How Capacity Planning Keeps Your Products Stocked and Customers Happy

optimoroute.com

In an ever-changing world, it might feel like you need a crystal ball to plan for your company’s future. How could you know how much product you’ll need to order in three months, six months, or a year if orders haven’t come in yet? How do you adapt to evolving customer expectations? Or scale your business fast to avoid stock-outs if a surge of orders comes in?

The answers to these questions are simpler than you might think. Successful businesses of all types use capacity planning to answer similar questions every day.

What Is Capacity Planning?

Capacity planning is the practice of planning production and workforce needs to make sure your supply chain is equipped to meet demand. Capacity planning lets businesses know how and when to scale, helps identify bottlenecks, and mitigates risk.

The 3 Types of Capacity Planning

The three types of capacity planning make sure you have enough, but not too much, of three major resources for both the long- and short-term. You’ll want to plan weeks, months, or even a year in advance.

1. Product capacity planning

Product capacity planning ensures you have enough products or ingredients for your deliverables. For a florist, this would be flowers, vases, and cards. For a pool maintenance company, this would be things like chlorine that are required to do the job.

2. Workforce capacity planning

Workforce capacity planning ensures you have enough team members and work hours available to complete jobs. This type of planning will also show you when you need to hire more employees and help you determine how far in advance you need to start recruiting based on the length of your onboarding process.

3. Tool capacity planning

Tool capacity planning ensures you have enough tools to complete jobs. This includes any trucks, assembly line components, or machinery you need to manufacture and deliver your product.

How to Start Capacity Planning

There are three basic steps to capacity planning.

1. Measure

First, you’ll need to measure the capacity of your resources. How many deliveries can each of your drivers make in a given period? How many orders can fit onto each of your trucks? How many hours does it take your fleet manager to plan 50 deliveries? It’s important to answer these types of questions as accurately as possible because the rest of your plan will be based on these numbers.

2. Analyze

Once you have accurate measurements, you can spend time analyzing this information. Making graphs will help you understand the numbers and make demand forecasting easier.

3. Formulate

The final step is taking all of the information you’ve gathered and formulating a plan. You can make calculations to see how much it will cost to fund new projects or hire a full-time employee vs. bringing on seasonal part-time workers. You could also calculate the ROI for upgrading a piece of machinery or adding assembly lines to your production facilities. The formulation stage helps you see what the likely outcomes are for various options, so you can make the best decision.

How Is Capacity Planning Different From Resource Planning?

Resource and capacity planning sometimes get confused with one another, but they are different things – and you need both. Capacity planning is more high level and helps you determine what and how many resources you need to meet demand. Resource planning takes the number of resources available (as determined by your capacity planning) and allocates them to individual projects.

For example, let’s say you run a flower shop like The Little Posy Co., and Valentine’s Day is your busiest time of the year. You would use capacity planning to determine if you need to hire more employees, bring on seasonal workers, or increase your stock of flowers before February 14. Once you’ve determined how many workers and how much stock you’ll have in February, you would use resource planning to allocate those resources. So, if most of your demand is for vases of red and pink posies, you could allocate the largest portion of your resources to creating those floral arrangements.

The Benefits of Capacity Planning for Modern Business

Capacity planning helps you deliver on the things that are important to your customers. Incorporating this type of strategic planning into your process will help you meet due dates, effectively scale your business, and increase your bottom line.

 ☑ Reduces stock-outs

Customers don’t like to wait, and if they don’t have to, they won’t. The internet has made it easy for consumers to find products somewhere else if you’re out of stock, so you need to reduce stock-outs if you want to minimize customer churn.

In 2004, the Harvard Business Review published the results of a global study where they assessed the behaviors of more than 71,000 customers faced with stock-outs. Depending on the retail category, 21% to 43% of consumers went to another store to purchase an item if it was out of stock. You could lose a third of your potential sales for an item if it’s out of stock and, worse yet, that customer may never come back.

