Most schools are hard up for money with budgets always strained: there are always expenses to account for, new equipment to purchase, educational resources to update… the list is endless. So how do you pitch digital signage to your school administrator?
Naturally, the administrator in charge of controlling this budget has to take a hard line on expenditures deemed unnecessary. However, school admins being cautious doesn’t mean there aren’t benefits to be found in new tech investment. Chief among these is digital signage – an engaging communication vehicle that draws attention and increases engagement in K-12 audiences.
Given how effective digital signage can be in distributing information, K-12 schools are ideal environments to implement these technologies. Many schools are already doing it, installing digital signage displays in classrooms and throughout the school campus.
Faculty hoping to bring the action into their own institutions need to know how to pitch digital signage correctly.
Administrators aren’t easily swayed so digital signage champions need to make a strong case for its use, be able to explain the value proposition and relay the ways it will pay dividends over time.
Mike Kilian is the Senior Director of Business Development at Mvix, a VA digital signage company providing content-rich digital signage solutions with subscription-free software . A Digital Signage Certified Expert (DSCE), Mike has worked closely with schools for over 5 years in designing and deploying digital signage rollouts with healthy ROIs. As a millennial, he provides a unique perspective to the digital signage world.
Know to Whom You’re Selling
Although K-12 faculty and staff aren’t salespeople, when acting as the sole champion of digital signage implementation, they’ll need to follow the same principles. This means understanding your audience before you pitch digital signage to your school administrator.
Educators likely have intimate knowledge of the workings of the school admin they’re pitching to. This is valuable information, as knowing the administrator means knowing his/her pain points, possible objections, and budgetary considerations that will likely arise during a discussion about digital signage. These factors will form the backbone of the digital signage pitch and must be planned ahead of time.
Come Prepared to Address Objections
Educators advocating for digital signage have a tough hill to climb. Many admins were brought up in the days of old-fashioned education – think chalk, numerous textbooks, and no digital screens in sight – and may not fully realize the value digital signage can bring to a school.
Faculty must anticipate any objections that might be brought up during the meeting.
For example, if a teacher is aware that an administrator is adverse to infrastructure investments that require maintenance over time, the teacher can prepare a report outlining the low maintenance cost of digital signage compared to reproducing traditional signage year after year.
Or, if administrators object that there’s no logical place for digital signage within the school, the teacher can have a prepared list of digital signage applications for the school setting:
- Digital screens in the classroom as educational resources, taking the place of old-fashioned projectors and televisions
- Digital bulletin boards in the lunchroom, hallways, or offices that keep students and faculty informed about school events and important announcements
- Digital signage at the school parents to provide important information to parents as they pick up their kids and visitors entering the building
- Digital scoreboards for stadiums and auditoriums, offering cutting-edge displays and opportunities for advertising partnerships
Frame the Argument in Their Terms
It’s one thing to offer a laundry list of digital signage applications, but there’s an important distinction to be made when you pitch digital signage to your school administrator: Perceived value is not the same as actual value.
This means that it doesn’t matter how great digital signage is or how many ways it can be applied in school if the school administrator doesn’t see eye to eye on the issues.
The idea here is that educators have to go beyond merely pitching k-12 digital signage if they want to see it implemented. To get administrators on board, the argument has to be framed in their own terms.
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Really interesting content on digital signage.