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Here is why digital advertising is better than offline marketing 962 641 Lukas Aumair

Here is why digital advertising is better than offline marketing

DIGITAL ADVERTISING: BETTER THAN OFFLINE MARKETING?

The influence of digital advertising can be seen in the success of many companies. But are digital measures better than classic marketing?

In this article: 

  1. Digital advertising: Better than offline marketing?
  2. Adaptability is required
  3. What is digital advertisement?
  4. What does digital media offer that TV advertising does not?
  5. What are the costs of digital advertising?
  6. Offline marketing vs. online marketing: Which one is better?
  7. Conclusion
  8. FAQ

 

Digital advertising: Better than offline marketing?

Businesses prove themselves against competitors with good marketing. Because of the rising competition, it is required to re-think strategies and be innovative. But even more important is advertising to reach the right target group. In the past years, the direction has changed and social media as well as facebook advertising have started a new age of marketing. But are these methods better than the classic ones?

Digital advertising

Digital advertising: More than Social Media | © Adem AY

 

Digital advertising: Adaptability is required

A company’s success is defined not only by a brilliant idea or marketing strategy, but also by its ability to adapt to current trends. Until around 2010, digital marketing was still in its infancy and only a few companies even had their own website or email inbox. But in recent years, it has become very clear how businesses of all sizes benefit from digital marketing. It has never been so easy to achieve national or even international recognition and to address one’s target group in a targeted manner.

How dangerous it is to oversleep such trends is demonstrated by the company “Quelle”. The company from the Bavarian town of Fürth successfully held its own on the market for more than 80 years, but the situation changed – the company continued to rely on the tried-and-tested Quelle catalog and disregarded digital trends. The insolvency application followed in 2009. Admittedly, an insolvency application is not due to a single misstep, but oversleeping current marketing trends played a serious role in this case.

This example shows the serious consequences that affect even established companies if they fail to adapt to change. The transition from classic marketing methods to digital advertising is not complete – on the contrary – new trends regularly emerge and this allows more creative scope, but this also increases the pressure in the competitive battle.
The change is having an effect, and this becomes clear when looking at the strategies of companies of all sizes. Terms such as “social media” or “content” did not attract any attention ten years ago, but in 2022 they are an integral part of every marketing portfolio.

 

What is digital advertisement?

Marketing and advertising – many use these terms as synonyms but they have different meanings. Marketing is a holistic, strategic process which doesn’t only focus the aspects of advertising but also involves administrative and personnel decisions. Advertising on the other hand is how businesses communicate their marketing strategies to their potential customers. Classic marketing methods are TV advertising, flyers and banners. Digital marketing re-defines the process of communication and focuses on social media as well as social advertising.

Examples for digital advertising:

The influence of digital advertising is growing and plays a decisive role in the marketing of a company’s own offering. This also expands the opportunities to try out creative approaches (e.g. gamification). A few years ago, few people would have thought of presenting their advertising via a screen rather than a billboard. But it was precisely these changes that redirected the course of success for many companies.

 

What does digital media offer that TV advertising does not?

More and more businesses use the possibilities given by the age of digitalization. People of all ages use social media as well as they use google search to find inspiration. Digital displays prove themselves because they appear more high-grade than classic banners and the possibilities regarding designs are much bigger. There are many more reasons because besides reaching the right target group and the process of design, businesses find more other advantages.

The advantages of digital advertising are the following: 

  • Higher adaptability
  • Mobile availability
  • Efficiency in terms of costs
  • More discreet

Both companies and their target group benefit from these advantages – this interaction makes digital advertising an useful option as a whole because businesses work more efficiently and they reach new customers at the same time.

 

Higher adaptability

Growing competition is causing companies from all industries to think in several directions. Not only does a company’s own offering and its relevance for potential new customers play an important role, it must also constantly keep an eye on the competition. Competitive analyses were already part of a company’s tasks before the digital transformation, but in the course of digitization, this subarea is weighted more heavily than ever before. New trends are regularly established and there are changes in marketing, which means that companies that do not take these trends into account will be at a competitive disadvantage.

The short-lived needs of the target group also require a flexible rendition of advertising in order to appeal to precisely these needs and target people. Classic advertising methods such as flyers or banners reach their limits here. The design and printing process takes more time than content creation for digital advertising, and adaptation options are few and far between. Every time a trend changes, new flyers or posters are required and the entire process behind them takes a lot of time.

Taking digital billboards as an example, it shows how uncomplicated modern ways of advertising are: Throughout the day it is possible to display ads for target group A and in the evening businesses can reach target group B. The content of digital signage is adaptive and unbound – even service providers take advantage of that because they are given the possibility to display the latest information on a specific topic.

