Digital signage is an extremely effective advertising channel, helping your brand reach the eyes of many potential customers. When choosing the optimal location, an area with dense traffic is essential, but it’s even more important to create impactful content that will catch the attention of passersby. When people are walking down the street or driving by your sign, they need to take in the content quickly. Most will not have time to stop and peruse your ad, so here are some important elements to consider when creating content to make sure it’s effective.
Identify your target audience
The first thing you need to consider is the composition of your target audience. There isn’t a single piece of content that will appeal to everyone. You need to narrow down exactly who your ideal buyers are and create content that directly appeals to them. Once you’ve determined your target audience, you can begin researching what types of content they are attracted to by asking for feedback on online forums or checking out your competitors.
Knowing your target audience will help you with content creation, and it will also help you choose optimal locations for your digital signage. Identify the areas where your audience hangs out and place your digital signs there. Something else to note about signage placement is to take into account environmental factors, such as the weather. Some digital displays are hard to see in bright sunlight unless you choose a provider like Sun Vision Display, whose signs actually use sunlight and reflects it onto the display to brighten the screen.
Keep it simple
When it comes to content on digital signage, the simpler, the better. Keep the text to a minimum and ensure it’s bold and easy to read. Many people will move past your sign quickly, so you want to make sure they can read your message within a couple of seconds. Choose bold, contrasting colors that fit your brand identity with a simple font to grab people’s attention while still making it easy for them to process your sign’s content. Make sure you test out your content’s visibility by viewing it both from up close and far away before approving the design.
Utilize motion graphics and video
Take advantage of all the options digital signage provides and use motion graphics or video on your display. Moving graphics and images draw more visual attention than static pictures alone. Even when someone isn’t paying attention, a moving graphic will catch their eye. The brain can process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. That means your audience is more likely to both notice and comprehend your digital signage if you use some form of video or animation. Again, make sure your motion graphics aren’t too complicated, and that the colors are contrasting, so they are easy to see.
Get a third-party opinion
You might think you’ve got the best content for your digital sign, but it never hurts to get a second opinion. Have someone else, who is objective, look at your content, and give you honest feedback. It is crucial to make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors, but also to make sure the content is easily readable. As you know what you’ve written, and the message you’re trying to convey, a third-party won’t know anything about your content before viewing it, so it’s beneficial to have them watch the display loop and tell you what they think.