Capacity planning can help you avoid stock-outs, and the more you do it, the better you will understand your unique demand. The capacity planning process will help you see how demand fluctuates during different seasons (such as holidays) or how it is affected by events (like kids going back to school). You’ll be able to use this insight as a guide for overall decision making and supply chain management. 

☑ Increases delivery capacity

McKinsey and Company published a 104-page compendium that illustrates the importance of delivery capacity. Shoppers not only want to be able to have products and food delivered to their door; they want quick turnaround times, which means your delivery process needs to be operating at maximum efficiency. McKinsey’s report explains that e-commerce has made up more than 40% of retail sales growth in the United States since 2016, and it isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.

As online sales grow ever more popular, delivery capacity is becoming an essential component for many businesses. In another global consumer study conducted by Oracle Retail, 92% of retail shoppers said they would like or love “free one-day delivery by whatever means is most expedient.” Capacity planning ensures you have the workers available to deliver products whenever needed, keeping your business competitive.

 ☑ Identifies process inefficiencies

When you start capacity planning, you have to ask, “what is the maximum capacity of this resource?” Whether you’re looking at people, equipment, or products, you’ll gain insight into what factors limit capacity, and you’ll be able to easily spot bottlenecks that can be fixed or improved.

For example, let’s say you run a delivery business. Capacity planning reveals that the amount of time it takes your fleet manager to plan routes is preventing your business from being able to take on more deliveries. You realize that even though you have the trucks, drivers, and products to deliver more orders, your fleet manager requires a lot of lead time in order to effectively plan routes for new orders. You could use this insight to replace your manual planning system with route optimization software. In fact, one of our clients doubled their scheduling capacity by doing just that.

Southern Star is in charge of transporting natural gas to seven states in the U.S. In a single week, Southern Star’s 250 technicians can perform up to 2,500 maintenance activities on pipelines that span 5,800 miles. Capacity planning helped Southern Star spot inefficiencies in their scheduling process. As a result, they started using OptimoRoute, and now they are able to fit 100% more tasks into pipeline maintenance and service schedules.

☑ Facilitates risk management

At its core, capacity planning is a roadmap for your business. Both short- and long-term capacity planning help businesses understand their strengths, weaknesses, and limitations. You’ll be able to make informed decisions about how fast you should scale your business, when is the best time to launch a new product, and when you need to hire new employees.

Capacity planning will better prepare you to overcome obstacles, too. No matter how much planning you do, you’ll still need to be able to respond quickly when unexpected challenges arise. If your supplier suddenly goes out of business or three of your 10 drivers come down with the flu, you’ll need to have high-level plans in place to use as a guide, so you can make smart adjustments quickly. 

This article originally appeared on optimoroute.com.

5 Types of Corporate Culture: Which One Is Your Company?

Culture affects every aspect of your company, from the public’s perception of your brand to your employees’ job satisfaction to your bottom line. Because there’s so much at stake, it’s important that your corporate culture is adaptable and open to improvement – which starts with being able to articulate just what kind of culture your company has.

While no two cultures are exactly alike (the nuances are too great!), there are defining characteristics that tend to place organizational cultures into one of five categories, or types, which we’ve outlined below. Often, the industry of a company will dictate its culture to some degree, but that doesn’t mean your culture can’t be changed. Thankfully, culture is not static, but rather evolving.

So which of these five corporate culture types sums up your company best? Or do you have some elements of each? While no one culture is the best or worst of the bunch – each has its pros and cons – there’s something to learn from companies that fall under any of these categories.

1. Team-first Corporate Culture

aka “the comrade”

Team-oriented companies hire for culture fit first, skills and experience second.

A company with a team-first corporate culture makes employees’ happiness its top priority. Frequent team outings, opportunities to provide meaningful feedback, and flexibility to accommodate employees’ family lives are common markers of a team-first culture. Netflix is a great example – their recent decision to offer unlimited family leave gives employees the autonomy to decide what’s right for them.

