New Year, New Content: Refreshing Your Digital Signage For 2026

The start of a new year gives you a clean slate to rethink your communication strategy. Digital signage is one of the most visible ways your business interacts with employees, visitors, and customers. Yet over time, screens can start showing outdated messages or visuals that no longer reflect your goals. A refresh helps you reconnect with your audience, improve engagement, and align messaging with your evolving brand. 

Review Your Current Content Library

Before creating new material, take a close look at what is already running. Outdated promotions, expired events, and old visuals make your displays feel stale. Go through your playlists and ask key questions. Does this content still appeal to your audience? Are the visuals consistent with your brand identity? Does the message still support your business objectives? Remove anything that no longer fits your communication goals. A well-organized content library makes managing future updates faster and more effective.

Update Branding, Layouts, and Design Templates

Your digital signage should evolve with your brand. Updating templates, colors, and typography keeps your screens looking modern and professional. Clean fonts, high-contrast visuals, and concise text make information easier to absorb. Research shows that viewers retain up to 65 percent of information seen on digital displays compared to only 10 percent from static posters. Consider refreshing transitions, background imagery, and motion graphics to make existing messages feel new. Visual updates keep audiences engaged and make your signage feel current.

Evaluate Your Content Scheduling and Playlists

Scheduling is just as important as the message itself. Review how content plays throughout the day and ask whether it matches the audience at each location. Look for common issues like overloaded playlists, clips that play too long, or messaging that does not fit the time of day. Use your content management tools to organize messages by time, daypart, or demographic group. When properly scheduled, digital signage can increase message retention by nearly 20 percent because viewers see the right content at the right moment.

Analyze Engagement and Performance Metrics

Your signage system likely includes analytics that reveal which content drives attention. Review metrics such as dwell time, click-throughs, or interaction rates to see what works best. Studies show digital signage attracts up to 400 percent more views than static displays, yet only if the content feels relevant. Identify your top-performing messages and adjust underperforming ones. Tie your analysis to measurable goals like boosting sales, improving employee communication, or raising event participation. Regular review keeps your screens aligned with measurable outcomes.

Add New Templates, Apps, and Dynamic Content Sources

Adding new features can reinvigorate your signage strategy. Mvix digital signage software supports dynamic content and app integrations that keep displays informative and fresh. Consider introducing elements like real-time feeds or interactive visuals to capture attention. Examples include:

• Real-time data dashboards or countdowns
• Weather and traffic updates
• Social media walls
• Local event or industry news
• Internal announcements and recognition slides

Audiences stay engaged when information feels current. Displays that incorporate live data or automation can raise engagement by 35 percent compared to static messaging.

Standardize a Content Refresh Schedule

Refreshing once a year is good, but consistency matters even more. Create a regular schedule for reviewing and updating your signage content. Many organizations set quarterly or monthly checkpoints to update visuals and messaging. Assign responsibility to a team member or department and keep a checklist of recurring tasks. Establishing this rhythm prevents outdated messaging and makes updates part of your normal workflow. Treat your displays as active communication tools that evolve alongside your business.

Train Your Team on Best Practices

Well-trained teams maintain higher content quality and consistency. Offer refresher training sessions on design, accessibility, and system use. Make sure everyone contributing content understands how to format visuals, write concise copy, and choose imagery that fits your brand. Teams that receive periodic design training report up to 20 percent higher engagement from their displays. Encourage collaboration between departments so that each team contributes meaningful messages, keeping content diverse and balanced across all screens.

Plan for Seasonal and Campaign-Based Content

You can keep your signage calendar lively by planning for upcoming campaigns and holidays. Create a schedule of seasonal events and recurring company milestones. Preparing templates for these occasions lets you swap out visuals quickly without starting from scratch. Some examples include summer promotions, back-to-school messaging, holiday greetings, or community outreach programs. Organizations that refresh content every two weeks see up to a 25 percent increase in audience recall. Planning ahead gives you time to design stronger visuals while maintaining variety year-round.

Automate Where Possible for Efficiency

Automation helps maintain momentum between refreshes. Many digital signage platforms, including Mvix, can automatically update data feeds or rotate content on a fixed schedule. Connect your screens to live calendars, dashboards, or social media feeds to keep information relevant without manual effort. Automation saves time, reduces human error, and ensures that outdated material never lingers. Even small updates, like syncing weather or event schedules, make your signage feel dynamic and timely.

Revisit Accessibility and Readability

Refreshing content is also a chance to improve accessibility. Use larger font sizes, clear contrasts, and straightforward layouts so your messages can be read easily from a distance. Avoid cluttered visuals that distract from the main point. Research shows clear typography can improve comprehension by as much as 20 percent. If your signage includes audio, add captions or text equivalents. Accessibility upgrades help everyone absorb messages more effectively while improving overall design clarity.

Highlight Internal Wins and Employee Stories

For internal communication screens, focus on recognition and connection. Display employee achievements, departmental milestones, and company successes. Studies reveal that nearly 87 percent of employees feel more engaged when they see regular updates on workplace displays. Creating new templates for recognition allows you to celebrate achievements visually and boost morale across teams. Recognition messaging keeps workplace culture strong and makes your signage feel personal and valued.

Build Flexibility into Your Content Strategy

Even the best plans need room for change. Keep your templates and playlists flexible so you can adapt to new campaigns, announcements, or emergencies. Quick updates are easier when your content library is modular and well-organized. A flexible framework helps you stay responsive without sacrificing visual quality. The ability to pivot quickly gives your signage program a professional polish while keeping communications timely and effective.

Start the Year with a Stronger Digital Strategy

Refreshing your digital signage at the start of the year is one of the best ways to strengthen brand communication and engagement. Taking time to review content, analyze data, update visuals, and set regular schedules helps you maintain consistency all year long. Well-managed screens make your messages stand out, whether you are reaching customers, visitors, or employees. If you are ready to improve your digital signage strategy, email or call us at 703.382.1739 to learn how Mvix can help you create a content refresh plan that keeps your displays performing at their best.