 

Mobile availability

Having access to content everytime and everywhere – the flexibility of tablets and smartphones has a positive impact on businesses’ reach. Banners almost exclusively reach people from one region and flyers barely make it outside the neighbors post box. Things work differently with digital advertising: The target group searches for something on google and then goes to facebook – thanks to social ads a company from Vienna reaches customers from Munich.

 

Efficiency in terms of costs

The purchase of a mobile display might appear expensive and social ads can also cost businesses a lot of money. But the adaptability creates space for test phases. Especially social ads provide advantages because the measurability of results gives a better insight and therefore creates potential for improvement.

 

More discreet

Digital advertising primarily reaches people who have a potential interest in services or products. Google ads are only visible for people who searched for something specific and digital ads aren’t intrusive either. However, it’s a different story with a flier in the post box and advertising breaks on TV are also annoying (because they interrupt the most exciting scenes of a movie).

Communication: Thanks to digital marketing it is uncomplicated and businesses reach more potential customers | © Headway

 

What are the costs of digital advertising?

Companies better calculate more generously at the beginning, because the first step requires some test phases that cost money accordingly. However, it must be weighed up which goals a company sets. If the focus is on lead generation, more budget is required than if brand awareness is to be expanded.

The cost aspect must always be considered on a case-by-case basis. The more extensive the strategy and the advertising measures that go with it, the more expensive it is to implement. Much more important than the costs, however, is the efficient use of the available budget. In the long term, the measurability of digital marketing measures allows for good potential savings and better targeting of advertising to the target group.

Not every form of digital advertising grants good measurability, however, but the potential for savings can be seen in other ways. Let’s take the digital billboard as an example: it’s hard to track how many people buy a product in a clothing store through advertising displays, but parallel processes for evaluating the target group enable more effective reproduction of content. If analyses show that mainly younger people visit a shopping center in the afternoon at 3 p.m. and middle-aged people tend to visit in the evening from 7 p.m. onwards, the flexibility in content playback allows the content to be aligned with the target group accordingly.

 

Offline marketing vs. online marketing: Which one is better?

It’s wrong to say that all classic marketing methods are bad because they are the fundamental approach to digital marketing and many businesses use flyers as well as banners successfully. In comparison, digital marketing only provides advantages.

That mainly shows in the possibilities to adapt, mobile availability, measurability of results and efficiency. The investment in classic marketing is a risk because businesses can’t determine concrete numbers. Sure, not every method provides good measurability but a holistic digital marketing strategy does.

However, there are also two disadvantages in offline marketing. On the one hand it’s complicated to start the right way. Those who have never occupied themselves with digital marketing 101 might need a consultant or many hours of research to find the best strategies for their own business. Another disadvantage are the high expectations – especially small businesses expect too many new customers once they created their own website or started with social media. The rising competition makes that a tough challenge because the good places in google and social media channels are limited.

However, search engines and social media aren’t the only ways to use digital marketing. In the end, a good strategy combines the strengths of many different areas. In case a company has always been successful with events it of course can still be part of a holistic strategy.

 

Conclusion: A lasting trend that requires innovation

The comfort zone is a dangerous place especially in marketing. If there is one disadvantage in digital marketing it’s to ignore current trends. However, a turnaround is not accomplished from one day to the next and businesses have time to adapt.

Digital advertising is superior to offline marketing, no matter if we talk about flexibility, costs or mobility. The only disadvantage is the amount of given possibilities and that companies choose the wrong ones. However, the ones who are prepared will not fail.

Article → Cloud based solutions B2B: Digital signage and more

 

FAQ

Following we will answer the most frequently asked questions about digital advertising.

How much does digital advertising cost?

It depends on how much money you spend and what you want to achieve. You can start with just a few euros but if you want a positive return on investment you will have to invest a few thousand euros each month to succeed.

Which of the following is an example of digital advertising?

Digital advertising includes all media which can be used to market products or services, so facebook ads, google ads, social media, newsletter marketing, content or videos.

Pictures: © Canva.com

User Experience: How to improve it in 2023 962 641 Christian

User Experience: How to improve it in 2023

USER EXPERIENCE:
HOW TO IMPROVE IT IN 2023

Applying User Experience methods is an important step for every business. FRAMR gives you advice on what to consider.