Team-oriented companies hire for culture fit first, skills and experience second. Why? Because they know happy employees make for happier customers. It’s a great culture for any customer service-focused company to embody, because employees are more likely to be satisfied with their work and eager to show their gratitude by going the extra mile for customers.

Zappos is famous for its fun and nurturing culture, as well as its stellar customer service. As their CEO once famously said, “Zappos is a customer service company that just happens to sell shoes.” And the way they keep employees satisfied with their job is by not only letting them express themselves with whacky desk decor (which everyone loves), but by giving employees the autonomy to help customers the way they see fit, rather than following strict guidelines and scripts. Customers appreciate the straightforward, personable service.

Possible pitfalls: The larger the company, the more difficult it is to maintain this type of culture. That’s why having a team member dedicated to cultivating culture is a great strategy for any company.

You may have a team-first culture if:

• Employees are friends with people in other departments
• Your team regularly socializes outside of work
• You receive thoughtful feedback from employees in surveys
• People take pride in their workstations

2. Elite Corporate Culture

aka “the athlete”

Companies with elite cultures are often out to change the world by untested means.

An elite corporate culture hires only the best because it’s always pushing the envelope and needs employees to not merely keep up, but lead the way (think Google). Innovative and sometimes daring, companies with an elite culture hire confident, capable, competitive candidates. The result? Fast growth and making big splashes in the market.

Companies with elite cultures are often out to change the world by untested means. Their customers are often other businesses that need their products to remain relevant and capable in a new environment—one often of the elite-cultured company’s creation. (That’s how trailblazing we’re talking.)

SpaceX is a high-profile example of an innovative (and relatively young) company doing big things in aerospace manufacturing and space transport. Employees report feeling elated to literally launch rockets, but expectations are extremely high and 60 to 70-hour work weeks are the norm. Still, knowing that they’re doing meaningful, history-making work keeps most employees motivated.

Possible pitfalls: Such intensity can lead to competition between employees and people feeling pressure to always be on. Perks like team outings, peer recognition programs and health initiatives can combat this.

You may have an elite culture if:

• Employees aren’t afraid to question things that could be improved
• Employees make work their top priority, often working long hours
• Your top talent moves up the ranks quickly
• You have many highly qualified job applicants to choose from

3. Horizontal Corporate Culture

aka “the free spirit”

Titles don’t mean much in horizontal cultures.

Horizontal corporate culture is common among startups because it makes for a collaborative, everyone-pitch-in mindset. These typically younger companies have a product or service they’re striving to provide, yet are more flexible and able to change based on market research or customer feedback. Though a smaller team size might limit their customer service capabilities, they do whatever they can to keep the customer happy—their success depends on it.

Titles don’t mean much in horizontal cultures, where communication between the CEO and office assistant typically happens through conversations across their desks to one another rather than email or memos. This is the experimental phase, where risks are necessary and every hire must count.

Basecamp is the perfect example of a successful company that maintains a startup-like mindset. Originally founded as 37Signals, Basecamp announced last year that it would focus exclusively on its most popular product and maintain its relative small size rather than grow into something much bigger and broader.

Possible pitfalls: Horizontal cultures can suffer from a lack of direction and accountability. Try to encourage collaboration while still maintaining clearly defined goals and a knowledge of who’s primarily responsible for what. Horizontal structure shouldn’t mean no structure.

You may have a horizontal culture if:

• Teammates discuss new product ideas in the break room
• Everybody does a little bit of everything
• The CEO makes his or her own coffee
• You still have to prove your product’s worth to critics

4. Conventional Corporate Culture

aka “the traditionalist”

Traditional companies have clearly defined hierarchies and are still grappling with the learning curve for communicating through new mediums.

Companies where a tie and/or slacks are expected are, most likely, of the conventional sort. In fact, any dress code at all is indicative of a more traditional culture, as are a numbers-focused approach and risk-averse decision making. Your local bank or car dealership likely embodies these traits. The customer, while crucial, is not necessarily always right—the bottom line takes precedence.

