Author: Ram

Digital signages have many uses, like running promotional ads, interacting with the audience through exciting contests, and showcasing product galleries. Begin by identifying the intent behind setting up signage. Most businesses prefer a blend of promotional and interactive content to keep the customers engaged.

Ideas You Can Implement

• Running time-sensitive ads during crowded hours.
  The time of the day also plays a crucial role in selecting the content type. For instance, time-sensitive ads remain suitable during crowded hours. Running ads through signage remains ideal as it remains a cost-effective method compared to traditional advertising.

• Showing interactive content to capture and retain attention.
  People have a low attention span, and losing interest is common. Your thought-out promotional videos won’t survive if you only boast about your product collection and trending offers. Therefore, work on running interactive quizzes, contests, and animated slides for fresh, dynamic, and engagement-driven content.

• Standing up for a cause.
  Whether you run promotional or interactive content, it connects with your products or services. However, many businesses take it up a notch by standing up for a cause that they are passionate about.

For example, a shopping center in England partnered with Battersea, a home for cats and dogs, to start a #lookingforyou campaign.
The home aimed at increasing adoptions and volunteers began by giving out brochures with a radio frequency tag. Every person who took the brochure would see a dog named Barley pop up on a digital sign throughout the center.

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The campaign remained highly influential in gaining engagement. Standing up for a cause you deeply believe in helps your audience understand you better and develop an emotional connection.

The importance and relevance of the ads heavily impact the frequency. For example, running an enticing offer on your bestselling products will likely capture attention. It makes sense to run these ads more frequently than others; as you know, customers already love these products. Therefore, give more display time to ads with high relevance to potential customers.

Other Factors Impacting Ad Frequency

• Screen’s distance from the viewer: If the screen is installed far from the viewer, you can run ads multiple times to ensure it catches the audience’s attention.

• The crowd in the store: There’s no point running multiple ads in an empty or barely crowded store. Make it a point to increase ad frequency when you have enough people in the store. Therefore, schedule ads based on the timings with the maximum crowd.

As discussed earlier, digital signage must have the correct promotional and interactive content blend.

Key Areas to Target

• Displaying more video content.
  Use short yet compelling videos as viewers interact better with videos than static images. You can showcase product demos, new product launches, production processes, different ways of styling your products, customer feedback, etc.

  Raise awareness about existing products and their key benefits. Sometimes, users fail to notice products they like among a store’s hundreds of products. Display your best products on a digital screen to pique interest and initiate more action. Also, slip in the idea of visiting your social media pages, website, and newsletter subscription.

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• Keep your audience updated with news from your niche.
  People love knowing about industry-specific information. Instead of boring them with the usual content, try going into specifics and monitoring the engagement. You can also keep them updated with your business’s different locations.

• Showcase images and videos from recent events and workshops.
  Businesses conducting events and workshops must share the experience through digital signage. These images and videos help build a connection with the audience beyond basic selling tactics. Moreover, it motivates people in your store to participate in the next event.

• Share the experience of past customers.
  People’s buying decision is drastically affected by what other customers say about a business. Therefore, share reviews from your website, social pages, or Yelp to build trust and garner engagement.

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• Answer frequently asked questions about your products.
  Go through user reviews and connect with your sales reps to identify FAQs related to your business. Answer these FAQs to help out customers who hesitate to ask any question.

Additional tip: Along with informing about an upcoming event, give customers a chance of an exclusive entry to garner engagement.

You don’t have to be a graphic designer to create compelling content for digital signage. Platforms like Adobe and Canva have many templates suitable for diverse content creation. You can easily create posters, infographics, short videos, etc., without hassle.

For example, Rawshorts is a great free tool for creating animated videos. But if you are more inclined to develop presentations, go for PowerPoint.

You can also keep an eye out for digital signage providers who help with end-to-end service offerings, including creating content. Intelisa, besides having an in-built integration to Canva, also provides a great additional introductory package for customers by designing the right creatives and managing their creative library. This greatly eases the process of adopting the new digital signage channel and getting the best ROI through it.

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You can hire a graphic designer or display free stock content (images and videos). Many businesses go with purchasing compelling stock images, too.

Here are some of the best free and paid stock photography websites you can consider to get you started:

• Adobe Stock
• Pexels
• Pixabay
• Unsplash
• Shutterstock
• Getty Images
• Vecteezy
• Offset by Shutterstock (content from more experienced photographers)
• Fotolia

The placement of digital signage plays a crucial role in capturing the audience’s attention. It might seem straightforward, but it requires some thinking.

Key Questions Before Installation

• What’s the general path taken by your customers to reach the location?

• Which areas have the highest amount of crowd during rush hours?

• Where do your customers spend time waiting around in the store?

• Is there any extra wall space that directly captures the audience’s attention?

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Placement Ideas

• Interior walls for conveying broad messages: Fixed in angles directly facing customers for general messaging like “50% off on weekends.”