In this article:

  1. User Experience: How to improve it in 2023
  2. What is User Experience?
  3. Why is User Experience important?
  4. How to improve User Experience: Tips and tricks
  5. User Experience and how to improve it on mobile devices
  6. How to measure User Experience?
  7. Conclusion
  8. FAQ

 

User Experience: How to improve it in 2023

Growing competition requires innovation and outside the box thinking. Only about 15 years ago companies with a website had a strong and tight position on the market. In 2023, this belongs to the past. Customers are given more possibilities and in every niche there is lots of competition. Search engine optimization and social media are the first steps, but one aspect is often overlooked: Getting the target group to not leave the website and interact with call to action buttons and / or contact fields. In this article we’ll give you valuable information on how to improve your User Experience and which opportunities you have.

 

UX Design

UX Design: An important factor in terms of mobility | © Amélie Mourichon

 

What is User Experience?

Most people have heard of User Experience (UX), especially regarding websites and their usability. That answers the question about the definition: User Experience sums up all aspects of user interaction and usability with a product or service. That doesn’t only include the experience with apps or websites but how users interact with a product or service as a whole. User Experience is measured by communication between business and customer, possibilities in mobility, how easy it is to interact with a website and how short the ways are to call to actions (e. g. contact form, newsletter button etc.).

 

Why is User Experience important?

It is no secret that user experience was an important topic even before digitization, but the focus was on other aspects. User experience was taken for granted because analog applications were considered easy to use and on-site contact with companies meant there was appropriate help from staff. In the digital age, however, the focus is on automated processes and it is precisely this that causes difficulties for many users / customers.

Such difficulties are particularly apparent with websites: The dwell time of visitors is shortening due to growing competition. Consumers know that they are only a few clicks away from a comparable provider and accordingly look for uncomplicated solutions. Companies often find themselves in the situation where their website generates a lot of visitors, but the bounce rate is relatively high. The solution is obvious: no focus on user experience. And since user experience is also a competitive criterion, there are additional disadvantages compared to competitors.

So the need for user experience exists because otherwise your competitors will have advantages over you and at the same time customer satisfaction will also drop. Google is also increasingly shifting the focus of content marketing to usability – for years, search engine optimized content was considered the most important aspect of good content, but core updates from 2023 (e.g. helpful content) aim to prioritize user-oriented texts and content.

 

How to improve User Experience: Tips and tricks

The high bounce rate of websites requires the right and especially solution oriented behavior. With our following tips you’ll reduce the Google Analytics bounce rate of your website as well as you will improve your company’s image.

 

Communicate your USP and VP as direct and understandable as possible

Your unique selling proposition (USP) and value proposition (VP) make you stand out in comparison to your competitors. When searching for the right product or service, the number one question of potential customers is: Why?
There are many competitors on the market which all offer similar solutions – constantly improving your offer won’t make things better, what matters is the way to communicate the value to your target group.

Every business has a unique selling proposition (What makes me stand out in comparison to my competitors?) and a value proposition (Which value / advantages can I provide to my target group?) with which you reach your potential customers. Ask yourself if it’s clear for customers to recognize both the USP and VP the moment they visit your website.

 

Technical terms? Please not!

As important as it is to represent your company as a serious business, too pragmatic texts won’t reach your audience. Technical terms, very long texts and boring content won’t reach your target group. Many businesses fall for the so-called “SEO trap”. That means companies optimize their texts based on SEO relevant criteria but forget to take a closer look at their target group. Sure, texts which are too “salesy” aren’t appealing either and especially technical products require less salesy texts than beauty products for example. But still, good texts awake emotions and needs in potential customers.

 

Easy usage of the website

A big sitemap, sub pages with too much content and an user unfriendly design – these aspects of User Experience is what website visitors notice first. In case a website appears too full, some visitors don’t know where to start or how to interact with it. Therefore, they will leave the website.

 

Barrier free usage: Access for everyone

Another positive aspect of digital progress is that everyone takes advantage of it, even human beings with handicaps. Specific apps and plugins for websites give access to functions for barrier free usage. These include functions such as reading texts, changing size of letters and optical changes.

 

Responsive web design: Mobility is more important than ever before

More than 70 per cent of website visits come from mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Even though a responsive web design isn’t as appealing as the desktop version, optimizing a website’s design and content for mobile devices is crucial in 2023.

 

Ask yourself the right questions

In the first step, good User Experience is defined by a target group friendly website. The process goes beyond that because the product or service itself shouldn’t make the lives of consumers harder. But: To reach this step in the first place, interest of the target group is required and in 2023 the first contact of potential customers with a business is mostly through the website or other marketing methods such as paid ads or social media channels.

