My Three [Digital Signage] Wishes for 2012

1. Sell hard financial benefits: In order to see the digital signage sector continue to grow the community need to work at reducing the cost of ownership (TCO), improving the return on investment (ROI) and simplifying the content work-flow.  It's no longer sufficient for companies to promise 'targeted marketing' or 'customized message delivery', the smart digital signage companies will be offering a provable cost analysis matrix based on realistic TCO and ROI - that's what's needed to win over the skeptics and get large roll-outs moving through the accountant's office.

2. Develop some standardize:  Standards are a really good thing - they protect consumers, they help buyers sort the wheat from the chaff and they ensure interoperability.  You only have to cast your mind back to the computers of the 1980's to see what a mess we would be in without standards.

3. Roll-out Android: Android is perhaps the most pervasive operating system in the world - a Linux derivative that contains all the libraries to manage complex communications, accelerated graphics and multi-touch displays.  Android promises to deliver tremendous value and real financial benefits to our community.

Digital Signage is a rapidly expanding sector filled with opportunity for the major players including;

Hardware manufacturers
Software developers
Content providers
Network operators
Advertising agencies
Installation and maintenance
Engineering services

The list is pretty impressive and filled with some heavy-hitters.  I'm sure that in amongst such a distinguished list of sectors are the resource to make my humble wishes come true.


Steve Earle is VP Sales and Marketing, Country Manager at Stinova Ltd

How To Make Great Digital Signage Content - #1

Click here to view a low-rez playlist preview - May take a few seconds to initialize, requires Adobe Flash Player plug-in


Those who know me, know that I am deeply involved in the Digital Signage business.  Digital signage is an interesting space because it demands of its principles,  many unique and diverse disciplines.  In this series of posts, I'd like to concentrate on digital signage content.

Digital signage content is quite different from many other types of content.  The content you can use in your digital signage project will depend to a large extent on the capabilities of your media players.   Media players vary in capability from simple, low-cost stand-alone memory players that can read pictures or video from a directory on the memory stick to fully-managed multi-media players capable of displaying many types of media and content in parallel.

The media players (and back-end content management system) you choose for your digital signage project will be determined by the complexity and variation of content that needs to be displayed in combination with the number of displays that need to be addressed.  For example, a stand-alone location could build a very simple digital signage solution based on consumer grade T.V.'s that can read content from USB sticks.  Whereas a large multi-location deployment will need the convenience of a centrally managed enterprise class content server in combination with managed media players that can display content in an automated manner according to defined schedules.

Digital signage content consists of many different media types including images, videos, text, dynamic data such as RSS, XML, HTML and live streams even PowerPoint presentations are supported in some environments.  Digital signage content is strung together in containers called 'playlist' that combine all the media types into serial or parallel structures with or without special transitions.

A serial playlist typically contains a series of media elements, displayed in a full-screen format, one after the other in a continuous loop with or without transitions.  A parallel playlist on the other hand, is built using a template that divides the display's real estate into multiple zones or frames, each zone displays content independently and in parallel.

The basics

Digital signage media elements have 3 basic properties:- Resolution, Aspect Ratio and Duration.

Resolution = Size of media element in pixles
Aspect Ratio = Shape of media element expressed as a ration of width to height
Duration = Time the media element will be displayed

Applying these properties to a series of images, that must be displayed in full-screen format on a modern High Definition display, we get the following:-

Resolution = 1920x1080 pixels
Aspect ration = 16:9
Duration = 10 seconds (duration could be any required value)

Notice that DPI is not relevant - DPI is a unit of measure applicable only to print media - because digital signage content is displayed on screens, only screen resolution is important.

Next time:- Using images in your digital signage project.

Marketing 101 for Technology Geeks

Code Camp 2011

I Recently attended the South Florida Code Camp which is a free Geek Fest organized by Florida.net and was held this year at NSU.  The event attracted more that 1000 participants who had the opportunity to hear 78 highly regarded industry expert who presented software development topics throughout the all-day event.

I sat-in on my friend Alex's presentation "For Love or Money", a discussion about the volatile I.T job market.  As a successful recruiter and owner of SherlockTech.com, Alex has a deep understanding of the I.T. job market in general and the South Florida market in particular.  Following along and listening to the participants input, it stuck me that most of the software developers present don't really understand how to use modern marketing tools to help them develop their careers.

