Digital Signage Integration Solutions for Houses of Worship
Houses of worship are always looking for ways to strengthen the engagement with their congregation and enhance the worship experience. Active worship venues offer a plethora of events weekly. Digital signage informs, connects and communicates common messages that build engagement and unify the church through dynamic, eye-catching content. Simply put, using digital displays is a simple and cost-effective way to improve congregational involvement, foster a stronger sense of community, and bring a facility into the modern age.
Why Houses of Worship Should Choose Digital Signage
When members enter their place of worship, digital signage can immediately draw them in and inform them of what’s happening in the days ahead. This channel delivers targeted messaging that’s effective, providing details on fundraising, events, service times, and other ways congregation members can get involved. Unlike a traditional, static bulletin board of events, digital displays are convenient and easy to update, keeping content fresh and decluttered. Further, digital signage is also a way to keep younger generations interested, allowing them to get more involved with their faith by providing a medium they are accustomed to.
But what many houses of worship may not expect is that digital signage can actually cut costs. Most worship facilities rely on printed materials to spread the word to their congregation. The cost of equipment, paper, and supplies can exceed thousands of dollars each year. By working with a medium that can be changed easily and specific content that can be scheduled at particular times, digital signage eliminates the costs and hassles associated with printing. Digital signage can also be a revenue generator, offering digital messaging sponsorship opportunities with like-minded community organizations.
Planning and Installing Digital Signage in Houses of Worship
As with any digital signage installation, the goals and needs should be detailed in the planning stage so that the final product works as it should to meet the objectives of the organization. The first part of planning is the budget. There is often a substantial initial outlay for LED displays, software, and media players. As nonprofit institutions, houses of worship can often procure funding from members or have a special fundraising event to help cover costs.
Next, integrators need to understand how working with a house of worship is different than other customers. Most things are decided by committee, so be ready to collaborate. Typically, these members are not experts in the AV field, so educating them on the opportunities and advantages possible with digital signage will make decision-making easier.
Third, keep the audience in mind. While some members may be excited about modernizing their faith through the use of digital screens, traditionalists in the congregation may see them as a nuisance. Thus, you can empower your core group or committee with data that proves out the benefits of digital signage, i.e., increased engagement, cost-cutting versus print messaging, and revenue generation.
Fourth, it’s great to find an internal champion for digital signage. Often, houses of worship will walk away from digital signage because they aren’t using it to its full potential. This internal champion is the person that will keep the content updated and fully utilize the system to communicate key messaging.
The fifth thing to consider is that most churches don’t employ a full-time AV/IT staff. Thus, the way in which content is uploaded and shared needs to be super easy for users so they can keep the system up and going without the need for intensive training.
Finally, there’s the question of ROI (return on investment). Houses of worship, just like any other business, must be able to ascertain what the return will be for their investment. Now, the ROI may not be monetary; rather, it is a return on message (ROM)—the value experienced with a more engaged congregation resulting in increased participation in services and events. Moreover, digital displays can boost fundraising efforts, increase tithing and donations, and save on printing, all while improving overall member communication and engagement.
Contemporary Research Solutions for Houses of Worship
At Contemporary Research, we have over 25 years of experience providing outstanding service and superior products proudly made right here in the USA. CR offers cost-effective, expandable IP or RF video distribution that can extend both the ministry and message of a worship house to all areas of a building and/or campus.
With a wide range of innovative digital products, Contemporary Research helps congregations deliver engaging video content that enhances the devotional experience and keeps members informed. We can design a scalable, adaptable video distribution solution for any size house of worship and provide the training to ensure integrators can deliver stunning video content that appeals to existing members, engages younger generations, and attracts new members to the congregation. Learn more about how we serve houses of worship with our solutions today.