 

Ask yourself the following questions to improve the User Experience:

  • How can I effectively communicate my product / services to potential customers?
  • How does the value of my products / services appear to my audience right away when they visit my website and how can I use, for instance, use cases to communicate advantages?
  • Do I consider important aspects such as mobility or barrier free experience?
  • Is it clear for my target group what to expect on my website?
  • Are the ways to the call to action button (contact form, newsletter subscription etc.) too long?
  • Does the content of paid ads and social media fit with the content on my website?
  • Can we use methods to improve communication (e. g. through chatbots)?

The last question is important for the complete online performance: Even when using social media or paid ads, User Experience shouldn’t be a secondary thing. Bad written texts and hard to understand descriptions of products and services belong to the most common reasons why users don’t click on a website.

 

Mobility

Mobility: Don’t underestimate the impact on User Experience | © Taras Shypka

 

User Experience and how to improve it on mobile devices

Relevance of responsive web designs increases especially with the given possibilities in app design in comparison to just a few years ago. But more possibilities in IT and programming also means that products become more complex and that on the other hand requires a better focus on User Experience.

But not only do the possibilities in app design expand because in the area of mobile devices there is also lots of progress. A good example is digital signage software.

Digital-visual screens which display content through software – many know them as information terminals. Possibilities for users have developed in the past years and that offers more opportunities in general. Goal of digital screens is the compact display of easy to understand content and simple usage. But to improve User Experience even more there are smartphone integrations. FRAMR offers an uncomplicated as well as a very fast connection with the smartphone through QR code and a great User Experience thanks to cross platform design. Our team sets a good example for User Experience and makes an important move to use digital signage software independently.

 

This is how you combine user experience and innovation

The relevance of responsive web design continues to grow, especially because the possibilities in app design are more extensive than they were a few years ago. However, more possibilities in IT and software development also mean that products have more complex features, which in turn requires a closer look at the user experience.

A good example of this is digital signage solutions. These are digital-visual screens that play out content thanks to software. The goal of digital signage is the compact reproduction of easy-to-understand content and good usability to promote interaction between the company and the user. To improve the interaction with users, digital signage combines other innovative methods from marketing, for example gamification.

FRAMR enables a straightforward as well as split-second connection with various hardware devices and provides a simple-interactive user experience through cross platform design. Our team leads by example in user experience and moves away from the location-based use of a terminal, we also offer a wide variety of different functions.

 

How to measure User Experience?

Measurement of results provides important information on how successful the chosen (marketing) methods are and that creates new possibilities to save more money. To measure User Experience, the bounce rate of websites is a factor to take a closer look at. In case users find your website, you can be sure your marketing does well. However, if the interaction rate is low / or the Google Analytics bounce rate is more than 60 per cent in comparison then you should improve the User Experience.

But don’t only take a look at User Experience when you analyze the results because other factors have an impact as well. It’s possible that someone finds your website through keywords that don’t really represent your offer. Here it gets clear to figure out which causes lead to the given numbers or which reasons speak for an either good or bad execution of User Experience.

Article → Hardware and software: Differences and connections

 

Conclusion

User Experience: More than just a word in 2023. It dominates the competition between companies. Thanks to digitalization we are given the possibility to create more complex products and market them in many different ways which requires further explanation of their usage. Most businesses are aware of that and use qualified UX designers who build up your marketing step by step.

 

FAQ

Still some things unclear about User Experience? Following we will answer the most frequently asked questions regarding the topic of this article.

Why to think about usability and user experience?

User experience and usability help to make the interaction between businesses and their target groups easier. That promises advantages in competition as well as it will have a positive impact on the image of a company.

What is the difference between usability and user experience?

Usability only describes the process during the interaction with a product or service. User Experience on the other hand goes beyond that and targets the subjective experience during the complete interaction process with a product or service.

Article → What are use cases? Definition and examples

 

Pictures: © Canva.com

Content Delivery Network: Definition, usage and advantages 994 537 Florian Friedl

Content Delivery Network: Definition, usage and advantages

CONTENT DELIVERY NETWORK: DEFINITION, USAGE AND ADVANTAGES

What is a content delivery network and what advantages does it offer? We have the answers to frequently asked questions and compare the best providers.

In this article:

  1. What is a content delivery network?
  2. The history of content delivery networks
  3. How does a CDN work?
  4. Operational areas
  5. Which of the following is an advantage of a content delivery network?
  6. Which of the following is a disadvantage of a content delivery network?
  7. Which providers are available?
  8. Finding the right CDN provider
  9. How much does a CDN cost?
  10. Conclusion
  11. FAQ

 

The most important facts in a nutshell

  • Main purpose of a content delivery network is to provide and play content in very short time
  • A main server distributes content to replication servers
  • Some advantages of CDN are savings in costs, shorter loading times and failure safety

 

Content delivery network: The smart solution for providing data

Server overloading, long loading times and high costs – providing content comes with many challenges. To provide content easier and to relieve companies financially, there is a good solution: Content delivery network. But what is a CDN and what are the advantages? In this article we will answer all questions about how CDN works, advantages and which providers are available for businesses.

