Branded digital signage content? Check. Screen placement optimized? Check. Captive audience? Not so much.
Let’s be honest, when you pay the big (or not so big) bucks for a hoppin’ digital signage system, you want body count. No, not the CSI kind. I’m talking eyes-on-the-screen.
And if we’re being really honest, you’re not just using your screen to fight off your competitors. You’re also butting heads with the likes of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Storify, Candy Crush, and the latest app of the month. And it’s all because of that pesky little smartphone fused to everyone’s hand. You’ve got to rip their attention away from their screen and then keep it glued to your own – in the span of a few seconds.
Digital signage content: can it compete with smartphones?
Not doable, you say? People have the attention span of a goldfish so it’s a lost cause? You’re selling yourself short, and the latest research proves it. Contrary to popular belief, humans do not have an eight-second attention span. And according to researchers interviewed by the BBC, how much we focus on any given activity depends on what it offers us. And what we decide to bring to the table. But how do you make people choose your screen over theirs?
It’s all about awesome digital signage content
Give your customers no choice but to focus their attention on your screen. It’s why you invested in digital signage in the first place.
How’s it done? By delivering digital signage content they just can’t do without. Content they actually need (and trust me, you can easily take on the latest Twitter-trending gif and come out on top).
Give them something valuable
Sure, digital signage solutions like Yodeck offer excellent content management with unlimited media-rich possibilities. But all that tech capability will get you nowhere if your content is lacking. Just because digital signage content is free for your customers, it doesn’t mean it should be worthless. In fact, the best thing you can do to boost your profit margin is make the content you provide absolutely priceless.
And it’s easier than you think. Just offer people information they can use, something of real-world value and their attention will be yours for the taking.
You’re in retail and you’ve got a bunch of stores? Highlight exclusive sales they won’t be notified about anywhere else and offer a shop-specific discount code. Or give them a preview of your rockin’ new merchandise and tell them when they’ll be able to get their hands on it. Maybe you have only one screen up in a small-town pizzeria? No problem. Give your regulars a free recipe for a quick dish they’ll love, offer them some cooking tips or feature photos of your customers’ parties that you just hosted.
This kind of added-value content will be your calling card. And believe me their eyes will be glued to your screen every time. Added bonus? Scheduling location and time-specific content is a breeze with digital signage solutions like Yodeck.
Make your digital signage content exclusive
The one thing worse than death warmed over is self-promotion regurgitated. Stale publicity spots and outdated info are the digital signage content equivalent of white noise. People will stampede their way back to their smartphones. And it’s super hard to get their attention back.
So what do you do? Feature exclusive content. Give them something not in the local paper or on your website. Or sneak peeks of what you’ve got in the works. Got parents waiting in the main office of your high school? Use digital signage to show them behind-the-scenes footage from the upcoming Spring concert or play. Or have audio playing with snippets from a popular lecture while prospective students wait for a campus tour. (We’re working on bringing you audio assets here at Yodeck!). People will know your screen is the one to watch.
Make it about your community
Of course, you want your digital signage solution to spur sales and help consolidate your branding. Making your digital signage content about your clients too? It helps a ton. Even when it has nothing to do with your profit margin.
Tell people about a community theater production or a bake sale for the local animal shelter in between your business-centered digital signage content. Did your employees just volunteer at a soup kitchen? Highlight their good deed in the content you show on your lobby screen. Even when it’s not about your business, it’s about your community which always grabs people’s attention. And when customers see you care, they’ll stick around.
You can get their attention. Focus on your digital signage content. Give ‘em something good, something exclusive, and something about what’s important to them. How the heck can “Facebook” beat you now?