But in recent years, these companies have seen a major shift in how they operate. That’s a direct result of the digital age, which has brought about new forms of communication through social media and software as a service (SaaS). Today, traditional companies still have clearly defined hierarchies, yet many are grappling with the learning curve for communicating through new mediums that can blur those lines. Facing this challenge can be a big opportunity for learning and growth, as long as it’s not resisted by management. While new office technology is often low on management’s list of concerns, more traditional companies are starting to experiment with it as more millennials enter higher-up positions.

Founded in 1892, GE is about as traditional as they come and is well-known for its cut-and-dry management practices. Just recently, however, it eliminated its traditional performance review in favor of more frequent conversations between management and employees and is even launching an app to help facilitate feedback. It’s the perfect example of an old-school company embracing technology and change.

Possible pitfalls: This very cut-and-dry approach leaves little room for inspiration or experimentation, which can result in a lack of passion or resentment from employees for being micromanaged. Getting employees to understand the company’s larger mission—and putting more trust in employees to work toward it—can combat that.

You may have a conventional culture if:

• There are strict guidelines for most departments and roles
• People in different departments generally don’t interact
• Major decisions are left up to the CEO
• Your company corners the market

5. Progressive Corporate Culture

aka “the nomad”

Uncertainty is the definitive trait of a transitional culture, because employees often don’t know what to expect next.

Mergers, acquisitions or sudden changes in the market can all contribute to a progressive culture. Uncertainty is the definitive trait of a progressive culture, because employees often don’t know what to expect next (see almost every newspaper or magazine ever). “Customers” are often separate from the company’s audience, because these companies usually have investors or advertisers to answer to.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. A major transition can also be a great chance to get clear on the company’s shifted goals or mission and answer employees’ most pressing questions. Managing expectations and addressing rumors that pop up through constant communication are the best things a company can do to prevent employees from fleeing or cowering. Change can be scary, but it can also be good, and smart employees know this. They embrace change and see it as an opportunity to make improvements and try out new ideas. And hopefully, they rally their colleagues to get on board.

LinkedIn’s $1.5 billion acquisition of Lynda.com is one recent example of companies in transition. Ultimately, it’s a match that makes sense—the companies’ goals are in alignment with one another, and LinkedIn’s users benefit from the partnership. LinkedIn still has a lot to prove to its stockholders (their shares fell after the company attributed its annual revenue forecast to the acquisition), and it recently reorganized its sales team and changed its advertising methods. But by being straightforward and showing how these changes will ultimately lead to greater benefits, both LinkedIn and Lynda.com can thrive.

Possible pitfalls: Progressive culture can instill fear in employees for obvious reasons. Any change in management or ownership—even if it’s a good thing for the company—isn’t always seen as a good thing. Communication is crucial in easing these fears. It’s also a good opportunity to hear feedback and concerns from employees and keep top talent engaged.

You may have a progressive culture if:

• Employees talk openly about the competition and possible buyouts
• Your company has a high turnover rate
• Most of your funds come from advertisers, grants or donations
• Changes in the market are impacting your revenue

So which type of corporate culture does your company identify with most? Or does it have characteristics from a couple different types? Either way, taking the elements of each that work best for your company are a good bet, and if something doesn’t align with your company’s goals, leave it. Your culture isn’t merely passive, and with effort, it can be modified to suit your team.

Check out our 37 Company Culture Quotes for some more inspiration for your organization.

This article was originally published at Enplug.com

Related article: kind of culture your company has

27 Digital Signage Content Creation Tools

blog.enplug.com

Get noticed with the right digital signage content creation tools

Digital signage content can help you get your message out, but it only has an impact on your business and team if it’s relevant and compelling. Luckily, turning your content strategy into memorable visuals that get noticed doesn’t have to cost a lot or take hours of time.