• Aisled endcaps for targeted content: Smaller digital screens with highly specific content such as exclusive offers or product demos.

• To reduce the waiting time: Install a screen with informative content at checkout counters to keep customers engaged.

Tip: Avoid filling empty wall space — go forward with strategic signage placement.

Easy setup and installation remain a priority when considering digital signage software for your business.

For instance, Intelisa’s cloud-based software ensures you get started within a few clicks. You can control it using your smartphone or computer, integrate your social pages, create dynamic content, and offer a personalized experience.

Core Features Intelisa Provides

• Plug-and-play solution is active in 5 minutes

• Displays all content types (images, videos, documents, etc.)

• Works in offline mode for intermittent internet areas

• User-friendly interface for all tech levels

• Affordable subscription-based model

• Increases revenue through third-party advertising

• Centralized monitoring and content control

• Social media integration for reusing online assets

• Many advanced features to future-proof your investment

The software you choose eventually decides the success of your campaigns. Therefore, ensure you go through all relevant features before choosing.

How often have you walked into a store after seeing a sale sign or a tempting offer?

Our excitement to purchase heightens when our most-loved products are highlighted, especially with special offers. But what if disappointment follows as the sale ended weeks ago or the product displayed is out of stock?

The traditional ways of communication (posters, pamphlets, magazine displays) show a single offering for an extended period. Conveying new information takes an unnecessary amount of time and effort.

Why choose digital signages over traditional approaches?

• Display real-time information on limited period offers and sales on the best-selling products.

• Automation removes the burden of manual effort and costs.

• Enhance customer excitement with countdowns for upcoming sales.

• Scheduling offers and promotions become more accessible while you convey your top offers to a mass audience.

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Takeaway tips:

• A 50% off sign next to a fast selling product will likely drive enquiries for that product. Changing offers dynamically is as important as highlighting the right product, and both are key to amplifying sales.

• Use a digital signage solution that lets you schedule your promotions in advance and track analytics. For instance, Intelisa’s AI-driven analytics help create targeted content based on results. Measure the results, modify your content creation strategy, and follow it with strategic signage placement.

Do you have a crazy story behind how your brand came into existence?

Use digital signage to convey that story and show your brand is more than the products or services it provides. A unique brand story helps establish a connection with your prospective customers.

Brand loyalty often stems when prospects connect with your brand’s values. Here are some questions you can focus on:

• What core problems you identified led you to start your brand?
  Explain how you came around to the solutions that stem from your personal troubles.

• What are the unique ways you use to solve the concerned problems?
  Give your audience a glimpse of your thought-out approaches.

• Does your brand name have deep values attached to it?
  People love dwelling on compelling stories driving an action.

• How much have you progressed over the years?
  Play with numbers and create a visual impact while depicting your progress.

• Is your brand focused on producing eco-friendly products? What other soft aspects do you cater to through your products?

Every successful brand recognizes the importance of storytelling. Instead of conveying the idea of selling products with every content piece, focus on selling experiences.

Do you know that 93% of consumers agree to make quicker buying decisions with User-generated content (UGC)?

Prospective customers will likely believe past users’ experiences and reviews rather than the experience the brand claims to provide or advertises. The impact of user-generated content on conversions remains high. Moreover, providing unbiased information on your products helps make quicker decisions.

Showcase a social media wall

Creating a social media wall is the easiest way of incorporating UGC into digital signage. Social media works wonders in capturing attention in the retail setting. Focus on the following aspects while creating a social media wall:

• Either target a specific platform like Twitter or have a blend of different ones (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.).

• Work on identifying the platforms where your target audience talks the most.

• Next, extract all these conversations, photos, and videos and display them to your prospects.

• Include social icons on the signage to drive traffic to your social platforms.

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Takeaway tips

• Show your prospective customers the experience you provide through text, images, and videos. With Intelisa, you can communicate real-time updates with social media integration, ERP integration, and more. It’s time to eliminate static posters conveying outdated information to users.

• Displaying past users’ experiences next to the products helps give customers a real-time experience to initiate the buying decision.

Does your production process differ significantly from your competitors? Is it a short yet exciting journey your prospects should know about?

Audiences love knowing the production process of the items they use regularly. Brands often make heavy claims about their products in marketing campaigns. But they rarely put effort into backing it up with proof.

Words continue to have a substantial impact, but showcasing the actions builds trust. Here is what you should do instead:

• Instead of claiming the use of eco-friendly raw materials, display the entire production process.

• Provide utmost transparency to establish credibility among your target audience.

• Add enough transitions in your videos for a visually pleasing effect.

• Blend the production process with funny behind-the-scenes videos to make it interesting.

People outside your retail store can see only a limited number of products displayed on the front.

What if they are interested in spending on products they can’t see?

You can interpret audiences’ needs, but the final decision comes from their end.

With digital signage, showcase your wide range of products in a captivating and dynamic video walls. Combine them with the top benefits they provide to a targeted customer segment. Moreover, giving quick access to various works well in capturing interest.

