When it comes to any form of advertising, including digital signage, the last thing you want is for it to be boring. The worst reaction is not hate, it is indifference. If people hate your messaging, they will likely talk about it and get it noticed.
For example, just look at how Kraft Heinz killed off its mascot Mr Peanut only to bring him back as a baby and then age him up instantly to 21. This act inspired rage across Twitter, but also got the brand a lot of attention. There is no such thing as bad publicity after all.
However, what if the reaction to Mr Peanut was a collective shrug? Or worse still, what if it hurt the brand as people could no longer recognise the mascot, or they found the change boring? Luckily, there are a few easy ways you can spice up even the most generic of digital signage content.
Add more content
The easiest way to make your digital signage stand out is to simply add more content. If you are using a display that only shows one or maybe two pieces of content, you might as well have bought a static paper banner.
By having multiple pieces of content that change regularly, the customer will be more likely to take notice of the display and they might see something interesting. Of course, with this content, you are going to need to freshen it up regularly. You cannot just play the same old content month after month and expect it to still be effective. The content needs to be relevant, useful and fit the environment (the weather, current events, customer moods, etc).
Add some sound
Another way to make your digital signage more interesting is to appeal not just to the eyes but also the ears. In other words, try adding some audio content to your digital signage. There are a number of ways you can do this. You could play music videos on the display, or complement advertising messages for the latest deals with audio that tells customers where they can find those items. This can be a double-edged sword, however, because in certain environments the sound can become either distracting or annoying, so you will need to carefully consider both your business’ environment and the volume level.
Don’t just sell, entertain
Finally, you need to remember that digital signage is more than just a sales tool, it is a tool to communicate with your customers. If all you are going to do is push sales messages to your customers, they will tune it out. You also need to entertain them.
There are many ways to do this, ranging from short-form videos from TikTok to social media integrations. You likely already know the type of content your customers enjoy. You just need to find ways to add it to your digital signage. And once you have their attention, you can follow it up with more traditional advertising. So it’s a win-win.
This article appears in Digital Signage Today.