When I was a young engineer, things were not so complicated:

1 Develop your craft 

2 join some user groups

3 become a speaker

4 get poached

5 goto 1

and it was quite acceptable to remain in the same company doing the same job year after year - after all someone needs to maintain this monster you created, right?

Today, things are much more complicated, new technology, fickle employers, highly competitive market, age/gender discrimination - too many moving targets.  so what can you do to stay in the game?  Well, believe it or not the 5 steps above still work today but the frequency needs to be higher - if you want to continue to develop as an engineer you need to be constantly challenged in the workplace or you'll simply be getting the same experience year on year without any growth.

You also have to understand your career objectives: developer > team leader > system architect > project manager > I.T. director etc...  Or do you want to be actively developing software throughout your career?  These are very different paths and require that you develop different skills sets. 

By mixing old and new ideas you can build a marketing strategy that works for you and your goals.

1 establish your expertise - blog, blog, blog

2 contribute code to open source projects and online code repositories

3 use social media to showcase yourself (linkedin, twitter, youtube, facebook)*

4 build a relationship with a top recruiting firm in your field

5 goto 1

*Some notes about social media and your personal image.  Employers future and present will use the web to verify you and your skills so having a presence there is very important BUT KEEP IT PROFESSIONAL AT ALL TIMES. 

Steve Earle is Strategic Sales and Marketing Consultant at e2mktg

Prime Time for Social Media Marketing

Image: Smi23le

Five Social Media Startups top $1BN: http://tiny.cc/8p609 By now, everyone in the known world is aware that masters of the universe Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) have invested $500MIL in the still privately held Facebook.  So what?  I hear you ask.  Isn't this just another one of those rich-get-richer schemes?  Well maybe a bit; of course it's very cool to let slip that you have shares in Facebook - but that's not the whole story...

Wall St. bankers may be many things but stupid probably isn't one of them; with a history of wealth creation and massive profits you have to ask - if they're doing it why aren't we?  What do they know that we don't?  A skeptical view might be that they are simply buying pre-IPO stock that come 2012 (the word on the street is that in 2012 Facebook will launch its IPO) will sky-rocket in value and while that might be true there are in fact more solid investment angles here:

1. Goldman Sachs group offering of private shares in Facebook has created a feeding frenzy among wealthy investors who want in on the ground floor at any price.  This imbalance in supply and demand  has created the perfect environment for a market in derivatives and who is better positioned to create these derivatives than Goldman? But that's just speculation.

2. Facebook now has 600 million (and still growing) subscribers.  Facebook is changing the way people communicate and share information.  This has created a new marketing paradigm that cannot be ignored by anyone serious about the future of marketing. When Facebook added that little 'like' button it had marketing professionals around the world scrambling to understand the broader implications.

3. The tech boom-bubble-bust of the late 90's taught us that companies must have real value before investors will flock to the gates.  Facebook, linkedIn, Twitter, Zynga and Groupon (a discount coupon sharing site just turned down a $5BN offer to sell) are all examples of new millennium companies with billion-dollar-plus value.

So if you're still wondering whether you should consider social media marketing as a real option for you business - Hello!

Steve Earle is Strategic Sales and Marketing Consultant at E2Mktg, call him on 954.806.2188 and get started with a Fast-Track Marketing program today!

Why you should use QR codes

Scan Me!

If you're in marketing chances are you know what QR codes are.  QR codes are high-contrast images that can be scanned by smart-phones and other devices and can direct a smart-phone scanner app to a website or other resource.

This is incredibly useful in all manner of marketing scenarios and immediately offers marketers valuable feed-back without going to the expense of costly biometrics.

QR codes are particularly useful to the Digital Signage industry - many advertisers have looked to Digital Signage as a means of engaging customers in a two-way conversation.  By implementing QR codes, retailers and advertisers will get information about what customers and consumers are scanning and the impact of that interaction. 

Because QR codes can be printed on almost anything and read by almost any consumer phone or smart-phone (a small app must be installed - they are plentiful and free) the opportunity to deliver additional consumer experiences is unlimited.  Additionally, the scanned codes are saved by the app for review by consumers at any time.

