Pray & Display | Why Digital Signage Displays Work For Houses of Worship

Digital signage is changing the way houses of worship communicate with communities and congregations. There are countless stories of churches, temples, mosques and synagogues witnessing an increase in attendances and greater connection with communities as a direct result of digital signage. Here's why…

1) Digital Signage is Practical

The main goal for houses of worship is outreach, to meet the needs of the local community. Digital signage facilitates outreach for all faiths by making communication with communities quicker and easier.

Whether it's a mosque, a church, a temple or a synagogue, compared to the traditional, house of worship noticeboard, digital signage makes information more accessible and readily available.

Details of events, fundraising campaigns and service times can all be better publicised using digital signage. From a practical point of view, houses of worship can display multiple pieces of information, minus the clutter associated with the traditional noticeboard.

2) Digital Signage Cuts Costs

For non-profit institutions, digital signage is hugely appealing because it cuts costs. In 2012, the Leytonstone United Free Church[1] published a blog detailing its annual photocopying, paper and print costs. In total, the church spent a staggering £4,500 per year!

How? They leased a photocopier for printing purposes, with additional costs including maintenance fees, toner and ink replacements and paper supplies. Print costs included a weekly church bulletin, promotional material for Christian calendar events - including Easter and Christmas - plus other special church events hosted throughout the year.

With digital signage, recurring costs do not occur. You can update your content without any additional costs. This is the single biggest benefit for houses of worship looking to reduce their annual printing and publicity costs.

3) Digital Signage Generates Revenue

Installing digital signage inside or outside a place of worship creates a stir. Because it was previously unheard of, and certainly stands out in a venue as iconic as a temple, mosque, church or synagogue, it gets congregations talking.

In a tight-knit community setting, news will quickly spread among the locals that digital signage has been installed at your worship venue. Chances are, local businesses will hear about it too. This can work in your favour! If the locals are talking about your digital signage system, businesses could potentially target them as customers.

There's the possibility of approaching local businesses and pitching the idea of using your digital signage system to advertise, for a fee of course, and generating a regular income for your worship venue.

4) Digital Signage Spreads the Word

Digital signage will help to spread your message of faith, whether it's scripture from the Bible, the Koran, the Torah, the Vedas, the Guru Granth Sahib or the Tripitaka. Not only will digital signage help to inspire your regular congregation, but it will reach out to the wider community and the next generation of followers!

How? Digital signage bridges the gap between modern culture and faith because it's more in keeping with lifestyles of today. The younger generation is accustomed to digital technology, so it makes sense for houses of worship to modernise the way they approach spreading the message of faith.

5) Digital Signage Attracts Attention

Digital signage has put houses of worship on the map. Because it looks so 'out of place' in the context of a holy building, digital signage creates curiosity and gives people a way to interact with a worship venue in a way they've never experienced before.

After all, when you think church, mosque, temple or synagogue, you don't immediately think cutting-technology. With digital signage in place, you pique a person's interest and redefine the way your house of worship reaches out to communities.

6) Digital Signage is Quick, Convenient and User-Friendly

Your house of worship no doubt hosts multiple events on a weekly basis. It's not just a place of worship, it's a community hub for parent and tot groups, coffee mornings, helping the homeless or a foodbank.

With so many weekly activities, each of which need to be publicised on a rotational basis, digital signage is a fast, efficient, user-friendly way to update and adapt content to showcase events.

7) Digital Signage Keeps Things Current

Out-of-date information tends to occupy the traditional bulletin board, which causes confusion and creates a disconnect with communities. If your information about community events and other activities is not current, it's a lost opportunity to engage them. It's very easy for noticeboards to suffer neglect.

Because it's easier and more convenient to update digital signage content, keeping it current isn't an issue. It's often the case that standard noticeboards suffer neglect due to the printing costs involved with refreshing the information. With digital signage, keeping your content current comes at no extra cost.

8) Digital Signage Declutters

Leaflets, weekly bulletins, newsletters and more. Houses of worship are notorious for paper use because they've got stuck in a rut, trying to engage people in the same way expecting different results. However, the end result is always the same, masses of paper strewn everywhere because people didn't bother to take home your bulletin.

Equally, standard noticeboards accumulate paper to the point that, whatever message you're trying to put across, gets lost beneath a pile of yesterday's news. In the end, no one can make sense of it.

Digital signage streamlines communication. Your house of worship can display multiple messages on rotation and because of the motion of changing content, it's more likely to capture attention.

9) Digital Signage is Multipurpose

Displaying worship lyrics, wayfinding, advertising volunteer opportunities, promoting community events, launching fundraising campaigns… digital signage is highly versatile and can keep up with the demands of ever changing content. With so many ways to use digital signage, your house of worship can scale communication like never before!

Ultimately, the attributes of digital signage will refresh the way houses of worship communicate, attracting a fresh wave of followers.

To discuss digital signage options for your house of worship, talk to the experts at Armagard - call +44 (0)121 608 7226 or email sales@armagard.com to arrange a time for us to call you.

Sources: [1] Leytonstone United Free Church.