Content Delivery Network

Content Delivery Network: Many advantages for businesses | Source: Canva.com

 

What is a Content Delivery Network?

A content delivery network, short CDN, is a network of computers that are linked together worldwide. Through the connection with a provider, a link to all CDN servers is created. The distribution of retrieved data is carried out by a central computer which transfers the saved data to a replication server. When users retrieve specific data, a request-routing-system ensures that the data is transferred through the most appropriate replication server. The only thing that matters here is proximity to the user – data is always provided by the replication-server which is the closest to the user to ensure a fast transfer of data. Namely, the goal of CDN is to reduce loading times and to save costs.

 

The history of content delivery networks

The history of the content delivery network leads back to the year 1998. After the internet became publicly accessible, the company Akamai Technologies introduced the first content delivery network. Transfer of data required much more time back then and technology wasn’t as developed as in 2022. The company knew that solutions to shorten this process were necessary. Already back in this time CDN followed the goal to provide content faster and to use bandwidth more efficiently.

Although goals of usage were similar, CDN was primarily used for e-commerce, streaming and software downloads. Only with the growing relevance of mobile computing and cloud computing the usage of CDN expanded. They enabled the delivery of complex web content. That ultimately was conditioned that there were more CDN providers and the progress in this area got bigger as well. Nowadays, CDN is used in different areas, no matter if it’s streaming, e-commerce or providing content.

The progress is most evident in the dynamic content. In principle, it is rather difficult to save dynamic content on a server because it’s individual. A good example is the cart of online shops which differs between the buyers. That makes it difficult to provide cloud saved content. Through routing paths there is still the opportunity to provide content of such processes via a CDN. In the future, there will be even more advantages in the field of dynamic content because businesses know how important individuality and usability are.

 

How does CDN work?

For functionality of CDN there are two important factors to make it work, one of them being the distribution system and the other one being the replication-server. The distribution system ensures that data is always up to date and that it will be transferred to replication servers. During this process the request-routing-system comes into play to make sure that user inquiries land on the right servers and provide content as fast as possible.

The transmission process takes place via two possibilities. On the one hand, a content delivery network can distribute data directly to replication servers. Alternatively, the main server sends a message to servers so that content is retrievable everytime. The second opportunity guarantees a more efficient use of bandwidth because the main server has to process less data.

 

Operation areas of content delivery network

Many people associate using a CDN with improving performance of a website but this isn’t the only operation area for which a content delivery network can be used. Depending on the provider, there are different functions available, no matter if it’s getting access to content or expanding safety infrastructures.

Businesses use CDN for providing content, streaming, e-commerce and improving performance of mobile websites. But there is one common goal all CDN providers aim for: Fulfilling requirements of a business. CDN indeed is a competitive factor because businesses that work most efficiently, will also reach the best and measurable results and successively improve their performance.

 

Which of the following is an advantage of a content delivery network?

  • Reduced loading times
  • Less costs
  • Caching
  • Better usage
  • Reduced amounts of data
  • Failure safety
  • Improved referencing
  • More safety

 

Reduced loading times

The example of pictures for websites is evident for the strengths of CDN. Loading time is a relevant ranking factor for Google and even pictures have an impact on that. The right format, proper coding and the usage of CDN improve the loading times of websites because content is provided much faster.

All of that works as follows: Websites pull pictures (or other content) from an origin server which is mostly located far away and therefore lengthens the loading times. CDN offers a good alternative because pictures are provided by the nearest server. Users claim this data from the server which provides pictures the fastest.

Less costs

With the usage of CDN, the origin server has to process less data through which expensive traffic is prevented and the amount of used bandwidth is reduced.

 

Caching

When data is requested, the content delivery network transfers a copy from the cache server which is the nearest to the user.

 

Better usage

Caching and the user friendly provision of retrieved data allows fast access through which the usage is improved. A CDN recognizes which data set is the most relevant for website visitors and loads this content already before the first interaction. That promises better user interaction during the interaction with a website.

 

Reduced amounts of data

CDN delivers data in compressed form. Because of that, data is delivered much faster and loading times are shortened.

 

Failure safety

The usage of CDN reduces the load of the main server. This distribution of loads across several sub-servers reduces the risk of downtime and any kinds of failures. This saves maintenance work, for which further costs are incurred.

 

Improved referencing

Providing content through a CDN happens faster, because they combine requested data to packages.

