlist, choose a layout, and then click on one of the layers. Click on Twitter, enter the account, choose the number of tweets you want to be displayed, and click on save. Check the preview of the tweets, and go back to exit from the layer and the layout. On the displays page, click on set media source to choose the display. Choose the playlist and then publish it.
Apps make digital signage richer with content and save a lot of time required to create content. EasySignage provides apps for different layer sizes where you can mix them with images and videos in one playlist.
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