Guest Contributor, Lorna Meyer
What really catches attention? Often, attention is grabbed from a disruption of the senses in some form of motion, audio, or otherwise that someone wouldn’t expect. Digital signage content takes full advantage of this by providing a disruption via sight or sound to grab attention in a certain space.
Network operators should use this in their digital signage content strategy by focusing on two key factors. First, which audience is the network serving? Second, what content do people expect and which content would be unexpected (and grab attention) as a result?
Screenfeed are keen to provide tips and content recommendations based on specific venue spaces that we’ve collected from the thousands of networks we serve. Using these recommendations should help network operators curate a playlist for each venue, multiplying the intended goal of a network…
Banking
In a bank venue, digital signage content should harbor a positive, on-brand experience. It should be a mix that matches the bank’s brand. It should also give informative tidbits to audiences as they wait and be shown across branches for a consistent brand experience.
As customers wait for assistance, show them score updates from local favorite teams in Sports Central and use Community Calendar to connect with a local community. Then, give audiences additional brand exposure by featuring your corporate Twitter or Instagram with Social Apps!
Corporate Communications
For corporate communications/business venues, digital signage content should command (but will also require) constant attention. Since there is an active audience 40+ hours a week, content should be on-brand and update constantly. It should both inform AND encourage employees via industry trends and morale boosts.
A Sample of Industry-Specific Reuters News
For office goers, we recommend showing top news-in-pictures with ten new stories added daily and branded financial graphics that update every 15 minutes. Expand on the variety with industry-specific news from Reuters that updates every 30 minutes to keep screens fresh.
Healthcare
Healthcare digital signage content can be used to ease patients’ nerves for appointments in addition to decreasing perceived wait times! Content can be used to improve relationships with patients, as well as educate them while they’re visiting.
Cater to patients by including content like Window to our World, which fills up to 5:00 minutes of a playlist. Patients will relax seeing beautiful images from around the world, captioned with information about each scene. Then, complete your playlist with health-related information for employees and patients alike with Professional Health News and Consumer Health News.
Retail
Make the most of keeping an ultra-fresh space with eye-catching digital signage content. Print campaigns are often a popular choice in retail, but they’re not enough to grab the attention of an on-the-move customer. Also, make sure content in a retail space refreshes often enough to keep up with the number of eyes that pass on a day-to-day basis.
Something to note in retail: leave areas alone with less than ~10 seconds of dwell time! Limit digital signage to the areas that don’t take attention away from an in-the-moment point of sale screen.
Otherwise, cultivate an entertaining and positive atmosphere with feel-good content. Start with content audiences might miss while away from home, like game updates with Sports Central or Entertainment News-in-Pictures. Then, retain attention with something positive such as Inspirations!
Transportation
Digital signage content in transportation venues should pause the busy flow. Commuters should stop for need-to-know updates, and hang around for additional info they care about. It should frequently update and change in mornings and afternoons for both ends of the commute.
A Sample of Twitter and Google Trends
Retain audience attention by adding content everyone loves to see, such as Twitter Trends or Google Trends. Both sets of the top 50 trends are refreshed every 30 minutes for an ultra-fresh playlist addition.
Billboard(s)
The name of the game for billboard digital signage content is quick, valuable updates for a limited attention span. Choose content that’s not too “busy” with extra words or images, and rest easy knowing billboards will update faster than a printed campaign. Regardless of which content is shown, flexible delivery methods will be available at a 99.9% uptime, even outdoors.
Choose content that loops quickly and gets straight to the point, such as a flash of a game score or seasonal event updates like March Madness or Olympic medal counts. Then, make a meaningful impact on playlists with NCMEC Alerts, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to the return of missing and exploited children. It’s free of charge for any playlist.
Education
Regardless of which educational facility content is being shown, the goal should be to keep messaging consistent as students and subjects vary per building or area. Use playlists to feature digital signage content that updates frequently as people pass multiple times a day. This way, a consistent experience will be delivered to audiences all areas.
Also populate playlists with News-in-Pictures 3-Pak which provides 30 new stories daily, and Social Apps that can showcase messages from campus social media. Use Alerts that disrupt playlists if emergencies occur so audiences stay safe. Give playlists a finishing touch with Innovations, which features 10-15 new stories weekly of recent developments in science and environmental technology.
Waiting Room
Content in waiting rooms should create the feel of a shorter wait time. Include content that is captioned for quiet spaces and that frequently updates so it doesn’t go dull. This will help wait times feel shorter, and deliver a positive experience to audiences.
A Sample of Good News
Feature content that most pay attention to anyway, such as Weather Graphics or Sports Central. Then, keep attention with an engaging and interactive choice like Pop Quiz. Finally, keep things fresh and positive by adding Good News to feature happy stories and events.
Final Thoughts
Any digital signage content you show is going to be better than showing nothing at all or showing a printed ad. However, we hope some of these tips and recommendations stick with you! Continue to disrupt expectations to grab attention, and ultimately delight audiences with a great experience in any venue with your brand.
Lorna Meyer is Marketing Manager at Screenfeed
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