In recent years we have seen greater use of outdoor digital signage. But how much of that is really being seen, or read, by anyone passing by? Is there a purpose to it and does it really do anything to call attention to the business or organisationdisplaying that signage? Actually, it might not be the actual signage but rather the content it is displaying that lacks what it takes to be seen and read. If you are in the process of looking into digital signage for your place of business, just be aware of the fact thatcontent is just as important here as it is on your website. What you say matters.
1. Holiday Greetings
People are always festive around the holidays and will often smile at the thought of an upcoming party or social gathering they have been invited to. However, it is important to remember that we live in a global society so you can’t single out one holiday over another. For example, if you say Happy Easter with a cute little bunny hopping across your display, you should also mention Passover that is around the very same time with, perhaps, a picture of the Seder meal.
2. Current Sales Events
This is an especially effective type of digital signage content for car dealerships. Typically, you will see this at the end of model years just prior to the release of new cars for the next year. You can list drastically reduced prices and even photographs of vehicles on your lot. Drivers passing by just might swing in to view that hybrid they’ve been looking at but price was an issue in the past.
3. Hours of Operation
No one likes to make a trip for nothing to visit a place of business. Upon arrival they find out they are closed for another hour or have been closed for two. Nothing puts a customer off quite like not being able to do what they came to accomplish.
4. Special Events
Special events are always a big draw, that is if the public hears about them before the fact. Altogether too often the general public doesn’t even know their favourite celeb will be at a grand opening, for example, until it hits social media after their friends happened upon the event quite by accident. If you want attendance, use your digital signage. It’s much more visible than television these days, so use it!
5. Images
As mentioned with the car dealership above, images say in a single glance what you would need volumes to say in the written word. Also, with an image you don’t need to rack your brain trying to figure out how to describe something. However, the quality of the image is important as well, so make sure that you are first using a type of digital signage that has the capability to display clear graphics and then you might think of hiring a professional photographer to take those shots. Show your products in their very best light. What’s easier than showing a picture? That’s the epitome of description!
6. Employee Recognition
Once again, remember you are living and working in a community where so many people know each other. Whether you are in a large metropolitan area or a small community in the suburbs, people like to know that their friends and neighbours are appreciated for a job well done. Lack of recognition is a main reason why so many employees hate their jobs. They will surely think highly of any brand that values the efforts of their staff.
7. Contests
Who doesn’t like to get something for nothing? Why not sponsor a contest or two a year with a particularly nice grand prize? Not only do consumers like freebies they win as prizes but the very fact that they won something, anything at all, is an accomplishment in itself. Give them something to talk about and your contest just went viral. People like to ‘brag’ a little as well, so you can be sure they will talk about winning, what they won, and where they won it.
8. Special Community Messages
This is something you see often during military campaigns around the world. For example, after 9/11 and the tragedy at the World Trade Center, businesses and organisations around the world posted messages in memoriam of those who lost their lives on that fateful day.Whether it is a tragic event or a happy event, special community messages show you care about the community in which you live and do business. That, alone, is a key selling point with millennials. They want to have a relationship with brands above and beyond the lowest price in town.
These are just eight content ideas that will not only help you bring in traffic, but they will almost always help you build brand. If you want to own your market, be the brand that people come tothink of when they think of what it is you do or sell. Digital signage will be seen by anyone passing by and that’s something that can’t even be said of the internet!