Their use in anything from museum exhibits to restaurant menus may make the traditional kiosk obsolete as more and more consumers are carrying what amounts to a kiosk in their pocket.

Steve Earle is Creative Guy at E2Mktg, call him on 954.806.2188 and get started with a Fast-Track Marketing program today!

Where is the growth in Social Media Marketing?

The other day my friend Ernie bought a new bicycle carrying rack for his car.  He shopped the usual Internet suspects but bought the rack from a company that had a video review of the rack showing how easy it is to install and use.

As if confirmation of what I already know were needed, I recently attended a local social media marketing event and the presenter put up a slide with some very interesting survey results.  The participants polled were asked what social media sites they frequently used to promote their business:

51% Facebook
29% Blogs
27% LinkedIn
26% Twitter
16% YouTube

It's clear that the growth opportunity is in YouTube.  Only 16% of respondents are using YouTube as a social media marketing tool!  There are probably many reasons for this but the most obvious it that producing professional quality video is not so easy and most business do not have access to the neccessary resources to 'do-it-yourself'.

Creating custom graphics, animation, scripting, lighting, voice-over and post-production are all technical skills that require creativity, training and specialized equipment and software.  While there are some on-line service, they are far from satisfactory and only allow you to create a video slide-show using uploaded or stock images.

Who are the 16%? They are the savvy guys who understand the power of video.

Steve Earle is Creative Guy at E2Mktg, call him on 954.806.2188 and get started with a Fast-Track Digital Video for your company today.

Will a well written Resume get you a Job?

This is really a difficult question to answer given the volume of work that abounds on the subject and the number of companies and websites offering advice (paid and free) on the topic.  So let's ask some different questions:

Will a poor resume get me disqualified - surely yes
Will a well written resume get me an interview - maybe
Will a well written resume help in the interview process - unlikely

If you think about it, resumes are marketing tools and like marketing, if you do it badly or not at all you surely will NOT get results.  However, like marketing in general if you do it and do it well you will get results.

To continue the analogy, we marketing types understand that marketing can not get results in a vacuum or when only a single approach is used - we generally cultivate multiple options and we like to let a lot of people know what we are doing through as many channels as possible.

Shouldn't job seekers adopt the same approach?  Of course they should.  The resume is only one tool that job seekers have at their disposal other tools are blogs, social media sites, networking and really really good recruiting companies.  An emerging trend is Video Resumes - these short videos can be posted on YouTube and give potential employers another dimension when considering you for the post.

So, can a well written resume get you a job - I contest that it cannot - certainly not on its own and definitely not without the support of multiple options.  The resume is only the first step in what has become a complex and protracted process.  You can be disqualified along the way for so many reasons that have nothing to do with your (written) resume.

Given the logic that a badly written resume won't get you into the starting gate, it therefore follows that your resume should be as professional as possible - if you can afford it, consider getting a professional resume writer to prepare yours.

IP Networking for Internet Marketers

A lot of people involved in Internet and social media marketing don't understand how the network they are using really operates - and that's ok.  But if you're interested, here's a break-down of some of the main parts - there's much more to it than this but these are some of the big ticket items.

This tutorial is based on IPV4 and RFC1918 private address space as assigned by the IANA - which is  commonly used by most small businesses and home networks. 

In networking we refer to the following:  "A name indicates what we seek, an IP address indicates where it is and a route tells us how to get there" 

DHCP
Every host or device on your network needs a minimum amount of configuration data if it is to successfully connect to the internet.  This data is commonly obtained from a DHCP server but could be configured manually.  DHCP - Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol is a mechanism that provides the IP address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway and DNS info to a host on the network.  When the host starts it's networking services it looks to see how it should configure the interface, via DHCP or using manually entered data.  Most routers, cable/DSL modems contain a DHCP server.

NAT
RFC 1918 describes blocks of IP address that are assigned by the IANA Internet Assigned Numbers authority - for use in private networks - therefor many private networks can use the same IP address range - for this to work an additional feature called NAT Network Address Translation (common form is IP Masquerading) was introduced. 

