Bradley Cooper, Technology Editor for Digital Signage Today, recently looked at the digital signage in some stores. He noticed that the displays were mostly pushing advertisements and some videos. He did, however, notice a Twitter symbol at the bottom of the display, and a line of text moving very quickly across the page.
‘As I looked closer, I realised that was the company’s twitter feed, which was speeding along so quickly, I could barely get a sense of what it was trying to say,’ said Cooper. He said the only really effective part of that social media feed was that the company’s Twitter handle was in full view. This is a shame, because end users can integrate social media into their displays far more effectively by simply making content visible, highlighting interactions and including a clear call to action.’ The example illustrates that marketers should offer content that engages with users, not just sells to them.
Ways companies can effectively integrate social media with digital signage:
1. Making content visible
Having a feed at the bottom of the screen won’t draw any attention. There are a few ways to make it visible without taking up the entire display. You can use contrasting colours to draw attention to the content, or use animations to make it stand out. You can also set aside some time in your content loop for full screen ‘social media segments’, where the display can showcase some of the best replies or comments.
2. Highlight interactions
Emphasise the social aspect. You need to show customer interactions. Here are a few examples:
• Showcase a customer ‘review of the week’.
• Display customers’ artwork of your brand.
• Show a sense of humour by displaying the best joke someone told about your brand.
• Celebrate inspirational customer stories.
• Display the customer ‘comment/tweet’ of the week.
You can obviously control which comments you choose to highlight. Don’t put up comments that contain trolls. Instead take advantage of troll comments by highlighting a snarky response to trolls, such as the infamous Wendy’s Twitter feed, which features take downs and roasts of users.
3. Include a call to action
The key to all successful advertising is having a clear call to action. Customers should take a look at your message and understand what they should do in response. So if you use social media in your display, it needs to have a clear purpose.
If you want customers to follow you on social media, display your handles/pages very clearly for them to see. If you want to use social media to help drive sales with your display, you will need to carefully consider your message.
You could offer customers a coupon or discount code for liking or following your company’s pages. Or you could put a message on your display saying, ‘Mention this ad on our social media for a free coupon’. With this message, you have a clear call to action in place that helps boost your bottom line.
One quick word of caution – do not use your social media simply to push sales. If you do this, people will very quickly tune it out. The average adult sees 360 advertisements per day, and they only notice about 150 of those.
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This article was sourced from: www.digitalsignagetoday.com