 

More safety

An often overlooked advantage is the aspect of safety. A CDN helps to protect the main server from virus attacks and other cyber threads.

 

Which of the following is a disadvantage of a content delivery network?

Using a content delivery network comes with many advantages but there are also disadvantages as well as challenges which a CDN (partly) can’t handle.

 

No control

Managing data on your own server comes with the advantage of having control over it. Through usage of a CDN, this advantage gets lost because data of a main server is distributed to a replication-server and customers have no impact on the processes. Providers of CDN might be reliable but when the rare case of disruptions and failures occur, customers can’t do anything about it.

 

Dynamic content limit

Individual customized content barely can’t be provided by a content delivery network. One example is the carts of online shops. Each customer places an individual order, therefore it’s not possible for a CDN to save data in a cache server.

But even here there are solutions available, so called workarounds. CDN accelerates the data transfer and provides routing paths through which dynamic content can be delivered.

Dynamic Content Limit

 

Which providers are available?

Competition in CDN is growing and there are many different providers on the market, each with their own advantages. To give you better insights, we have compared the following five providers:

  • Cloudflare
  • Fastly CDN
  • Microsoft Azure CDN
  • StackPath CDN
  • Amazon CloudFont

 

Cloudflare

Cloudflare is probably the most known CDN provider. Even when you’re not too familiar with the topic, you might have heard of this company, which partly has to do with its stock performance in 2021. The company is from the USA and is focused on improving performance of websites. as well as expanding security. This CDN is, for example, safe from DDoS attacks. Cloudflare also promises shorter loading times.

Price-wise there are three different alternatives when using Cloudflare, a free plan as well as the pro and business variant. The pro variant costs 20 euros each month, the business version is 200 euros. In case you only want regular functions, the free plan will be enough. Other than that, you can choose from many additional functions as well as you can choose the individual customized enterprise content delivery network.

 

Fastly CDN

Fastly CDN promises what the name insists. The provider uses edge cloud computing to analyze and process data even faster. In addition to that, fastly offers the opportunity to compress pictures. In terms of safety, Fastly CDN is a very good choice – the provider is safe from DDos attacks and offers a web application firewall.

Fastly offers a free test phase. After that you can choose from three different packages, namely enterprise, essential and professional. Information about prices is accessible after you have registered on the website of Fastly CDN. But very important: Fastly offers individual memberships for which the prices are determined by the used bandwidth and the amount of used file requests.

 

Microsoft Azure CDN

Microsoft is namely the first giant of this list and that promises high performance. Microsoft Azure is safe from cyber attacks and the capacity of distribution data is almost unlimited. Because of that, the provider is especially recommended for bigger businesses. This becomes clear when you take a closer look at the price: At first, registered businesses receive a 200 US dollar gift card for using the CDN, after that the prices are determined by individual needs.

 

StackPath CDN

The focus of StackPath CDN is speed, safety and control. According to disclosures of the provider, StackPath reduces latency up to 60 per cent and also improves the performance of websites, apps, games and streams. The prices are a shoutout to all competitors: Only 15 euros each month. However, pricing mostly depends on your individual needs.

 

Amazon CloudFront

Amazon is an empire and has been involved into many projects outside of e-commerce, including building their own content delivery network. The biggest strength of Amazon CloudFront is the individuality and the opportunities in programming for developers. During the first year Amazon CloudFront is free but only for data transfers up to 50 MB and 2 million requests within a month. After the free test phase ends, pricing depends on individual needs and wishes.

There are many other providers for CDN, one of them being Google. Competition in this field is growing but all providers consider to offer safe as well as high quality solutions which make customers happy. Whatever CDN you will choose, all of them offer their own individual strengths.

 

Finding the right CDN provider

Choosing the right CDN provider depends on many different factors. Usage and advantages are primarily important because the different providers are all specialized and offer holistic solutions for specific fields. When comparing providers with similar range of services, price and quality of service matter the most. The providers from our comparison all offer fair conditions but differ in the amount of transferred data and focuses. Best you can do is to compare different providers and make your decision based on individual wishes.

In Europe, the topic of data security is important which is why businesses should always have an eye on how to execute it. The providers from our list all consider data security based on European standards but taking a second look at more unknown providers is highly recommended to be safe and avoid expensive warning letters.

 

How much is a CDN?

Prices of a content delivery network vary and depend on the provider. Standard tarifs begin at about 15 up to 20 euros each month, business tarifs cost up to 200 euros each month. In addition, many providers base their pricing on the locations – in other words, the monthly rate is based on the region from which you run your business. But the amount of data transferred and individual needs are also taken into account in pricing.