IP Address (ipconfig)
An IP address is an Internet Protocol Address and is unique within any given subnet.  The Internet Protocol is used to route data packets between networks and the IP address includes information about the network and the device on the network.  Using the method, local devices and devices on networks around the world can communicate with each other.

Subnet Mask (ipconfig)
This misunderstood parameter is extremely important.  Subnet masks are used to split IP networks into logically smaller networks thus giving control over discrete networks.  Your DSL provider does this all the time when they setup a SLIP link to your modem.  The SLIP link address is created by apply a subnet mask to the original IP address range in such a way that it creates a network with 2 IP addresses, 1 broadcast address and 1 network address.  The 2 IP address are assigns for each end of the SLIP link.

The more standard use of the subnet mask is to determine which network (or subnet) a host is connected to. For example the IP address 192.168.16.2 is not very useful without the subnet mask.  Why? The subnet mask is the key that defines how the network is partitioned.  For example, you can define a subnet mask that partitions a network into 4 parts - if you don't have this key you'll not know which network a host is connected to. 

Mike has assigned the network address 192.168.10.0 to his IT support company.  Normally this would have a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, a broadcast address of 192.168.10.255 and accommodate 254 hosts.  He has decided to partition his network into 4 subnets.  He will further partition one of these subnets into 16 subnets for point-to-point SLIP applications. The Hierarchical subneting is covered in RFC1219. Mikes network now look like this:

Network Address 192.168.10.0
Subnet ID 0, 192.168.10.0, subnet mask 255.255.255.192, broadcast 192.168.10.63, 62 hosts
Subnet ID 1, 192.168.10.64, subnet mask 255.255.255.192, broadcast 192.168.10.127, 62 hosts
Subnet ID 2, 192.168.10.128, subnet mask 255.255.255.192, broadcast 192.168.10.191, 62 hosts
Subnet ID 3, 192.168.10.192, subnet mask 255.255.255.192, broadcast 192.168.10.255, 62 hosts

Subnet ID 3 is further partitioned as follows:

Network Address 192.168.10.192
Subnet ID 0, 192.168.10.192, subnet mask 255.255.255.252, broadcast 192.168.10.195. 2 hosts
Subnet ID 1, 192.168.10.196, subnet mask 255.255.255.252, broadcast 192.168.10.199. 2 hosts
...
Subnet ID 15, 192.168.10.252, subnet mask 255.255.255.252, broadcast 192.168.10.255. 2 hosts

Example: Which network is host 192.168.10.197 on?  Looking at the above information we can see that it is host 1 on Subnet ID 1 (network 192.168.10.196).  If we are given the subnet mask along with the IP address, 192.168.10.197/255.255.255.252, we can calculate the same information without knowing how the network is partitioned, as follows:

last octet = 197 dec, 252 means 6 bits stolen
bin
110001|00 = network id = 196 = 192.168.10.196
110001|01 = first host = 197 = 192.168.10.197
110001|10 = second host = 198 = 192.168.10.198
110001|11 = broadcast address = 199 = 192.168.10.199

Easy right!

DNS (nslookup)
So you would normally type http://www.google.com into your browser but you could just as well type http://74.125.67.147/.  What's going on here?  Well Google.com is the domain name and 74.125.67.147 is the IP address of Google's server.  The name-to-IP address translation is handled by the DNS - Domain Name Service, without it we would all have to memorize the unfriendly IP addresses.  You can use either the DNS info given you by your service provider, a 3rd party DNS provider like OpenDNS or your Default gateway will normally act as DNS proxy.

Default Gateway (ipconfig)
But how did my computer find the Google home page?  This is where the routing tables take over - remember one of the parameters that we need to connect to the Internet is the Default Gateway - this is normally our router or cable/DSL modem.  It has 2 IP address, one on the private side of the network (which we call the default gateway address) and an external (public) address provided by your service provider.  The service provider can offer either a static or dynamic address.  You can discover your public IP address by using a service like whatismyip.com

Routing Table (netstat -r)
Every connected host has a routing table that contains at least the default route.  This means "if I'm looking for an IP address that is not in my local subnet, please pass the request along to this default route"  from there the request will be routed through many nodes - each with some knowledge of the destination - until finally the destination host is contacted.  This route is then used for all subsequent communication between the source and destination devices.

