For a while now I've been talking with our clients and sifting through data from hundreds of different digital signage networks trying to discern which criteria are most likely to make a network successful.  While the usual factors like past experience, industry contacts and financial backing all come into play, one of the few similarities between many of our most successful clients was simply how they chose to divide up the tasks of deploying and maintaining their networks.  While it seems straightforward enough, many companies don't seem to have a clear picture of the creative, technology, business, finance and sales jobs that are needed to run a network.  Consequently, they may have trouble managing all of the different aspects of their business as efficiently as possible.

Over the next few weeks I plan to explore the diverse set of roles and tasks that a digital signage provider has to manage every day.  To reach as wide an audience as possible (and to get expanded feedback), we've partnered with Kiosk Marketplace to feature the article series on their site. In return, I've agreed not to publish the articles in their entirety here, but instead to encourage my blog readers to go visit them.  Here's an excerpt from the first article to give you an idea of where I'll be heading with the series:

When building a digital signage team (again, for retail-focused installations), you'll need to cover a number of jobs in each of four major disciplines, including:

Business & Finance

• Project management
• Budgeting
• Financing
• ROI analysis & reporting

Sales

• Venue sales
• Network ad sales

Creative & Merchandising

• Sign location & placement (merchandising)
• Content creation
• Content management & scheduling

Technology & Operations

• Hardware/software selection & integration
• Installation
• Proactive monitoring
• Ongoing hardware maintenance
• Technical support
• Training (remote or on-site)

Depending on the size of your company and the specific needs of your project, you might have one or more people dedicated to each of the tasks above, or a handful of people capable of managing several jobs across multiple disciplines....

If you're interested, I recommend that you head over to Kiosk Marketplace to read the rest of the article.