Getting More out of Your Digital Signage Network with Communications Engagement Management
By
— January 10th, 2025
Regardless of the growing demand for more immersive experiences and evolving communication expectations from customers and employees alike, businesses must meet those expectations—or risk falling behind their competitors.
And when it comes to communication experiences, digital signage is one of the most notable examples—either your digital signage is positively impacting the experience of your customers, guests, and employees, or it is detracting from it. That’s where Poppulo’s Communications Engagement Management (CEM) service comes in.
CEM is a strategic, ongoing management approach that focuses on creating, maintaining, and optimizing all aspects of your digital signage network.
At Poppulo, we live and breathe digital signage. Our experts know exactly what it takes to move your digital signage network from good to great. So, let’s dive into what this service is all about, the incredible value it brings, and why your company might want to consider leveraging CEM.
So, What is Communications Engagement Management?
Your dedicated resource can build new templates, add functionalities, and set up networks. CEM essentially becomes an extension of your team, maintaining, managing, upgrading, and developing your digital signage network with expert knowledge.
CEM is there to build, scale content, and manage systematic growth in a healthy way within our product. We optimize the best ways to do things, pulling from resources across the business. We also have a close relationship with the product team, allowing us to push our clients' influence on the product roadmap. Essentially, we’re here to ensure your digital signage operates at its best and grows with your needs.” –Garrett Delphia, Senior Manager, Customer Projects
The goal of CEM is to ensure that every interaction an audience—be that your customers, employees, or both—has with your brand is positive, consistent, and aligned with the overall objectives for your signage network. This involves understanding audience needs, preferences, and behaviors to tailor experiences that meet and exceed their expectations.
The Value CEM Provides
So, if you’re in charge of a signage network at a large hotel, our team has a history of helping hotels get more value and even make money on their signs. Or, if you have thousands of screens deployed across a national retail chain, the CEM team knows what it takes to ensure those screens deliver the impact you need.
If you have a large network of screens dedicated to corporate comms and performance management, your dedicated CEM would know how to ensure your screens deliver value. It all comes down to your goals.
Think of CEM as your secret weapon for building strong, lasting relationships with your audience. When you consistently deliver positive experiences through digital signage, you’ll see more engaged audiences who are likely to become repeat visitors and advocates.
This kind of engagement drives word-of-mouth referrals and contributes to your long-term success. Simply put, our CEM team doesn’t just meet or exceed your expectations, we make our clients look good.
We become an extension of your team, maintaining, managing, upgrading, and developing your digital signage network with expert knowledge."—Tommy Rivera, Manager, CEM
Apart from goal attainment and the advancement of whichever objectives your signage network is designed to achieve, the CEM service is also often associated with the following benefits:
- Increased Revenue and Growth: Great communication experiences can have a direct impact on your bottom line. When audiences feel valued and understood, they’re more likely to engage with and purchase your products and services
- Improved Operational Efficiency: CEM is all about streamlining processes and using technology to enhance audience interactions. By integrating digital signage, real-time data analytics, and automated systems, you can boost operational efficiency and cut costs. For example, digital signage can be used to display real-time updates, promotions, and personalized content, making sure your audience gets the right information at the right time. Our CEM team can build integrations for your systems and display relevant data on your screens.
- Actionable Insights and Data-Driven Decisions: With CEM, you get valuable insights into audience behavior and preferences. By analyzing data from various touchpoints, you can spot trends, measure the effectiveness of your strategies, and make informed decisions.
Unexpected Benefits of CEM
By leveraging Poppulo's CEM services, you can ensure your digital signage network is efficient, effective, and always evolving to meet your audience's needs. This proactive, expert-driven approach sets us apart and helps you achieve remarkable results. And while CEM is often discussed in terms of the direct benefits listed above, there are numerous unexpected benefits that businesses get from the service.
- Database Management and Maintenance: Often overlooked but incredibly valuable, CEM provides proactive database management, including regular audits to identify and resolve issues like offline devices and licensing discrepancies. This helps reduce downtime and ensures optimal performance of digital signage networks.
- Hardware Testing and Compatibility: CEM also includes hardware testing for compatibility with different software versions and player options. Given the number of digital signage players available, this ensures that clients can use the most effective and budget-friendly solutions for their needs.
- Custom Solutions and Feature Requests: Most people don’t think about how CEM teams can develop custom solutions or submit feature requests based on client needs, even when such features are not yet available in the product roadmap.
- Guided Expertise and Partnership: CEM teams act as an extension of the customer’s team, providing ongoing support, maintenance, and upgrades. This close partnership ensures that clients always have expert assistance without the need to train new personnel.
Who Should Consider CEM
Communications Engagement Management isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. It's designed to be flexible and scalable, making it ideal for a wide range of organizations and teams. Here’s a look at who should consider leveraging CEM:
- Enterprise Clients: If you're managing a large-scale digital signage network, CEM is a game-changer. Whether you're a multinational corporation with multiple locations or a large organization with complex communication needs, CEM can help streamline your operations and ensure consistency across all touchpoints.
- Marketing Teams: Marketing professionals are often the primary drivers of CEM initiatives. Marketing teams control the branding and content strategy, and CEM helps them execute their vision flawlessly. By leveraging CEM, marketing teams can ensure that their messages are delivered effectively and engage their target audience.
- IT and AV Teams: While marketing may lead the charge, IT and AV teams are crucial for implementing and maintaining digital signage networks. CEM bridges the gap between marketing and IT/AV teams, ensuring seamless integration and ongoing support. This collaboration minimizes downtime and maximizes the digital signage network's efficiency.
- Organizations with Complex Needs: If your organization has unique or complex communication requirements, CEM is the solution. From hospitals and casinos to corporate offices and government agencies, CEM can be tailored to fit any industry.
- Small to Medium-Sized Businesses: Even if you’re a smaller organization, CEM can provide significant value. CEM offers SMBs the expertise and support needed to scale their digital signage networks incrementally and within budget.
- Super Users and Experts: Some clients are already experts in their own right but still benefit from CEM's advanced support. CEM provides these super users with the flexibility and expertise they need to stay ahead of the curve.
Whether you’re part of a marketing team, an IT/AV department, or another team with big aspirations, CEM can help you achieve your communication goals and drive success through exceptional digital signage experiences. For more insights on how CEM can help your organization, get in touch with us today—we’re here to help!