A digital signage strategy is far more than a screen on the wall and a series of simple graphics or videos. You can’t mount a television or display board in your business, add some arbitrary content, and expect to reap the benefits of an effective digital signage strategy.
To get the full impact made possible by digital signs (increased customer engagement, increased sales and upsells, and higher customer satisfaction rates), you need to pair your digital sign with an effective content strategy.
You need to consider your goals and audience as you create displays that include:
- images and graphics
- videos
- animations
- music
- maps
- menus
- real-time feeds (from social media, news, weather, etc.)
- display frames (wraps around the main content to add additional ads and/or information)
- interactive elements such as touch screens
If you are planning a new digital signage strategy or revamping your content, take some time to consider your content creation process. Use these questions to create an effective digital signage content strategy that aligns with your business goals and best serves your audience and customers.
1. Where Will Your Signs Be Located?
The first consideration is determining where you will place the signage in your location.
It is better to decide on the location first as you can shape your content around the position rather than force a sign into a physical location that doesn’t make sense. For example, it will stop you from creating welcome content then later realizing that you have no place to put the sign near the entrance of your location.
This consideration will also help you determine how many signs and how much content you need. You may discover that you want signs in different locations and that each sign should have unique content.
By knowing the locations of your signs, you will also be able to consider in the environment of the sign. You can identify if it is too loud to include volume and how long your audience will be in front of the sign.
2. Who Is Your Audience?
The most important step in creating good content is identifying your main audience and understanding exactly who you are creating content for.
You need to know your audience early in your content creation process as it will help direct the language you use and the content topics you create.
3. What Does Your Audience Need?
As you begin to brainstorm content ideas for your digital sign, write down a list of what your audience needs to improve their experience at your location.
Do they need…
- information to guide them (maps and wayfinding tools)?
- information to educate them (teach them about products, services and/or your location)?
- information to entertain them (occupy them while they wait)?
Create content that serves your audience’s most basic and urgent needs.
4. What Do You Want Your Audience to Do?
Digital signage content is primarily about serving your audience. But good digital signage content will serve your business as well. It allows you to use your content to direct your audience to take an action that will benefit your business.
Figure out what action you want your audience to take (follow you on social media, purchase an item, visit a certain area of your location, etc.). Then, incorporate call-to-actions in your content to drive the audience take that action.
5. How Often Does Your Content Need to Change?
Part of your content strategy will be determining how much content you need. You don’t want your audience to repeatedly see the same content, so consider:
- how long the audience will be in front of the screen
- how often the audience visits your location
These factors will help you determine both the length of the content loop and how often your content should be changed out entirely so that your audience sees fresh, relevant content.
6. Who Will Be In Charge of Managing Your Content?
Early on, it is a good idea to assign one person to be in charge of managing the content creation and the people creating the content.
7. Who Will Be In Charge of Creating Your Content?
If the person responsible for managing the content cannot create the content themselves, they will likely need a team to help them create the content.
That team may include a copywriter, designer, graphic artists, and/or programmer. Early in your content plans, assign a team member for each of these needs.
8. Do You Have Brand Voice Guidelines?
If your business or brand already creates content (for your blog, social media profiles, advertisements, etc.), it is important that the language, tone, colors, fonts, and voice of your brand match across all mediums.
You should create a guide that outlines your branding details so that your entire team creates content that consistently matches the tone and vibe of your business.
9. Who Will Be In Charge of Approving the Content?
The person responsible for managing your content may not be the same person responsible for approving the content. Decide early on who has the final say for content approval and what the process is for getting that approval. By setting this standard early on, you can prevent delays in your content schedule.
As you can see, there are many factors that play into creating a digital signage strategy that will engage your customers, entertain your audience, and positively impact your business.
If you are struggling with finding the answers to these questions or don’t quite know how to elevate your digital signage strategy to create better results, we are here to help.
Spectrio offers a free, no-obligation digital signage assessment to help you pinpoint places where you can improve your digital signage from display positioning to hardware choices to content creation. Contact us today to request your free digital signage assessment.