 

Conclusion

The demand for using content delivery networks has soared in recent years, especially with the growing prominence of providers such as Cloudflare. Users have many advantages with CDN, one of them being the uncomplicated access to content through which loading times are limited and working processes become more efficient.

But you shouldn’t underestimate the effort that comes with using a content delivery network at first. Also, businesses have less control over processes which are completed by a CDN. Therefore it is recommended to take a closer look at all the available providers and to check how they treat the topic of data security.

 

FAQ

Lastly, we will answer the most frequently asked questions about content delivery networks.

What is Caching?

The cache is a buffer memory that provides access to a background medium. It makes sure that the renewed access to data is faster and thus the loading times are reduced.

What is a replication server?

The process of replication describes the saving of the same data on many different servers. A replication server serves as a kind of distributor of data, which is transferred via a main server and forwarded to computers. Replication gives users the ability to access data quickly.

Sources

https://www.computerweekly.com/de/definition/CDN-Content-Delivery-Network#:~:text=Eine%20Vielzahl%20von%20Unternehmen%20nutzt,f%C3%BCr%20eine%20Reihe%20weiterer%20Anwendungen.

https://www.ionos.de/digitalguide/hosting/hosting-technik/was-ist-ein-content-delivery-network-cdn/

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Surace Barista Caffé/Bar/Eatery 1024 576 Manuel Renje

Surace Barista Caffé/Bar/Eatery

Excellent quality – in terms of coffee, but also in terms of the signage system! The wall-sized display Panasonic TH-55VF2H with the built-in, almost invisible FRAMR.Player SDM shows breakfast, lunch or dinner menu depending on the time of day. All displayed content is conveniently managed and scheduled by the customer in FRAMR.Cockpit.

FRAMR developer Lukas Aumair about Digital Signage 849 566 Linda

FRAMR developer Lukas Aumair about Digital Signage

FRAMR DEVELOPER LUKAS AUMAIR ABOUT DIGITAL SIGNAGE

Digital signage offers new chances on the market and is all about innovation in times of digitization.

Guide for the interview:

  1. What is FRAMR and how was the idea behind it developed?
  2. Which steps were to consider during development?
  3. What about the current demand for digital signage products?
  4. Why do more businesses rely on digital billboards?
  5. Recommendations of Lukas Aumair
  6. Which industries take the most advantage of digital signage?
  7. How can working processes be simplified?
  8. What are the future perspectives of digital signage?

 

Digital signage, software and more – for many businesses it’s the unknown but for Lukas Aumair it’s daily business. In the FRAMR interview, the CEO of Megatechnik professional multimedia GmbH describes how important digital signage will be for businesses in the future and which chances can be used. Other than that, he also talks further about important advantages regarding digital advertising.

Lukas Aumair

Lukas Aumair: Developer of FRAMR and CEO of Megatechnik multimedia professional GmbH

 

What is FRAMR and how was the idea behind it developed?

A digital working environment requires the right solutions but many businesses fail in that area. Digital screens are known to most people, although not necessarily under the Term “Digital Signage”. What most people don’t see on the outside: The processes behind the development of software to display content on a digital screen require detailed programming as well as a qualified team. At the end, everything needs to work properly, starting from the idea through to marketing.

“The content management team of our company looked for a solution to remotely manage content of digital screens in a mall. All solutions on the market were locally installed and therefore only accessible under unsafe as well as complicated conditions and the usability was bad.”

The thoughts of Lukas Aumair to get to the idea make clear which challenges his team had to face. Missing usability and flexibility are common problems in digitalization but FRAMR takes an approach to these challenges.

 

Which steps were to consider during development?

From the beginning the creation and concept of a scalable cloud system was important to offer clients from all over the world a good service. Also, FRAMR should be usable without software installation and be ready within seconds. Competitors partly still don’t make their services work without a team of educated technicians.

Lastly, the usage of Linux over Microsoft was essentially to provide proper system safety. There is no worse situation in the field of digital signage than a “player” which doesn’t work properly after a windows update.

 

What about the current demand for digital signage products?

A growing number of businesses rely on digital solutions because of the corona crisis. That also comes with a higher demand for digital signage. Financial support of states in the European Union fuels this trend.

 

Why do more businesses rely on digital billboards?

In a fast living world and an agile working environment digital billboards offer faster reaction times to new events, a faster display of advertising as well as faster actions and available information for employees in comparison to classic print products. The exchange of content happens instantly whereas print products need to be printed in the first step and then be deployed manually. Other than that, a moving image is always a better eyecatcher than static posters. Lastly, with the right setup it is possible to change the little worlds for visitors / customers within seconds.

