Digital media is one of the fastest growing sectors in the signage industry. Location, environment, compiling the correct content for a target audience and being aware of trends will help you implement a successful digital signage strategy. This article appears in the Sign Africa Journal.
PARROT PRODUCTS
ENVIRONMENT
WHERE SHOULD THE SCREEN BE PLACED TO REACH THE CORRECT TARGET MARKET?
Creating a high quality content plan for the screen is pointless if it’s in the wrong location. The correct placement makes the difference in getting a return on your investment.
Firstly, identify if it will be used for indoor or outdoor advertising. Indoor screens are generally smaller than outdoor ones and are thus more effective when at eye level. The indoor screen needs to be placed where it will entice the customer to stop and take time to watch the screen.
Outdoor placement is not as easy as people think. There is a lot of regulation as to where the screens can be placed and this can be found at most local councils. But generally you would want a space that is not obstructed with traffic flow (examples being busy intersections and roads) and where the screen does not get direct sun in the morning or afternoon as this will dull the screen’s brightness.
WHICH TOOLS CAN BE USED TO REACH THE TARGET AUDIENCE?
First, you need a marketing strategy. Identify what the desired target market is and how you are going to reach them. Be aware of trends – what the target market wants most of you – and then identify what channel is the best to reach them.
These channels could be for example, large format digital screens playing advertising clips with the identified trends, interactive touch screen LED’s to draw the consumer in and let them interact with the screen or self service kiosks that have targeted adverts on them at specific times.
CONTENT
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF CONTENT?
Ones that relate best to digital signage are advertising, persuasive content and information content.
Advertising content is generally the most widely used content on digital signage and advertises everything from brands to announcements to general information. Persuasive content is where brands/retailers display things like sales, special pricing and buy one get one free. Even though this is also advertising, the content falls into its own category as it is seen as persuasive because it uses words that grab the attention of the targeted audience.
Information content is also important as it can be used for things like directional information or store directories. Some would have experienced these systems, particularly internationally when you cannot speak the language and you use an interactive signage system to help you find your way.
HOW DOES CONTENT FOR DIGITAL SIGNAGE DIFFER FROM STATIC BILLBOARDS?
Think of digital signage as a movie of an exotic island and a static billboard as a photo of this island. A photo can only explain so much whereas a movie can take you there and let you experience it.
The same applies to advertising: a static billboard has one image that will be there for however long the billboard is up, however a digital sign could have numerous images and clips that can be looped over and over. The other big factor is that the eye catches movement and with digital signage this is a lot easier than static.
TIPS FOR QUICKLY CHANGING CONTENT
Depending which software is used on the screens, changing the content is quick and easy. The content is changed offline and then once the presentation file is ready, the content is either uploaded to the card on the screen or to the computer that is running the screen.
WHAT ARE THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN DIGITAL SIGNAGE?
The latest trend is software with advanced algorithms that identify what target market is close to the screen and then what to display according to the marketing strategy. Another development is interactive signage where consumers engage with the digital panel. As with most technology, the speed of the development is determined by the demand of the product and with digital signage growing across the globe, the future developments will be exciting.
Digital Signage is a lot like what social media was 10 or so years ago. It is there and people have heard about it but no one knows how to use it and truly understands its full potential. Digital media reaches more people via digital signage than social media and is one of the fastest growing sectors in the signage industry.
WHICH DIGITAL SIGNAGE PRODUCTS DO YOU SELL?
We sell a wide selection of digital signage solutions from large format indoor and outdoor digital signage, to information kiosks and interactive solutions.
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SKYCO MEDIA SOLUTIONS
ENVIRONMENT
WHERE SHOULD THE SCREEN BE PLACED TO REACH THE CORRECT TARGET MARKET?
The best position is where the audience will have at least 5-10 seconds to watch the screen. That’s why airports, public transport stations and shopping centres are popular locations for digital signage.
The following places are also ideal:
• Commercial building elevator: audiences will have time to watch a full ad when moving from one floor to another. Usually the cell phone signal in elevators is bad, so people may shift their attention from their phones to the screen.
• Banks, government offices and hospitals or doctor’s rooms, where people need to wait in a queue and will keep watching an ad if it interests them.
WHICH TOOLS CAN BE USED TO REACH THE TARGET AUDIENCE?
Digital signage gives advertisers possibilities to display different ads in different environments at different times; so a system should ideally have a built-in face recognition system. This will help analyse the audience’s age or gender and the visitor flow rate. You can then decide the time schedule and variables to maximise advertising.
CONTENT
HOW DOES CONTENT FOR DIGITAL SIGNAGE DIFFER FROM STATIC BILLBOARDS?
It allows for different media formats such as videos, pictures and information, so people need time to watch a full ad.
TIPS FOR QUICKLY CHANGING CONTENT
You need products with user friendly software to easily change content. Good quality hardware will also ensure the device always performs well.
WHAT ARE THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN DIGITAL SIGNAGE?
• Big data: face recognition systems allow companies to display certain content or ads targeted to their clients.
• Interactive touch functions allow interactivity, which will attract people’s attention. These days, most people are constantly focused on their phone, so interactive content will help to grab their attention and will play an important role in digital signage.
WHICH DIGITAL SIGNAGE PRODUCTS DO YOU OFFER?
With Skyco media content management software, we can display many different formats of the content separately or mixed together, as long as the device is connected to the internet it will be easily managed by our software. We offer indoor and outdoor LED displays, video walls, security systems and digital signage for all kinds of indoor and outdoor signage.
Sign Africa Journal www.signafrica.com/magazine