DOS Commands
Using some simple DOS commands you can play around and discover some interesting things about your network and the internet.

nslookup - find the ip address of any internet resource using it's name
ipconfig - discover all the config parameters associated with your NIC (Network Interface Card)
netstat - find network statistics including routing table
tracert - find the route your data takes to any internet resource
ping - check the latency and availability of any resource
hostname -  get the local computer hostname

Steve Earle is Creative Guy at E2Mktg, call him on 954.806.2188 and get started with a Fast-Track Digital Video for your company today.

How to spend $300

The other day Dirk (a client) asked me if he should spend $300 to place an ad in the local community magazine.  Now, it's only $300 but this kind of thoughtless marketing really is wasteful.  I'm not suggesting that advertising in community magazines is a bad idea, in fact it might be the perfect place if you're a handyman.  But Dirk isn't a handyman as his wife Julie will attest.  Dirk runs a successful business consultancy and even though many of Dirk's clients live in the neighborhood serviced by the magazine, after a bit of strategic thinking, we decided he would be better served by buying a 3 month banner ad campaign on the local Chamber of Commerce website. 

Whenever you're thinking about spending marketing dollars ask yourself these questions:

1. What do I hope to achieve
2. Who is my target audience
3. How much can I afford to spend
4. How long should I sustain the effort
5. How will I measure the results

You'll be surprised at what you discover and if you're not sure of the answers or where they are taking you, talk to your marketing buddy - he'll straighten you out.

Steve Earle is Creative Guy at E2Mktg, call him on 954.806.2188 and get started with a Fast-Track Digital Video for your company today.

Why video just might be the secret ingredient in digital marketing.

"If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a million"

Video marketing delivers complex content in an informative and entertaining way.  The multimedia nature of video makes it more engaging than regular text-based communications.  Even the addition of dramatic images cannot compete with a well produced video experience.  Video is also a very marketable product in its own right - you can promote a video through any of the popular digital media channels and get instant feed-back about the videos popularity - something you could never achieve through regular communication channels.

It used to be that marketeers had limited content distribution options - TV, radio, print, OoH and direct mail marketing...  Today, digital marketing has created new channels for content distribution and with them new challenges and frustrations.  The benefits are quite obvious but bear restating.

1. Cost effective - bits are cheaper to organize and send than paper
2. Wide reaching - easy to touch diverse interest groups and geographies
3. Measurable results - feedback make it easy to gauge response
4. Follow-up - easy lead generation with follow-up details
5. It's green! - digital marketing lives on an existing infrastructure and requires no paper or plastic

Let's face it, if you haven't been exposed to some kind of digital marketing, you don't live in the same universe as the rest of us (lucky you).  Marketeers are taking full advantage of the many new channels through which content can be delivered.  This includes mobile phones, smart phones, digital signage and the now ubiquitous Internet.  It is widely reported that the Internet will reach 2 billion users this year or about 1/3 of the world's population - the obvious antithesis is that 2/3 of the population are excluded!

All this transparency does have a down side; there are concerns over privacy, increased competition for eye's-on and an ever discerning audience who are rapidly developing attention deficit for anything beyond 140 chars.

Steve Earle is Creative Guy at E2Mktg, call him on 954.806.2188 and get started with a Fast-Track Digital Video for your company today.

The 3 pillars of Digital Marketing (in my view)

Before we get into that, consider this:  If you want to grow your business, you really only have 2 choices - sell more stuff to the same customers -or- get more customers.

Improving your sales team won't necessarily grow your business - it just means you'll close more of the opportunities you already have.  If you want to grow your business you need to create new opportunities - you'll often hear this referred to as 'lead generation'  Lead generation can be a costly process so you'll want to make sure your sales team knows what to do with those precious leads!

Okey dokey - let's see how Digital Marketing can play in the lead generation game. 

1. Website:   Your website is a digital representation of your company - customers will use your website to verify your business.   It therefore follows that your website should reflect as accurately as possible what your business is all about, what you do, how you do it and why you're better at it.

Here are 2 examples of companies that do the same thing but have a very different web presence.  Jamie's website has forms that collect customer data - that's a lead!- while Mike's does not.