Want to know the secret to creating great content, even if you don’t have a graphic designer on staff? Use the right tools. That’s why our list of 27 digital signage content creation tools is a must-have for anyone managing screen content. 

Types of Signage Content

You probably already have some of these content tools, but have never thought of using them for screen content. Others are free and low-cost applications that take the headache out of creating original content like videos, graphics, web pages, analytics and social media. And others help you repurpose the content you use elsewhere to share it in a screen-friendly format.

Static & Dynamic Brand Content

Whether you start from scratch, use templates included with your software, or prefer online image and video editing tools, it’s easy to create a sign that captures your message. Static content like graphics and videos do not change after they are uploaded to your displays. Dynamic content automatically changes based on factors like time, weather and location.

Curated & Aggregated Content

Creating new content exclusively for a TV screen doesn’t have to be time-consuming. And yet, communicators know that curating existing content leads to a higher return on investment. The latest digital signage integrations make it easy to display content from social media feeds, websites and more.

Interactive & User-Generated Content

Screen content should capture the attention of your audience. So why not involve them in the content creation process? Interactive content changes based on user input to deliver highly relevant messaging. User-generated content is created and submitted by your audience.

Image Creation & Editing Tools

Turn any idea into an attractive sign with tools that can tweak images, add text and more.

1. Canva

Export your Canva designs to share them on TV screens around your business.

Canva is an intuitive web-based tool that you can use to design for all of your marketing needs. Part of the reason it’s so popular is that anyone can use it. Use our Canva Tutorial to get started with ads, flyers and social media posts. Depending on the size and orientation of your TV screens, you can set the aspect ratios to fit 1920×1080 for landscape and 1080×1920 for portrait.

2. VSCO for iPhone and Android

Use VSCO to edit photos for your displays.

VSCO is a powerful mobile app you can use to easily edit photos for professional quality images. The filters in VSCO are much more natural than other editing apps which makes them perfect for digital signage content creation and give you more control over the manipulation of your photos. Export your edited photo from VSCO to upload it to your digital signage platform.

3. Adobe Photoshop

Whether you take your own photos, hire a professional, or use stock images, you’ll want to make sure they look right for your brand. Photoshop is an advanced tool that will let you do everything from remove objects in a photo, to change out the background color of an image.

If you don’t already have this program and you want to invest in it, you can purchase the Adobe Creative Cloud photography plan for $9.99 a month. With Photoshop, you can export your work in any number of signage-friendly formats.

4. Pixlr

Pixlr is a free web-based platform that offers similar features to Photoshop. You can download the mobile app to directly edit photos you take for your digital signage. 

5. Place It

Try Place It for easy mockup creation

Showing potential customers what it will look like when they use your product helps them envision its use and is an effective psychological marketing tactic. Place It, a stock image platform that allows you to easily drop your business images into devices like iPads, iPhones, and Mac screens in stock images, lets you do just that. Export your images and use them in your digital signage.

Bonus Tool: Stock Photo Sites

Find beautiful images on Unsplash, a free stock photography site

Sourcing photos can require extra time, but using stock photos is an affordable (or even free) alternative to taking your own or hiring a professional. When you purchase a stock image, you gain the license rights to original professional photography. You can also take advantage of straightforward free Creative Commons licensing. Just be sure to check the attribution terms.

Paid stock image websites:

• iStock
• Adobe Stock
• Shutterstock

Free stock image websites:

• Unsplash
• Burst
• Pixabay

Presentation & Chart Tools

6. Powerpoint

Try Powerpoint if you’re already familiar with the software

If you prefer the simplicity of classic Microsoft tools, Powerpoint will let you create designs in a setting you’re most likely familiar with. Export a single static slide as a JPEG or PNG. To show off text transitions and embedded content, export your slides as video files.

7. Google Slides

Google’s free cloud-based presentation maker is an easy way to create content. For example, build digital menu boards, graphics to announce special promotions, or signs that celebrate a team member who has gone above and aboard. With the same functionality as Powerpoint, you can download the slides from Google Slides to share them on your TV screens.

