Multi-sensory elements
Content should make digital signage feel like part of the environment, not just an added fixture or feature.
The added value of digital signage over other public-facing media is how it can deliver not just static content, but also light, sound, movement and interactivity. Appealing to the various senses at the same time is important in creating an overall experience, as it will earn deeper engagement from the audience.
Integration
Another tool for increasing engagement with digital signage content is integration within the surrounding environment. In a store, for example, the content should make the medium feel like part of the shopping experience, not just an added fixture or feature.
Flow
Similarly, the way the story should be communicated depends on the various opportunities to engage the audience, e.g. from when a customer walks into a store, through the shopping experience, to the moment he/she exits. This is key in making the experience feel more personalized.
It is also worthwhile to realize how content can expand the audience’s experience beyond the physical space by continuing the journey online. A more complicated story can be told in its entirety, for a richer experience, by ensuring consistency across all communications channels.
The science
While some digital signage professionals claim ‘content is king,’ others save that title for data. This notion is supported by such resources as a 2017 report by International Data Corporation (IDC), which predicted the worldwide market for big data and business analytics will grow to $130 billion by the end of 2018 and $203 billion by 2020.
As the terminology suggests, ‘big data’ analytics involves examining large quantities of information to uncover any hidden patterns, correlations and other insights. And a very high degree of insight is possible using today’s technologies, for the purposes of everything from geo-targeted marketing to measuring return on investment (ROI).
Most importantly, collected data can be used to improve CX, adding value to the viewer engagement process. If a marketing campaign can serve as a ‘trusted advisor’ and solve a problem for a retail customer as soon as he/she walks in the door of a store, for example, then he/she is all the more likely to become a loyal, repeat shopper.
One example of this is ‘lift and learn’ interactivity, where a customer picks up a tethered product, which triggers digital signage content specifically focusing on that product and comparing it to others. This technology has been used with everything from mobile phones to baseball gloves.
The bridge
In all digital signage deployments, content both informs the audience and establishes a style.
The art and science of visual communications for the medium of digital signage are connected by the ‘bridge’ of marketing, the goal of which is provide a unique, exciting CX based on an understanding of customers’ needs and tastes.
Marketing has, of course, changed greatly over the years. Just as static signs mounted on walls have now led to the movement, sound and bright illumination of digital signage, so too have marketers needed to develop new ways to reach out effectively to extremely savvy consumers if they are to expand awareness of their brands.
One example is the integration of social media with marketing campaigns. Today’s brand owners can hear directly from their customers through such interactive means and display their thoughts via digital signage.
As author, speaker and digital strategist Luvvie Ajayi put it, in a recent interview for the CreativeMornings lecture series, “People want to feel like you have invested in them in some way and then they will, in turn, invest in you.”
Tracy Grant is a creative strategist for 10net Managed Solutions in North Vancouver, which designs, builds and manages custom digital signage projects. This article is based on a seminar presented by Dan Hagen, 10net’s CEO, at the BC Sign Association’s Sign & Graphics Show in April in Burnaby, B.C. For more information, visit www.10net.net and www.bcsignassociation.com.