 

FRAMR Player

 

Recommendations of Lukas Aumair

Basically, I recommend professional displays with continuous operation in order to provide sustainable and long term usage. For reasons of sustainability, it’s best for businesses to use passive cooling. I also recommend a short usage of extra hardware such as signal distribution and transmission routes – a direct configuration with displays through a player is better – for example with a HTML5-browser or FRAMR player.

→ Find out more about the application areas of digital signage and how your business will take advantage of it. 

 

Which industries take the most advantage of digital signage?

Businesses with many display locations because the speed of digital signage can be used very well.

 

Are there any functions to simplify working processes in order to provide a better usability for customers?

There are many options to support this goal. These are the following:

  • Cloud based solutions with mobile optimization to edit content from all over the world.
  • Scheduling of content enables complete planning of the playout to the point of creation.
  • Drag and drop functionality for an easy and intuitive usage.
  • Monitoring functions to supervise the usage of these functions.

Article → 7 underestimated advantages of business digitalization

 

What will the possible future development of digital signage look like?

Digital signage will be much more interactive and additional add-ons, for example new features, will improve the products. Other than that, it will be possible for digital signage to react to the environment and be controlled by it. Our FRAMR add-on “FRAMR Eye” for example recognizes personas through AI. Based on data, digital signage can locally decide if, for instance, a man or woman stands in front of the display and then can control the display of content.

That comes with the following advantages:

  • Opportunity to personalize advertising
  • Data will only be processed locally and not be saved in cloud based systems
  • GDPR-compatibility

In the future it will be important that Software of a specific digital signage provider will work on many different platforms, no matter if it’s LG, Panasonic, Android or any other provider. It will also be a future challenge to connect one digital signage software with many hardware devices. Today, professional displays offer integrated HTML5-browsers in which digital signage can directly be shown to some extent. Just a comparison to the early days: A player is connected with a display and provides content.

Pizzetti Take Away 150 150 Lukas Aumair

Pizzetti Take Away

At the Pizzetti takeaway franchise, frameless Panasonic TH-55VF2H displays spotlight tempting Italian treats to busy walk-in customers. Managing content through two FRAMR.Player PROs, each with two outputs, allows separate content on each screen in the highest quality – across all of the company’s locations.

FRAMR. LED arc PlusCity 1024 768 Christian

FRAMR. LED arc PlusCity

PlusCity has the right twist in the form of LED walls and LED cubes. At the entrances to the PlusCity sun terraces, two special-format LED walls up to 7 meters wide have been installed for information and stimulate culinary pleasure. They illuminate in the literally.

On the LED arch the restaurants of the sun terrace and their promotions are advertised. Three rotatable LED cubes complete the picture of the impressive overall installation. The cubes can be played individually or as a whole and support the LED arch in an impressive way.

Article → Digital Signage Software: The future of communication?

Digital signage in Le Jardin restaurant 1024 682 Lukas Aumair

Digital signage in Le Jardin restaurant

A unique dining club in the middle of Linz: Le Jardin. During the week, a fine-dining restaurant and bar, followed by a metamorphosis into a club on the weekends. Enjoyment & relaxation in the middle of Linz in an idyllic garden located in the inner courtyard. The restaurant places great emphasis on regional products of the highest quality, both for the lunch menu and for à la carte dishes in the evening. Because regionality counts in every respect, local products from the company Megatechnik were used for the display advertisements.

To promote Le Jardin’s unique symbiosis of restaurant, bar & club, a FRAMR. Player PRO was installed, which feeds an LED wall with different contents. During the day with excerpts from the menu and advertising subjects for dishes and daily gastro promotions, in the evening party visuals provide the musical and visual background. Parallel to the closing time of the staff, the time-controlled player also switches off in order to transmit pleasure and joy again punctually the next morning.

Article → Digital Signage Software: The future of communication? 

FRAMR. Salzwelten Hallein 1024 768 Lukas Aumair

FRAMR. Salzwelten Hallein

Clearly arranged and well informed, walk in the footsteps of the Celts through the oldest salt mine in the world: FRAMR. Player PRO displays in the indoor and outdoor areas of the Salzwelten Hallein ensure that no one misses anything. Neither bus departure times, nor start times of guided tours, nor any other information worth knowing.

Five FRAMR. Player PRO with two output channels each were installed in the exhibition and visitor center. This allows the control of up to two separately controlled screens. In the ticket office area, dynamic price lists and videos of the exhibition are displayed. FRAMR. Player follow the visitors from the very beginning through the whole exhibition, for example as general info points & advertising screens, and serve as orientation for the small and big visitors.

Article → Digital Signage Software: The future of communication?