datmedia insight and expertise:

Avoid Common Digital Signage Mistakes

Digital signage is a central pillar of marketing strategies.

Yet despite the important role it plays in reaching consumers, some retailers are failing to get good ROI from their digital signage network.

Here’s our take on the common mistakes businesses make, and how you can avoid them.

“It’s not as simple as putting up screens and removing all the posters in-store,” said our GM. “That approach misses what digital signage really has to offer. It’s not a stand-alone solution. It’s an important part of a strategy that extends the online presence all the way to physical stores”.

But what works online isn’t necessarily going to work in stores. You need to tailor creative as part of an overarching communication strategy. The messaging could be uniform, or it might be specific to every retail touch point. You’ll need a robust, carefully planned network to achieve that outcome.

1: The screen is an endpoint, not a starting point

Don’t start with the screen, start with the strategy. Before you carve out budget for equipment, decide how will the ROI be measured. Will it be by sales-uplift, brand awareness, by enhancing customer or employee experience, or all of these? It’s important to work out who’ll be doing the creative and the scheduling. Who will take ownership for digital signage for the organisation. Once that has been established, only then is it time to start thinking about the types of screens you want, and where they’re going to be located.

Now you need to think about size, brightness, visibility and rotation (landscape or portrait). If you have a mix of rotations, it will make your creative and scheduling processes more complicated. Is that ok, have you budgeted for the extra cost that may incur?

When thinking about what your digital signage network will finally look like, put yourself in your customers shoes. Is it attractive, is it engaging, would it add value to your experience? If ‘No’ is the answer to any of these questions, then the strategy needs a bit more work.

2: Location, Location

It’s not good enough to put a screen in a window facing a busy road, run some ads and hope people will respond. What if the window doesn’t get enough foot traffic? What if it’s not bright enough when flooded by afternoon sun? If a potential customer can’t read what’s on the screen, the whole thing is a waste of time and money.

You need to think about customer dwell time. The most sensible location might not be the window but near the counter, or the sale items. Perhaps it’s the dressing room (if you have one). If you can only afford one screen, make that location count. If you can afford more, make them all count.

3: Let’s Get Creative

Get creative with the creative. Always tailor for the moment the consumer is engaged with the message. And what works online may not work in-store. And what works on one screen may not work on another. External facing messages should encourage a visit to the store, while an indoor screen should help guide customers along their path to purchase.

Many retailers forget about how digital signage can be used for all kinds of messaging: informing shoppers about promotional offers, payment options, social distancing, and loyalty programmes. If you have tablets or kiosks, those messages can be even more targeted as these interactions tend to be personalised.

Above all, the creative needs to be constantly adding value. If the screen content is static and just showing one image – not displaying engaging video, thought provoking ideas, or helpful messaging – you’re missing an opportunity.

4. Content With Your Content?

The content management system (CMS) that runs your digital signage network is the most powerful tool in your marketing strategy. A good system such as our Laqorr CMS allows you to place your creative exactly when and where you need it.

Make sure you use all the power that the CMS offers, and a good CMS will make that easy for you. Complex scheduling requirements don’t have to be difficult to manage, but you do have set them up thoughtfully and you do have to manage them. Assigning resources to create the right content and implement a marketing strategy is crucial.

Last Words

Digital signage works. Whether that’s an internal display, large format LED, an outdoor screen. Because you get to decide what plays where and when, you shape the conversation of your marketing in a very specific, very targeted way. When it’s done well, it enhances customer experiences and helps drive sales.

datmedia can help your business benefit from better digital signage. Find out how with a free demo device to trial in your own time, at your own site. What are you waiting for?