We can give you all the technical details you want about digital signage, but for now let’s just cut right to the chase. No matter if you’re a small business owner, a corporate exec for a global company or someone in between, the bottom line is this: digital signage is today’s golden ticket to captivating your target audience, elevating the customer experience, and as a result, driving greater sales. It’s that simple.
Digital Signage: Defined
To define digital signage, it’s exactly what it sounds like – signage displayed on a digital screen. You may even hear some people call it electric signage. Either way, it’s the same thing. In lieu of traditional print advertisements, menus, posters or signs, the digital images that make up the signage (a.k.a. content) are displayed on a high-definition screen, or series of screens.
Content is driven to the screen from a media player (a.k.a digital signage player) in the same way that your cable box is connected to your TV at home. The media player stores the content that is driven by software that determines how content is displayed on the screen. That’s it in a nutshell. But the reality is that there’s so much more to it.
There’s a Digital Signage Solution for Every Industry
One of the best things about digital signage is how incredibly versatile it really is. It comes in a variety of forms, based on how you plan to use it for the specific industry you serve.
For instance, franchisees of Quick Service Restaurants can replace those tacky old plastic menu boards hanging above the registers with a series of digital menu boards. It reduces print costs and makes it easier for customers to see what’s on the menu.
Or let’s say you own a small retail space in a quaint downtown area and want to liven up your space with a promo board that catches the attention of your customers as they walk in. Electronic signage is a perfect and affordable way to do just that.
No matter what industry you serve, there’s a need that can be fulfilled and an opportunity that can be maximized with digital signage solutions. Below are just a few of the many, many possibilities for businesses in some of the most popular industries:
Restaurants. Use promo boards near the entrance to show off your daily specials or menu, or use a digital screen near the waiting area to show the guest queue.
Retail. Display promo boards near the entrance, video walls behind the register and on the floor for promoting your latest offerings and giving your space a unique vibe. Primark’s Boston location went all out with signage throughout their location.
Bank/Financial. Use digital promo boards to promote services and special events, and educate customers with financial tips. Or make a statement with an outdoor video wall, like FirstBank of Denver did.
Automotive. Both dealerships and repair centers can use digital signage to promote their offerings and enhance the feel of their space.
Breweries. Use digital menu boards to display your frothy offerings in high-definition, or go with standard digital signage to explain the brewing process and promote upcoming events.
Healthcare. Employ digital signage to enhance the waiting room experience and relieve patient anxiety. You can display patient queues, health tips, or integrate with TV to make the time fly by.
QSR/Fast Casual. Use digital menu boards to display menu offerings along with nutritional information, promote seasonal items and community events. In the dining room you can combine digital signage with short-form TV programming to promote your business and entertain your guests – all on the same screen.
Internal Communications. Provide company-wide communications, such as safety tips, best practices, emergency procedures and much more.
What is Digital Signage? A Crystal-Clear Connection Between Brand and Consumer
From smartphones and TVs to our personal computers, we spend hours a day looking at screens. They’re just downright gravitating (i.e., addictive). The next time you approach a TV, whether you’re at a friend’s house, at a restaurant or anywhere else, try to not stop and look at it. We bet you can’t do it.
No, we’re not daring you – just stating a fact. That’s because digital screens always catch our attention. They feature stunning graphics that we love to stare at.
Simply put, you can leverage the natural lure of digital signage to connect with your target audience and communicate a message – whatever that message may be. In other words, when used in a business setting, digital signage is a crystal-clear connection between you and your customers.
It Elevates the Customer Experience
Every day we hear all this talk about the importance of the customer experience, and with good reason: the customer experience truly matters more than ever.
Why? First, because your customers have more options than ever before – and considering the abundance of social media outlets, more ways to express their level of satisfaction with your business.
Secondly, the tech-savvy consumer of today demands a more interactive and immersive experience. Digital Signage brings those elements in spades, and it is essential to your business if you want to make a lasting impression on your customers.
Digital Signage Drives Results
Wondering whether or not digital signage can actually have a positive influence on sales? Wonder no more. Just to name one of the many stats out there, research group Nielsen found that 4 out of 5 grocery store brands experienced an increase of up to 33% in additional sales when using digital signage (2010).
Still not convinced? Get this: 68% of Americans say they’ve made purchases of a product or service because it was featured in a digital signage platform (2016).
Now is The Time
Digital signage is no new phenomenon by any means, but it manages to get more efficient, effective and affordable each year. In fact, Digital Signage is expected to become a $20 billion industry by 2020 – which means that more and more brands both large and small are realizing just how effective it is in achieving key business goals.
And if you’re in the Restaurant or QSR industry in the U.S., digital signage is becoming even harder to do without. Federal laws will soon require businesses to display caloric and nutritional information alongside menu items.
If you want to set your business apart from the rest and make a positive impact on the customer experience, look to Digital Signage. Newer technologies are making Digital Signage more and more affordable than ever before, making right now a perfect time to implement it at your business.
Where do I begin?
Many who are new to it try implementing DIY Digital Signage, with iffy results. DIY Digital Signage can be very difficult and time-consuming to manage, and often turns out to be very unreliable. When it comes to customer experience, there isn’t much that’s more distasteful than a black screen, and if you think you can cut corners with some fancy PowerPoint slideshow, think again – your customers will see right through it – the quality of the visual experience simply isn’t there.
Instead, start the conversation with a local Digital Signage expert, like us, and begin learning how to do it right. We will show you all of your options and work on a digital signage solution that exceeds your goals and fits your budget.
Have any questions or comments? Post them below – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
– Submitted by Jeff Sheerin, Marketing