This blog is for those looking for an easy tool to update the content on Digital Signage screens. Your team doesn’t need to learn any new tools; they can keep using the platform they already know: Google Slides. Here’s how it works –> Make your edits in the slide set, and your screens will update the content automatically. Easy.
Why Google Slides is the Ideal Content Tool for Digital Signage
The primary challenge in maintaining an engaging digital signage network is content updates. If updating the screens is difficult or slow, the content can quickly become outdated. Google Slides, when paired with a reliable platform like Valotalive, solves this problem by becoming your ideal content creation hub.
Zero Learning Curve: The Power of Familiarity
The single biggest benefit of choosing Google Slides is familiarity.
- No New Software to Master: Unlike proprietary signage editors that require additional training, your entire team likely already knows how to use Google Slides. This removes the bottleneck of training content managers and minimizes the time for onboarding your new digital signage network.
- Instant Contributor Onboarding: Anyone who can create a presentation can now contribute to the digital signage. This increases the number of available content creators within your organization.
Unrestricted Design Freedom
Most basic digital signage tools limit your creativity to restrictive templates and fixed zones. Google Slides offers an open canvas:
- Total Layout Control: You can adjust the content on the slides freely. There are no limitations coming from proprietary editorial tools regarding image, text, or graphic placement. If you can design it in a slide, you can display it on the screen.
- Rich Media Support: Easily embed high-quality images or Google Charts, allowing you to create rich, dynamic displays far beyond what a simple text ticker can offer.
- Collaborative Design: Since Google Slides is cloud-based, multiple users can collaborate on a single presentation in real-time.
Introduction to Google Slides & Valotalive Digital Signage integration
Google Slides
Google Slides is Google’s cloud-based tool for presentations. You can create presentations in your browser without the need to download any desktop applications.
The tool is part of Google Workspace, a suite of online productivity and collaboration tools.
It comes with built-in Gemini AI, which can help you create slides from a prompt.
The best part of Google Slides might be the possibility to collaborate with others. You can edit, comment, and suggest the work done by others.
Valotalive Digital Signage Software
Valotalive is a cloud-based digital signage software platform. This service allows you to direct content across a large network of displays or target content to specific groups of displays.
Valotalive’s features are designed for companies that use the service for displaying operational information (KPIs and live dashboards) and employee communications, especially for frontline employees.
The service is known for its secure integrations with business applications, such as Google Slides and other tools. Valotalive also features a programmatic playlist called a Flow, which automatically manages the content’s screen time based on your settings.
This is What You Need
To get the Valotalive and Google Slides integration running, you will need four main components. Fortunately, if you are already using Google Slides, you are off to a great start!
- Valotalive Account: This is your digital signage platform subscription, where you will manage the screens and the content flow. If you don’t have a Valotalive account yet, you can test the service using a fully featured free trial. Start your Free Trial here
- Google Slides (via a Google Workspace account): Google Slides will be your content creation tool for digital signage.
- Screen(s): Any modern display (professional model recommended), such as a TV, Monitor, or Smart TV, will do; full HD or 4K resolution recommended.
- Media Player(s): A dedicated device (often a small computer box) connected to the screen that runs the Valotalive software and displays your content. Read more about the supported players here
The Step-by-Step Guide to Activating the Integration in Valotalive
Step 1: Activate
The Valotalive-Google Slides integration is managed by an App found in the Valotalive service.
To begin, locate the Google Slides App in Valotalive. You can use the big “plus” icon in the dashboard next to “Apps”. Click that and search for Google Slides. Then, click “Activate”
You will then need to authenticate your Valotalive account securely with Google using the standard Google Sign-In method.
Step 2: Configure
In the app settings, you can pair one Google Slides App to follow a single presentation or select just specific slides within that deck. The details are easily adjustable in the app settings.
There are additional controls available for page duration, displaying slide numbers, and managing transitions.
Once you are done with all settings, just hit “Save”
Step 3: Assign
Now it’s time to assign your App to the selected displays. You can do this by adding your App to a Flow (which can include other applications) or by assigning it directly to a single display.
If you’re running a larger network of screens, Valotalive provides tools to manage and direct content to different display groups. For more details on this, you can check out our Help Center.
Best Practices for Google Slides Digital Signage
To ensure your content system remains organized and easy to manage, follow these simple best practices:
Naming Conventions
When setting up your Google Slides App in Valotalive, implement a clear naming convention:
- Include the File Name: Always include the original Google Slides file name in the App’s title (e.g., “HR News – Weekly Update” or “Production KPI Dashboard”).
- The Benefit: This practice makes it immediately easier to identify the content on your Valotalive dashboard. It also helps you quickly find the right slide set in your Google Drive when you need to make updates, saving valuable time.
2. Use the Correct Aspect Ratio (16:9)
Digital signage screens almost universally use a Widescreen (16:9) aspect ratio, which is also the default for Google Slides.
- The Rule: Always ensure your Google Slides presentation is set to 16:9 (File > Page Setup > Widescreen 16:9).
- The Benefit: This prevents your slides from appearing stretched, pixelated, or having ugly black bars (letterboxing) on the sides of your display.
3. Design for Distance Readability
Unlike a laptop, your signage content is viewed from across a room or a production floor.
- The Rule: Use large, bold, and highly contrasting fonts. A general rule is to use no more than 5 lines of text per slide.
- The Benefit: Fast, quick-to-read content is the best for Digital Signage. If an employee has to stop and strain to read it, the message can be lost. Prioritize impact over detail.
