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Top 10 Digital Signage Tips

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As the Australian media landscape becomes more fragmented and consumers are becoming more difficult to reach, marketers need to think smarter when planning their campaigns. Many are turning to Out-of-Home Digital (OOHD) media, which offers national and international coverage in real-time, capturing the attention of consumers who are switching off from traditional ways of engaging.

OOHD is the narrowcasting of video content to plasma and LCD screens either in-store or in captive consumer out-of-home environments. Advertising is displayed on flat-panel screens near the point of sale, influencing shoppers at the time when it most matters – as they are making a purchasing decision. With more than 75 percent of purchasing decisions made at point-of purchase, this media platform is extremely powerful.

As one of the fastest growing marketing and communications sectors, OOHD solves many of the problems plaguing traditional media, including declining national audiences, technology allowing consumers to skip or avoid ads and the shift in consumer attention to alternative media.

Human attention as an economic resource has become scarce. Advertisers and marketers are now beginning to adapt their media mix to match changing consumer media-consumption habits.  OOHD offers targeted media that is effective, relevant and engages the consumer.

Here are the top 10 tips to get OOHD media working for your business.

1. Strategy first

A marketing strategy using OOHD includes a high level of control and measurability relative to traditional marketing and communications channels. Marketers who rely heavily on national advertising should investigate alternative digital platforms like OOHD networks to effectively reach national audiences, ensuring greater reach, greater brand recall and to remain competitive.

2. Quality is king

Make sure the content screening on OOHD networks is at least as good as, if not better than, broadcast quality. High-definition content is essential in making sure your screens hit the spot and meet ‘best-in-market’ standards. Content displayed via this digital marketing method can range from simple text and images through to 2D motion graphics and 3D animation. It is important to ensure your visual messages hit the mark by designing eye-catching, rich, dynamic content that informs and entertains consumers.

3. Understand the environment

Keep in mind that OOHD targets people standing in queues, in dwell areas and in captive environments. It is important to deliver content that is in-context. Entertaining and informative content can be interspersed with advertisements so that OOHD complements the traditional media and marketing mix.

4. Dwell time matters

Dwell Time – the time a consumer spends in a store – has a big impact on purchasing behaviour. When using OOHD as a marketing method, it is important to know what dwell time means, how to measure it and the most appropriate content to reach the consumer so they spend more time in the store and, therefore, purchase more. Dwell time varies enormously as some audiences will be trying to do something else at the same time as looking at the screens. Often, there is only a few seconds to engage with the shopper, so simple, bold messages are important

5. Content mix

Advertising doesn’t work – on its own, that is. Digital signage content is considered an art and science – different products, environments and demographics all demand a different approach. Get the content mix right and consumers will watch. Screens that simply rotate through a series of static images will quickly disengage your audience, as they operate like traditional signage platforms.

6. Make it relevant

Talk to the individual and make the content relevant to them. Remember it’s not broadcast and the messages can be tweaked to show a range of content as different consumers enter the store at different times of the day or week. Understand and research your audience.

7. Keep it fresh

Stale content is the enemy, especially for this dynamic marketing medium. Keep consumers interested with a combination of short content snippets and update regularly. The challenge is to engage the audience in a short space of time. Content can be updated and scheduled via a centrally-managed web-based media management system.

8. Target consumers

Do metro shoppers on a Saturday behave like rural shoppers on a Tuesday? OOHD networks allow advertisers to target specific demographics, with different content tailored for each screen in a location, depending on time of day, day of the week, etc. For example, the Boost Juice in-store network targets a young, healthy consumer segment, with 85 percent of the audience between 18-34 years old.

9. Use the channel to inform

These days, consumers have a real thirst for knowledge and very little time to spend acquiring it. Shoppers want information, especially if it will take their minds off standing around waiting! Use real-time news feeds to engage and inform your consumers.

10. Do it fast

Change content quickly, update messages swiftly and react to the market. That’s what the media is all about, especially digital media. The OOHD audience is not static but the medium offers unmatched potential to capture and keep audience attention long enough for messages to register.

OOHD targets the New Consumer: those people whose attitudes and behaviour are driving the biggest macro-trends influencing consumer behaviour globally. They are the new breed of active, savvy consumer rather than the passive, naive consumer of yesterday.

Julie Frikken is Creative and Planning Director at Prime Digital Media.

Photo: Gustav H (flickr)