8. Prezi

Move seamlessly from one presentation element to the next with Prezi

You can get much more creative with Prezi, an alternative tool to Powerpoint and Google Slides. Working in one large canvas in Prezi allows you to pan and zoom. Zoom in on each detail and add emphasis to points in your presentation. 

When you’re finished designing, share your Prezi masterpiece via a link that can be uploaded to your digital signage.

9. Venngage

Visualize your data with Venngage

Venngage is a popular option that helps anyone visualize and share their data in a beautiful way. With a built-in brand kit, it’s even easy to make sure all your designs are consistent. The free option gives you access to many of the tool’s key features, but if you want to change the size of your design or other advanced options, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan.

10. Visme

Turn your data into presentations with Visme

Similar to Venngage, Visme offers a solution for transforming data into compelling presentations. According to the product’s documentation it distinguishes itself from the competition with even more templates and advanced features like animation.

11. Google Drawings

A free Chrome add-on, Google Drawings makes it easy to create charts and diagrams to display on your digital signage. You can use these in conjunction with any data tools you use to communicate metrics to your employees. Plus, the flow charts and graphs can be easily inserted into other documents or embedded into a website.

12. Piktochart

Create attractive infographics with Piktochart

Piktochart makes it easy for content creators with limited design skills to create compelling infographics, charts, maps and more from their data. To get started all you need to do is upload your data, then choose from the many customization options. Export your design to share your final product.

Video Creation & Editing Tools

Video is a powerful format for digital signage, but creating it doesn’t have to be complicated. These tools will let you edit and export videos for upload to your digital signage platform.

13. iMovie/Windows Movie Maker

Whether you have a Mac or a PC, your computer likely came equipped with a video editing tool that you can use to make simple videos. Add text, logos and even retouch the color on your footage with these tools. 

14. WeVideo

Collaborate with your team on video projects using WeVideo

WeVideo is a cloud-based software that lets you collaborate with your team on video projects. You can shoot, upload and edit videos from anywhere and your entire team can access the files during all stages of your project.

15. Magisto

Use Magisto’s video templates and more for easy video content creation

If video editing seems like too much work, think about using a tool like Magisto. All you have to do is upload your footage. Magisto’s software then runs a visual analysis to detect facial expressions, speech, and camera motion. After automatically sourcing all of the engaging points in your footage, Magisto asks you to choose an editing style and automatically brings your brand story to life.

16. Biteable

Search Biteable’s library of stock footage and music to bring your content idea to life

If you don’t know where to start, Biteable puts a variety of video templates organized by use case at your fingertips. From colors to text, there are tons of customization options that are easy to navigate in a step-by-step builder. Plus, Biteable includes a library of stock footage and music so you don’t have to leave the app to find the right elements for your video.

17. DaVinci Resolve

Use DaVinci Resolve 16 for motion graphics and advanced features

If you’re looking for a video tool that’s more powerful, check out DaVinci Resolve. This non-linear editing (NLE) software lets you edit video offline, so the original content isn’t modified. While there’s a bit of learning curve with some advanced features, overall the interface for editing functions is very intuitive. And it’s rare to find such powerful editing software that offers free versions for Mac, Windows and Linux.

Live & Dynamic Content Feeds

Signage apps offer powerful integrations that make almost any digital signage idea a possibility.

18. Social Media Aggregators

Repurpose your Instagram and other social media posts as digital signage content

Social media is free word-of-mouth marketing for your brand. Better yet, it’s content that always stays up to date. Use a social media aggregator like Tint or Enplug’s Social Media Collage App to show the latest social media posts on displays in your offices or stores. 

19. Web pages

Share anything from Salesforce data to a cryptocurrency tracker with web page apps

Many digital signage solutions can display web pages in fullscreen. Think bigger than just displaying your homepage: You can use web pages as an exciting alternative to static digital signage graphics. Display a website to pull in real-time waitlists, polls, spreadsheets and dashboards. 