Mike's Lawn Service

Jamie's Lawn Service

2. Opt-in e-mail marketing:  E-mail marketing is an easy way to deliver content to your customers.  It puts your message right in their mail-box.  Remember to include a 'call to action' in your content otherwise you're wasting your time - each customer that responds to your 'call to action' is a lead!.  If you're going to embark on an e-mail marketing campaign make it opt-in - not just for legal reasons but primarily so you won't waste your time sending content to people who don't care.

3. Social Media Marketing:  Small business marketing is most often about credibility and one way a you can build credibility is to establish yourself as an expert in your field - become 'the go-to guy'.  This puts you 'top of mind' when customers are making decisions.  There are tonnes of things you can do in the social media space but there are some that you must do.  As a minimum - Blog your message, use Twitter to feed the beast and get a company Facebook page.  You can supplement with a Linkedin account and a company You Tube channel.  Every follower, friend, comment and post is a lead!

Next time: Why video just might be the secret ingredient in digital marketing.

Steve Earle is Creative Guy at E2Mktg, call him on 954.806.2188 and get started with a Fast-Track Digital Video for your company today.

Can you say "My customers are happy!"?

After several years of avoiding my phone bill - what you don't know can't hurt you (right!) - I was forced to take a look following a barrage of marketing material from Vonage.   What I found was not only a revelation but a complete shock.  I won't bore you with the detail, suffice to say I was paying for services and features that I had not used since Lincoln stopped shaving.

Who Cares?  You right, it's not important other than to illustrate an few interesting points.

1. There's often a disconnect between customer service call center reps and the company they represent.  On concluding my call the rep asked "How would you rate my service today?.  Now that's a loaded question.  The assumption being that good service on the part of the customer service rep equals good service from the phone company - WRONG!!!

2. Good service should be proactive. Good service from the phone company would include an occasional courtesy call advising me that I am paying for features and service that "our records show you have not used in quite some time" - and "Would you like me to cancel that option sir?"

3. Follow-up.  After my call I had the mental image of the ubiquitous service rep tearing the note sheet off the pad, scrunching the sheet two-handed into a neat ball and Michael Jordan-ing it into the trash. Of course I'll never know.  Unless I received a follow-up confirmation in the mail - thanking me for the opportunity to be of service.

I would offer that a simple form placed under a "feed-back" button could be the most valuable on-line service tool a small business could have - try it!

Steve Earle is Creative Guy at E2Mktg, call him on 954.806.2188 and get started with a Fast-Track Digital Video for your company today.

You'd be crazy not to!

I'm a pretty good cyclist - and I like to get out there whenever I get a chance.  That tends to be at rather odd times, so I miss the regulars who ride according to a strict time regiment.  The upside is that I meet an eclectic assortment of riders, who, like me are grabbing an opportunity to do something they love.

The other day I was planning a short ride that turned into a 105 mile 'megathon' during which I met Ernie.  Ernie and I exchanged the usual pleasantries and finally (inevitably) got onto the subject of the economy.  Ernie was explaining to me what his company does; essentially they sell a complex financial instrument aimed at the mega wealthy and successful corporations.

This give me an opportunity to expound on the benefits of Digital Video Marketing.  In Ernie's case, his customers want a precise, succinct and unambiguous explanation of the product.  

BOOM! enter Digital Video. 

To quote my old mate Guy Whitcroft,'Video will be huge: a personal belief of mine is that it is a VERY under-used resource and that using it effectively can greatly improve information dissemination for companies. For example, a simple 2-3 minute video can get a relatively complex topic across quite simply, and it doesn’t have to be expensive to produce' - well put Guy.

He's absolutely right, Video is a great medium for simplifying complex messages.  But don't stop there.  Video is also superb at delivering marketing messages, product information, service messages and general information.  what's more, video can address any market sector making it a very broad-based product.  

Perhaps the best thing about Digital Video is how easy it is to adapt for use in various environments.  Everything from SmartPhones to laptops, TV to Digital Signage, hell, you can even burn it onto a DVD if that's what your audience requires.

Digital Video is also relatively inexpensive to produce and given its versatility can you really afford not start building your channel today?

Steve Earle is Creative Guy at E2Mktg, call him on 954.806.2188 and get started with a Fast-Track Digital Video for your company today.