Before you start creating digital signage content you must understand the uniqueness of the medium.
Digital signage can help businesses cut through today’s visual noise. But before you launch a digital signage program and begin creating content, it’s critical that you appreciate the uniqueness of the medium.
It’s easy to look at the hardware involved in digital signage — screens and players — and think that it’s just like television. That’s why it’s tempting to take video content created for television or online display and use it in a signage network. But digital signage is not television. It’s a completely different medium that comes with its own considerations.
Often, TV and online content isn’t created with variable screen sizes and resolutions in mind so when it is broadcast inside of a signage network it’s not being seen in its optimal format. Also, this content is almost always reliant on audio. In most cases, digital signage content needs to be able to communicate its message using only visuals and on-screen text.
The value of digital signage
The real value of digital signage, though, comes from delivering the right content to the right audience at the right time. Where television traditionally relies on a linear playlist and every screen playing the same content, digital signage doesn’t have those constraints. You can dynamically tailor the content that’s playing on the screens to what’s happening in front of them or their geographic location.
Digital signage software platforms let you tailor specific content to specific screens in individual locations across states, regions, or even across the country so it’s relevant to the audience that’s seeing it. For example, Texans visiting a car dealership don’t need to see a weather forecast for New York.
This location-based content tailoring can even be narrowed to individual screens inside of a building. Is the screen placed in a high-traffic area? Then you want content that can communicate its message quickly. Or is the screen placed in an area where customers are looking for more information? Then interactive content is probably a better fit.
Additionally, unlike traditional signage, digital signage doesn’t limit you to one message per canvas. You also don’t have to worry about printing and distributing hundreds or thousands of signs every few months, saving your employees time and your company money.
And because digital signage enables delivering multiple messages on one canvas, you can address multiple business objectives, like promotions, brand reinforcement, entertainment, and more, all on the same screen.
To capture audience awareness and achieve engagement that goes beyond a passing glance, you need to tailor the content to be effective. Understanding the medium and the unique capabilities of digital signage is key to achieving ROI and meeting objectives.
