Once you decide to bring digital signage into your business, you have already made a significant discovery and decision.

You know that media screens can entertain, educate, and engage your customers. They decrease perceived wait time, reinforce your brand, and offer opportunities to pull in additional revenue.

But just having digital signs in your business will not guarantee these results.

To get the full benefits, you must follow through with your plan by delivering a smart and strategic content plan. That means not making any of these mistakes as you create your digital signage content.

Create Content Just Because You Like It

It is extremely tempting, but do NOT create your content based solely around what you would like to see on the screen.

The content is not for you. It is for your customers.

So, think about what they want to see. What type of content intersects with their interests? What information do they need? What would entertain them?

Build your content strategy around what would best serve your customers — not what would entertain you.

Ignore Display Size and Positioning

As you create content on a smaller screen, you may be happy with the results. The graphics are clear, the text is large and easy to read, and the content fits nicely within the frame.

But remember — the way your content looks on a computer screen won’t necessarily be how it looks on your digital sign.

A different screen size may impact your content. So as you create your content, consider what elements will look best on your sign, not on your computer screen.

  • Consider the distance between your customers and the screen. Make sure your fonts are clear and large enough to read from their perspective.
  • Use high-quality graphics and images that won’t be pixelated on a larger screen.
  • Use the appropriate frame ratio so graphics won’t be distorted or stretched.

Once you create your content, put yourself in the shoes of your customers. Watch the screen from their perspective and identify any portion of your content that needs to be reworked so it is clearly displayed.

Guess at Length and Duration of Programming

When you create content yourself, it’s easy to get to a certain point in the project and just stop. Based on a gut-feeling or fatigue, you believe you have created enough content.

But that is a terrible way to determine the appropriate length and duration of your programming.

Never guess at how much content you need.

Instead, do some research to determine how long your content loop should be. Consider where you will put the digital sign and how long the audience will be in front of it.

For example, if the sign will go in your waiting room, determine how long the average customer waits. Then, create a content loop that is a little longer than the average wait time. You don’t want your customers to see the same content on repeat, so create content loops that will outlast their time in front of the screen.

Create New Content Whenever You Feel Like It

Just as you don’t want to show the same content to a customer over and over during one sitting, you don’t want to play content on repeat each time they visit.

You need to regularly revise content so that it is fresh, relevant, and timely.

Don’t create new content for your digital signage whenever you feel like it. Instead, create a schedule that alerts you when need to revise your content so promotions are updated, content is relevant to the season, and content will be fresh for your customer’s next visit.

Make It All About Your Brand or Not About Your Brand At All

As you create your content, you can’t focus solely on your audience or solely on your brand.

Good digital signage content delivers what your audience wants and needs while subtly promoting your branding.

If your content is all about providing your audience with want they want to see, you miss valuable opportunities to promote your brand, services, and products. But if you create content that is all about selling, you will lose your audience’s interests.

So, do both.

Sprinkel in advertisements or promotions that highlight your business throughout your entertaining and valuable content. Use a custom border that frames your content and gives your audience what they want, while keeping your brand front and center. Use a nice balance of promotions and creative content to serve both your business and your customers.

good-vs-bad-design2.jpgOverlook Professionalism

A digital sign is only as good as the content it displays. So, don’t negate the power of your sign by displaying low-quality, lazy content.

A digital sign positions your business as modern, contemporary, and fresh — but only if your content gives off a professional appearance.

Before your content goes live:

  • Double check for typos and misspellings.
  • Remove any offensive or inappropriate material or language.
  • Remove unprofessional graphics that look like clipart.

If possible, incorporate the help of skilled copywriters, actors, audio and video producers, designers, and voice over talent who can add professional polish to your content. It’s a content creation cost that will be worth the investment.

Filling your digital signage with quality, useful, and professional content is the best way to maximize the benefits of your new marketing and communication tool.

If you are still struggling with creating content or aren’t sure how to use you digital sign to best benefit your business, get a free digital assessment from Spectrio. Our specialists will assess your situation and provide you with guidance on how to improve and upgrade your content plan to get the most out of your digital signage.