20. Live Streaming

If your digital signage platform includes a live-streaming functionality, you can show live video on your displays. This is a great way to broadcast important events, share announcements, or show feeds from conferences or sermons. 

21. Analytics & Dashboards

Share real-time metrics and information with your employees

As more companies become data-driven, digital signage is a powerful tool HR directors and business managers can use to increase productivity and motivation. Use a native app or web url to display content like key performance metrics, Google Analytics and Salesforce data to keep your team informed and focused on goals.

Bonus Tool: Dashboards

• Geckoboard: connects to all your data sources (e.g. Salesforce, Zendesk, Basecamp, Excel) and displays your most important metrics. See our tutorial on how to do this here.
• Google Sheets: use the free Google Sheets as a digital signage content creation tool for graphs of your most important data and metrics. See how you can create automatically updated graphs like this here.

22. News Feeds

Curate news that’s relevant to your business

Keep your customers engaged and your employees informed on breaking news. Source relevant industry blogs like Wired, The Wall Street Journal or ESPN and stream their RSS feeds to your displays.

Use an RSS-to-HTML tool to show the latest news as a web page and stream it to your screens, or use Enplug’s built-in News App.

23. Weather

Weather content not only can be automated but also is useful to your audience

Nothing beats weather for a conversation starter. It’s also content that as we your employees and guests check at least once a day. Display the current forecast from anywhere in the world and give your guests a look into next week’s conditions as well.

Many digital signage solutions like Enplug offer a built-in Weather app or scrolling weather feed. You can also use a web url to display a weather website for your location.

Interactive & User-Generated Content Tools

24. Dynamic Interactive Videos

Wirewax’s YouTube page has exciting examples of interactive video content

Although these require a touch screen enabled display and compatible software, interactive videos are popular marketing tools. Give the viewer control over what happens in the video and show how the action unfolds from their perspective. It’s an innovative way to engage your audience with your brand storyline while showing off your products. 

Bonus Tool: Interactive Video

• Wirewax
• Metta

25. Polls

Poll your employees on workplace preferences or your customers on their favorite products. Sharing polls with your audience demonstrates that their opinions matter to you and offers specific insight into what your customers need or like most about your business.

Bonus Tool: Polling Platforms

• Twitter: Twitter’s native polling capability lets you get started composing polls right away.
• Poll Everywhere: A more extensive tool that offers features like “text to vote”

26. Review Sites

Share TripAdvisor reviews to convert more customers

You likely work hard to manage positive reviews for your business. Get more from that investment by sharing accolades on digital signage throughout your workplace. Highlighting positive reviews can encourage customers to buy more in store and also show your employees that their hard work is paying off.

Share review site content through a web page display or a direct integration with one of the more popular review sites. For example, Enplug has apps for Yelp and TripAdvisor. While either method works, apps will give you the advantage of being able to pre-approve only those review you want to highlight.

Customizable Templates

You don’t want to wait to get the most use out of your digital signage investment. That’s why more and more software providers are including content that their customers can use from day one.

27. Templates

Enplug’s Templates App makes it easy to automate employee recognition content

Templates are professional designs with text and colors that can be customized to your business. Common use cases include employee recognition announcements, holiday announcements and sales promotions.

In most cases, digital signage providers offer either templates that can be downloaded, customized and then re-uploaded to a platform or an interface that allows users to customize signs without ever leaving the platform. With Enplug’s Templates App you can even upload a spreadsheet of names and dates to automatically trigger sign customization.

Conclusion: Make your content creation ideas reality!

As you outline your content strategy, get inspired by the many options you have to entertain shoppers, set the environment for your office, inform your guests, and drive sales.  Consider the digital signage content creation tools we’ve included above to get started creating both static and dynamic options for your digital signage solution

Original Post: https://blog.enplug.com/27-digital-signage-content-creation-tools