Launching your very first digital signage campaign is a big deal.
You’ve decided to graduate from sticky notes and posters to a widescreen monitor that talks to people, so you want to make sure it’s done right.
We want to make sure, too. That’s why we publish these posts; because you have questions and we have answers.
So let’s have at it.
Let’s dig into our 8 tips on launching your first digital signage campaign.
1. Determine Your Why
Deciding you want to go digital is not a decision that comes lightly.
It’s a decision that actually comes with lots more decisions, like determining why you want to launch.
To determine this, you need to ask yourself a couple big questions:
Why do you want to go digital?
What are you trying to accomplish?
By determining the why in your business, you can find clarity in your vision and ultimately attract the ideal consumer to that vision. If you’re not clear, those that see you and your brand won’t be clear, either.
They won’t know what you’re about or what you stand for.
Brainstorm with your team to determine what the purpose and goal of your digital campaign is.
Get very clear.
And then get ready to explore what other businesses are doing with their campaigns.
Don’t know where to start? Click here to try this fun little test that might give you a leg up in determining your why.
2. Investigate Other Campaigns
Pepsodent toothpaste was the toothpaste of choice in the 1950’s.
When it came to oral hygiene, everyone brushed with Pepsodent.
That is until Crest decided to do something different.
In an effort to increase market shares, Crest made the bold decision to add fluoride to their product. They were the first to do this, which pulled consumers to the new and improved product in droves.
For the next 30 years, Crest would dominate toothpaste sales, and all because they looked at the Pepsodent campaign to determine what Crest needed to do differently.
By investigating other digital marketing campaigns, you can determine what the competition is doing, and what you need to do differently to grab attention.
Take the digital campaign for Apolosophy Shampoo, for example.
The marketing team for this shampoo knocked it out of the park when they decided to put sensors in a digital sign on a subway platform in Sweden that would respond when the subway rolled in.
As the train pulled up to the platform, the sensors in the sign were activated and the digital image of a woman would come alive as her hair was blown out of place.
Her hair gets blown, your mind gets blown. It all works out.
If you were the creator of an incredible shampoo, how could you top this campaign?
By investigating other digital campaigns, you can find the pros and cons of the ones you study so you can create something spectacular from there.
3. Consider Locations
I was going to start this section out by writing, “Location, location, location,” but I already did it in a blog post on Sixteen-Nine.
So instead I’m going to start out by saying…
Where you put your digital sign is just as important, if not more important, than brushing your teeth every day with Pepsodent.
Or Crest.
Or whatever you use.
It’s actually more important than that.
The location of your signs needs to intersect directly with your target market.
If you’re considering an in-house digital campaign, your signs need to be placed where employees or potential customers can see them.
If you’re considering a larger, consumer wide campaign, your signs need to be placed in a high-traffic area where your target market frequents.
You also need to make sure your signs aren’t up to high or in overly lit areas.
Lighting and position are important.
Take the time to really look at the best locations for your digital signs. Consider high traffic areas and areas where employees or potential customers gather.
4. Create Engaging Content
Boring content solicits worn out business and unenthused customers.
Fresh, bright, happy content solicits on-fire business and ready-to-buy customers.
The content you create needs to be on fire.
It needs to be up and coming and shine like no other. And…it needs to grab the attention of the viewer, especially because you only have about 9 seconds to entice them before they move on to the next thing.
Bear in mind the demographic of your audience, too if your target is the millennial, showing video or images of seniors enjoying life on a swing set isn’t going to fly.
Don’t overload your content with too many animations, either. Continual, moving text is difficult to read and can disengage your viewer fairly quickly.
Consider a call to action as well.
A call to action gives your potential customers a reason to engage with you.
Whether it’s to upload pictures to be included in a collage, or to add a comment to Twitter with your hash tag, creating a call to action can be the difference between a boring screen that shows boring pictures, and a killer campaign that takes the cake.
They always say less is more.
Use still images, engaging video, and a call to action, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for engaging content.
5. Get Social
Yes, we know.
You hear this all the time.
But do you really take the actions necessary to fully incorporate social media?
There are two ways you can show the world how your marketing strategy is changing:
1. by using your social channels.
2. by incorporating social media into your campaign.
As mentioned in the previous tip, giving a viewer a reason to engage is a brilliant way to spread the word about who you are.
So create a call to action that asks your viewers to share your amazing-ness on social media and you’ll get the engagement you want.
Universal Pictures pulled this off like a charm with their geo-specific digital campaign for the release of Despicable Me 2 that invited consumers to control a digital sign with their mobile devices.
Once engaged, a personalized video was created and viewers were encouraged to share the video on social media.
By using social media and including a call to action, digital sign campaigns can stretch their message to people that may never see their actual signs.
How incredible as that?
And don’t forget to create social content regularly during the campaign that tells the world about your new venture.
When consumers learn about advancements in your business, they understand you to be innovative and fresh.
Let them know that’s exactly what you are.
6. Get Feedback
You have to know that what you’re doing is working.
Ask your customers what they think of your digital campaign.
Did it attract their attention? Were they moved to act? Did they actually buy the product or are they considering buying the product?
There are many ways you can obtain this feedback, including through social media or e-mail.
Bear this in mind when creating your marketing campaign.
Creating a call to action that collects an e-mail address or Twitter handle can be the start of a beautiful relationship. Feedback, good or bad, can only help you improve.
7. Determine Your ROI From Every Digital Signage Campaign
If you’re making money and able to see an increase in sales, you know you’ve made the right choice in switching from pen and paper to digital.
To determine your ROI, you need to know if the money you put into your campaign will pay for itself in a justified amount of time.
Track your sales.
Do they increase faster in one location than the other?
Or do they decrease?
What’s working?
What isn’t?
By asking yourself these kinds of questions, you can find out what adjustments you might need to make in the campaign. Sometimes a little tweak can make a big difference in your ROI.
If you aren’t seeing an increase like you expected, that doesn’t mean digital wasn’t the way to go; it simply means you haven’t found the “sweet spot” for your campaign.
Kick your numbers around, find these answers, and make the necessary adjustments.
8. Celebrate Your Wins
We often forget this part.
We get so wrapped up in the launch and adjusting our campaign that we forget to celebrate your wins.
Moving to digital is a big deal.
We talked about that right off the top.
So when you see results that make a difference, celebrate. Don’t focus exclusively on what didn’t work (if that’s the case); focus on what did work.
Savor the positive feedback.
Leap for joy when your ledger moves out of the red.
Hug the nearest team member when your Twitter feed goes nuts.
Celebrate your digital transition and enjoy it. You’re in the big-time now.
Conclusion
Like any great marketing campaign, risks need to be taken and rewards need to be recognized.
Remember that this is a process and should be executed with thoughtful consideration.
- Do your homework and study successful campaigns.
- Make your content engaging and powerful.
- Find locations that pull people in.
And have faith that what you create is exactly what the world is waiting for.
How will you begin your digital signage launch? What have you already done to execute it?
