Signs of Success^®

Digital signage is a proven way to boost engagement and customer recall, which ultimately leads to sales. More businesses are installing digital displays than ever before. Here are some encouraging statistics:

• 47% of consumers remember seeing a specific ad or message. Recall increases to 55% with outdoor digital billboards.
• 90% of the information transmitted to the brain is visual.

How does developing an effective digital content strategy result in increased sales? Increase sales by:

• Capturing the attention of potential customers, with messages that catch your target audience’s attention
• Building brand awareness and creating an emotional connection with potential customers
• Informing and educating potential customers about your products or services (or dispelling misconceptions).
• Driving more traffic to your website, online store, and/or physical store
• Increasing average order values for each sale by including discounts and special offers that motivate customers to purchase additional items
• Generating repeat business and building brand loyalty by including product reviews and customer testimonials

Digital signage is an effective marketing tool, so it’s important to utilize your digital signage so that it works for your business. In this article, we discuss the creative process for generating compelling content and ways to create captivating content for digital screens that capture consumers’ attention and drive sales.

Developing a content strategy    

Digital signage strategies are different for every brand and location. Just putting up an initial motion display ad on your digital sign works for awhile to advertise your brand, but you must ensure the design is appealing. Additionally, digital signage messages should be updated regularly in order to keep passers-by engaged and looking for your next message. Developing an effective digital content strategy depends on a few of the following factors:

Who is your target audience?

With so much competition for consumers’ attention, your content needs to speak to your target audiences’ interests and grab their interest instantly.

What message do you want to communicate?

The message you want to convey to your customers might involve displaying products along with catchy phrases that entice consumers to engage further with your company. It could also involve educating customers about your service or products, or piquing customers’ curiosity, so they perform a call-to-action, such as taking advantage of sales offers.

What is the best way to deliver your message?

Digital signage content strategies should inform, educate, and/or entertain, depending on the industry.

Strategies by Industry

Retail

In retail environments, insightful content strategies can:

• Draw attention to information about your brand
• Promote sales and special events
• Introduce customers to new products
• Display videos that focus on your brand’s core values
• Offer discounts on products
• Display your interactive product catalog
• Show videos of models wearing your apparel
• Show customer testimonials
• Show videos of customers using your products
• Create contests and quizzes to entertain customers

Restaurants & Hospitality

The restaurants and hospitality industry can benefit from digital content strategies by:

• Displaying brightly lit menus and specials that can be updated daily
• Promoting special menus
• Offering daily or weekly specials at discounted prices
• Using interactive maps to direct resort guests to their rooms and other areas of interest

Healthcare

In healthcare settings, digital content strategies can include:

• Displaying information about services and procedures that provide education and insights to patients and caregivers waiting in healthcare facilities
• Spotlighting dentists, doctors, and staff 
• Presenting contests and quizzes about healthcare issues
• Running news feeds and weather reports
• Running short patient testimonial videos
• Showing videos of outreach work your practice performs at home or in other countries

Corporate

In the corporate world, internal communications using content strategies for digital signage can:

• Keep employees in the loop about upcoming events and emergency procedures
• Inspire and motivate staff to perform at higher levels
• Increase employee retention as employees say they would stay longer at a company that listens to and addresses their concerns

Education

Educational facilities using creative content strategies for digital signage stand to improve student performance and outcomes as well as:

• Direct students to their classrooms with colorful and fun graphics and videos
• Welcome students and parents to schools with messages that promote school spirit and community
• Build confidence and motivate students with shout-outs for student accomplishments and milestones achieved
• Provide spaces for pertinent emergency messages and pre-approved action to deal with various situations

A few tips to keep in mind when creating successful content

Keep it simple— less is more with digital signage. With only seconds to get your point across with digital billboards, pylon signs, monument signs and other digital signage in high traffic areas, you should use:

• Straightforward, concise, and to-the-point messages with short sentences and bulleted lists
• High-quality, images and videos that will make your digital displays pop 
• Brand-coordinating fonts, contrasting color combinations, interesting compositions, and clear calls-to-action
• Use interactivity sparingly in the way of quizzes, games, and polls
• QR codes to launch interactive catalogs and links to your web store or website

Tracking your data

Use your digital signage data as a valuable tool for developing hyper-targeted content that resonates with your audience. By tracking dwell times and interaction rates you can understand your target audience and their interests, developing content that resonates with them.

Testing your data

Testing your content before launching a huge rollout helps you to understand what works and what improvements need to be made to your content before widespread content reaches the majority of your potential customers. 

Now, with all these tips in hand, just how do you create outstanding, effective content?

Generating creative content

Developing a creative content strategy for your digital signage is one thing, but generating creative content presents a unique challenge. Most larger companies generate creative content through their art or marketing departments. However, smaller companies who may not have a budget for advertising still have many options for creating content for their digital signage. AI Screen offers a multi-pronged content creation platform with versatile tools and templates that can help you create professional signage with a myriad of fonts, backgrounds, and video capabilities to create effective content with. Some of these tools include:

• Canvas App— the ultimate image creation and editing tool for digital signage content creators
• Digital Memory Boards—the solution to washed-out printed menus at your restaurant or cafe; Visually stunning, dynamic menus allow you to easily manage and update your items, showcase specials, and encourage customers try more items
• Quotes—adds personality and charm to your digital signage with inspirational quotes, quirky facts, and social media updates
• Google Slides— awesome integration offers a user-friendly design experience that lets you create stunning visual presentations, with or without design skills
• Content management tools that allow you to program your digital content

At YESCO, our Creative Services team of experienced designers make managing your sign easy. From creating compelling content to programming your display for you, all at an affordable cost. Contact Creative Services at 1-801-413-1130, to find out more!