Some things just go together and once they\u2019re paired up, and it\u2019s nearly impossible to imagine them on their own \u2013 like digital signage and content.<\/p>\n
Those two go together like s\u2019mores and campfires. Peanut butter and jelly. Daenerys and her dragons. You get the point, you can\u2019t have one without the other. Oh, one more thing: They\u2019re also the perfect pair like Barack and Michelle Obama.<\/p>\n
What we\u2019re trying to say is: Digital signage and content are a match made in heaven. And if our poetic metaphors weren\u2019t enough to convince you, keep reading to learn why.<\/p>\n
Hopefully, you\u2019ve been able to pick up on it by now, but we\u2019re big fans of digital signage. It\u2019s without a doubt one of the best ways to improve your company\u2019s communication strategy. It\u2019s also a good way to future-proof your company in the digital era and show others that your company isn\u2019t stuck in the stone age \u2013 it\u2019s a digital force to be reckoned with. But \u2026<\/p>\n
Digital signage on its own doesn\u2019t make this happen. Not at all. Digital signage might be the medium, but the medium is nothing without the message. Content is the message that powers your digital signage investment.<\/p>\n
Digital signage is a little like the cone that holds the ice cream. (We know we said we were done with analogies, but we lied.) You wouldn\u2019t buy just a plain, empty cone \u2013 and conversely, you couldn\u2019t buy a scoop of ice cream without something to hold it. Such is the relationship between digital signage and content.<\/p>\n
Content is the way you reach your customers. It\u2019s how you leverage your digital signage investment to turn your hardware purchase into ROI-driving marketing results.<\/p>\n
Naturally, the most compelling use of the digital signage\/content partnership is marketing.<\/p>\n
High-visibility digital screens are great for capturing consumer attention, providing a clear, direct marketing message, and motivating that consumer to take action. There\u2019s no comparable strategy on the market that can produce a similar effect. Indeed, we believe that digital signage is the focal point for an entirely new type of signage-centric marketing that few companies are taking advantage of.<\/p>\n
But as we mentioned, it takes content to make this happen. But that\u2019s the great thing about digital signage: Though it comes with an up-front cost, it offers nearly limitless flexibility in how companies can tap into this content and put it to work in service of their marketing goals.<\/p>\n
When\u2019s the last time you saw a paper flyer and rushed into the store to check out the product? We\u2019re guessing it\u2019s been a while. And how about online marketing? Are your company\u2019s digital marketing efforts really producing the results your company needs?<\/p>\n
These solutions are fine ways to generate leads, but consider the research showing that digital media in public venues can reach 27% more people than online strategies. In our view, digital signage (powered by the right content, of course) is a crucial aspect of lead generation. The more you can get in front of your customers\u2019 eyes, the better \u2013 and digital content is an excellent way to draw more leads into your marketing funnel.<\/p>\n
The flexible content templates used in digital signage are the perfect way to upsell, particularly when they\u2019re placed close to the point-of-purchase. Many retailers love to place these screens near checkout lines for this very reason. But the strategy isn\u2019t limited to retail! Just think about how, say, a quick service restaurant could leverage flexible digital displays to boost sales:<\/p>\n
The great things about these applications is that they can be easily traced to ROI. Unlike more abstract marketing goals that may take months to pay off, these content applications have the potential to drive higher revenue today.<\/p>\n
Digital signage works just as well at engaging your own staff as it does your customers. We\u2019ve discussed at length in previous posts the value of having digital signage for internal communication, and we stand by it. But digital signage is far more than just an extension of your bulletin boards; when implemented with the right content, you can turn your internal digital signage into a full-fledged communication hub:<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s not quite as fun as boosting ROI or supporting team morale, our digital signage + content pairing has another important use: emergency preparedness. This is particularly important when digital signage is placed near vulnerable populations, such as in schools, or in hospitals.<\/p>\n
Most places, be they businesses, educational settings, or medical clinics, don\u2019t have visual components to their emergency response. They might have a few signs up showing the locations of storm shelters or fire exits, but in most cases, these places get by with audio signals (alarms, bells, etc.) and nothing else.<\/p>\n
But just think about how content-rich digital signage can expand these capabilities. With high-resolution displays, buildings can set up pre-defined triggers to activate at specific points of crisis. When these triggers activate, signage will automatically update to an emergency response content template that addresses whatever problem is occurring.<\/p>\n