Here’s how Rebecca Minkoff, one of the luxury fashion brands, uses digital signage to provide an interactive experience.

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Using this interactive digital signage, users can browse through product catalogues, contact attendants, etc. It provides a hassle-free experience of exploring items, especially during a heavy crowd in-store.

Let’s say you launched an excellent new product solving a key customer challenge.

How do you know that customers wouldn’t postpone their buying decision?

Once they do, what are the odds of them returning to purchase the same?

Highlight any of the following three components to initiate a quicker buying decision:

• The top common challenges your product solves

• The benefits you provide to different target segments

• Limited-time deals/enticing offers to fasten the buying decision

Do you know that QR codes work great for impatient customers desiring quick information?

There are various ways of using QR codes in your product launch to enhance customer engagement. Start by understanding the needs of your target customers. Here are some everyday use cases of QR codes on digital signage displays:

• Many customers require detailed information about specific products.
  How about installing digital signage with a QR code that loads and provides all the information one needs to decide? Try adding specific discounts for first-time users to improve the chances of instant conversion. Remember that most brands succeed in increasing conversions by making QR codes a source of additional information.

• Organize a fun quiz or giveaways.
  QR codes also remain efficient for entertainment purposes. People love indulging in a quiz or giveaways. Many brands organize puzzle challenges or exciting events like scavenger hunts.

• Use QR codes to display your product catalogs.
  Showcasing your wide range of products remains one of the most efficient ways of customer engagement. Provide access to your product catalogs in one easy scan, and you are good to go.

• Using QR codes for extracting customer information.
  Include a short form demanding basic customer information in return for discounts or coupons. Then use the information to keep customers updated with the latest products, upcoming sales, etc.

• Direct them to your website or social page.
  Customers love understanding a brand inside and out before making a purchase. Many minute details about your brand become a great decision-maker. Use QR codes to direct customers to your website, eCommerce store, or social channels. Help them understand the range of your products, brand story, current following, etc.

Takeaway tip: Use QR codes on digital signage to organize exciting quizzes, challenges, and additional product information.

Customers have abundant questions about a new product in the market. Some are quick to address their queries while others expect to know without asking.

Using Digital Signage to answer frequently asked questions regarding the product will establish clarity. Remember that a customer’s mind having fewer questions increases the chances of conversion.

Do you know what’s the most successful feature of an in-store digital signage strategy?

Our research has found two in-depth surveys trying to figure the same out:

• According to a survey conducted by WBR, interactivity remained the top feature. They survey 100 different retailers with 87% of them dwelling on the importance of interactivity.

• Another retail survey conducted by SOTI showed that 66% of shoppers hate human interaction and prefer self-checkouts. It also revealed that 75% of shoppers like digital displays showcasing inventory availability. This shows that they hate looking for someone to help them out.

Both surveys emphasize the importance of interactive digital signage solutions.

What better way to entice your customers than using animation to showcase information?

No one likes looking at boring displays.

Let’s say your product has multiple uses and stands out amongst the competition based on the areas of diversity. Imagine explaining the uses with 2-D or 3-D animation.

Another great idea is using different animated characters to target your various customer segments. Furthermore, if you are targeting teenagers then adding animation is the best way to capture attention.

While all this was internal communication, there were external factors as well. On an average, the society received at least 20 requests from various prominent brands for distributing product promotions, for door-to-door marketing access, for placing posters on notice boards, and so on.  The advent of COVID-19 has forced societies to follow a strict check on people entering and leaving society.

Housing Society

• Increase in revenue from advertising income for the society.
• Increased awareness of maintenance updates and participation in community events. As per the society, participation in events has increased by at least 50% percent, after the introduction of digital notice boards.
• Printing for notices completely eliminated (>95%), which is one step closer to making the society eco-friendly and resulting in a cost-saving of at least 10% on monthly stationary expenses.
• Avoid access to external people moving inside the society for marketing purposes, thereby ensuring higher security compliance which includes Covid safety protocols.
• Increase access to bulk marketing deals offered exclusively for the society from hyperlocal brands.

Marketing Agency

• Access to a targeted set of audience, as close to the home as possible.
• 70-90% ad slot utilization, on any day with a lot of request from SME and hyperlocal companies.
• Ability to add/delete/modify marketing content from their office in real time without any other operational overhead.
• Very high viewership estimated to be at least 40% of the residents on a daily basis. Given that these notice board were the key means for internal communication, almost every resident would pause to take note of the screen communication.
• Real-time reports to track and monitor campaigns on various different screens.
• Run all kinds of media be it video, images, document, or directly stream from the Internet.
• Transparent reporting on total screen time as well as advertisement  repetition frequency across all the screens

COVID-19 has only accelerated the Returns for the marketing agencies with more and more brands trying to look for media as close to the consumer’s home as possible. With the success of this model, the agency is already in talks with more societies to replicate and expand.