A year+ in review - Articles from the Vantage LED team for your edification & education.

-Deacon Wardlow

It's been a little over a year now since we first started the blog. We've delivered new content 2x/week every week since the start (including this post, that's 123 articles in 13 months or an average of 9 articles every month). When we first started off, some friends and colleagues asked if we'd run out of things to write. The great thing about DS (Digital Signage) is it's constantly evolving and there's always something new to learn/share.

We're taking a short break (the next post will start up again from August 6). After the short break, we'll continue to bring you fact-based approaches to education on DS issues relating to technology, sales, end-user support, technology, and more. If you'd like to see something in particular, please email us (deacon@vantageled.com) and we'll be happy to get right on it for you.

For all of our fellow Americans, "Happy Fourth of July!" Play safe and come back with all your fingers and such intact on the other side of the holiday (there've been a few times I wasn't as careful as I should have been and am grateful for nothing more than a slight burn to teach me a lesson...).

So you don't have to sort/search and dig around for what you need, I've broken the articles into categories. Here's everything going back to last May 2012:

Digital Signage Sign Tech & Spec:

1. Providing Correct Power Voltage to LED Signs and Why 120 VAC and 240 VAC are Both Important
2. Power Supplies
3. Don't get screwed, modern module securing systems
4. Front Access Design Considerations for Digital Signage and Hinged Faces
5. Factors Affecting Image Quality on Outdoor Digital Signage
6. How Color Values are calculated
7. Viewing Size vs Cabinet size (big differences can add up to false $$ savings)
8. Controller options for LED Signage
9. Virtual Resolution (aka pixel sharing)
10. LED Sign Components
11. Service Access options for LED Signs
12. The truth behind "ultra bright" LEDs
13. Communication Methods for LED Signs
14. Myths and Misunderstanding about LED Signs
15. The good and bad of LED Signs and how to tell the difference
16. Powder Coating
17. New Coating materials (Dragon Skin)

Digital Signage Content:

1. Professional Content is a Must!
2. Real World Effects of LEDs per Pixel on Outdoor Digital Signage
3. Time and Temperature on LED Signs...to Be or Not to Be
4. Quality LED Signs Managed Responsibly Improve the Community
5. Professional Quality Content on LED Signs Benefit Resellers Directly
6. How 'LinkedIn' is Digital Signage for you/your clients?
7. Why DS Fails
8. Keeping Content Current/interesting
9. Ensuring text comes through LOUD AND CLEAR
10. LED Signs & Free Speech
11. Create a call to action with Digital Signage
12. The benefits of PSAs (Public Service Announcement)
13. Get the most from your website (Digital Signage is online as well)
14. Being a good neighbor with LED Signage
15. Content scheduling/creation (planning ahead)

Digital Signage Sales 101:

1. Sell your company first, product second...
2. Why Cheap LED Signs Sell Well But Fail
3. Door to Door is Dead
4. Sticker Shock Syndrome; dealing with cost objections
5. LED Sign Sales- Closing Technique Suggestions- 1 of 3
6. Closing Technique Suggestions- Installment 2 of 3
7. Closing Technique Suggestions- 3 of 3
8. Objection Handling Part 1 of 2
9. Objection Handling Part 2 of 2
10. Stop selling and start solving - Customer Centered Selling
11. Better is Better, Always!
12. Value Based Selling Is a Win for Local Sign Companies
13. The cost of a system - Good/Quick/Cheap... Speed, Quality, and Price with LED Signs/DS Solutions.
14. Wow Your Customer
15. Build bridges, don't burn them
16. Business Relationship Suggestions

Why LED Signage?:

1. Outdoor Digital Signage Helps Focus and Sustain Advertising to Potential Patrons
2. A Road-Map to Success is Important With Digital Signage
3. Common Misconceptions About LED Signs
4. How an LED Sign can help business
5. LED Signage earning potential

Costs for Digital Signage:

1. How much can an LED Sign Cost?
2. Short term gain, long term costs (cost of a "cheap" LED Sign)
3. "Value Line" vs. Single Level of quality (i.e. why there aren't iPhone or Droid "lite" versions)
4. Is an LED Sign (or any Digital Signage) an investment or a purchase?
5. Selling the value of a Digital Signage Solution (LED Sign, LCD, or other)

Digital Signage 'How To':

1. Securing Wireless ( WiFi ) Communications for LED Signs
2. System monitoring obstacles and options
3. Check The Power! Electrical Supply and Outdoor Digital Signage
4. Basic LED Sign Troubleshooting and Logic
5. LED Sign Permitting Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3
6. Finding a reputable installer for LED Signage
7. Sourcing the best LED Sign manufacturer for your business
8. Calculating Power Costs
9. Information on the National Electrical Code as applied to LED Signage
10. Electrical Safety Certification Marks explained
11. Different LED Sign Sales approaches
12. Project Management with LED Signage
13. Embracing new technology for business
14. CRM/ERP Options for your business
15. Simple LED Sign troubleshooting

Digital Signage 'Need To Know':

1. Explaining LED Sign Technology Simply and Effectively to Your Audience Directly
2. The Cloud, Cloudware, and LED Signs
3. Statistical Analysis of the Relationship between On-Premise Digital Signage and Traffic Safety
4. Educate yourself and your clients, before the competition does it for you!
5. How an LED Sign Manufacturer's Approach to Design and Engineering Can Affect Installations
6. Don't Be the Beta for a Manufacturer
7. China Manufacturing Stumbles
8. Parts and Labor doesn't always equal warranted repairs...
9. Exponential Growth for the LED Sign Industry?
10. When comparing LED Sign solutions (EMC/EDS/CMS/Etc), make sure you're getting what you expect
11. You Deserve to Make a Profit on LED Signs
12. What does Web App/Cloudware mean for Digital Signage/LED Signs?
13. US Based Support for LED Signs is More Than Phones and Technicians
14. Own It! Be The Trusted Authority on LED Signs and Educate Truth
15. Is Anything Really ‘Made’ in the USA?
16. Domestic LED Sign manufacturers vs. off-shore
17. Importing from China
18. Low quality systems' affect on business
19. Supply Chain Logistics on components
20. Beware of a "bait-and-switch"
21. The Ghost of LED Signs past (the cost of going with the cheapest option)
22. Heat
23. How to protect against heat
24. Power (undervoltage)
25. Power Supplies
26. Is after service an after-thought?
27. The Value of a warranty
28. On Site Service Warranties (underwritten vs. carried by the manufacturer)
29. Proper Conformal Coating
30. Silicone Coating on the back of LED Modules
31. The cost of going cheap on component choices from a manufacturer

-DW

*I invite you to comment here and/or email me directly with requests at deacon@vantageled.com. Vantage LED has white paper resources and more educational material on the website (http://www.vantageled.com), please check it out when you have a moment. Note my posts/thoughts/writings are strictly the viewpoint of me and me alone and do not reflect nor speak for Vantage LED’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, etc. unless specifically noted.