The great thing about places like the USA, UK, Canada, and Australia is that these countries are on the cutting edge of technologies, the general public is very open to innovations, so much so, that it is becoming a necessity for a business if they want to stay competitive. Digital signs no longer look out of place, nor are they a target for theft like they were back in the early 90s. Digital signage is more popular than ever these days, so here are a few ways that digital signs may help your business if you operate in the USA.
Educational and Promotional Waiting Area Content
Possibly one of the best “Modern” uses of digital signage is in waiting rooms, especially in veterinary clinic waiting rooms. Signs are placed around the room, and they feature educational content about things like dogs and heartworm, or pets and fireworks, and so forth. Yet, between each piece of educational content is advertising for products the clinic sells, like flea shampoo and diabetic dog food, and such.
Plus, the videos and slideshows also have location-based updates, and/or recent updates that relate to the people waiting in the room. It has updates like, “Freezing rain expected, bring in your livestock early tonight” or “We are closing early on Holiday Monday,” etc.
With clever video and slideshow arrangements, and through the use of digital signage software like Kitcast.tv, you can optimize your waiting room signage for broad use over your many establishments; all while tailoring your displays for extra sales, local news and information, and educational content.
Show Unique Customizations That Are Difficult To Get Across Online
Different people have different tastes, and if your product has tens or hundreds of configurations and customizations, it is often very difficult to get the right advertisements in front of the right people. Perhaps the person looking at the ad right now would love your green toasters, but your ad only shows the red and blue ones.
The problem with multiple options and customizations is very common online. That is why on Facebook you see ads where shirt designs flick from one design to the next very quickly. It is because they are hoping to get lucky and display the right shirt for the right person.
Such endeavors are difficult online because you have a very limited time window in which to show all your product options, but that is not true for digital signs. For example, in your auto workshop waiting room, you could have every single custom paint job displayed on the digital signs while potential customers wait. For example, every hot tub configuration you have could be looped, jumping from one to the next, on the digital signs outside your showrooms for passersby to see.
In short, your digital signs can display each and every customization and variation of your product, thereby drastically improving the chances of a passer-by or customer seeing the variant they like the best. Unlike online, where more options mean more ads, showing your options on digital signs doesn’t cost extra.
All Forms of Brand Building
From the digital signs that bled red fluid in order to advertise a God of War game, to the digital signs showing Smart cars with people inside being hit by wrecking balls, there are thousands of ways to build a brand with digital signs. There are plenty of ways to promote your brand with your digital signage, such as:
- Brand principles education
- Simple logo placement and drip marketing
- Comparison videos and slideshows
- Up-selling and branded product customization
- Exclusive offers for customers
Some of the best ways to brand-build with digital signage is to offer very short, but very powerful demonstrations of your product. For example, Smart Car were able to dismiss any ideas that their small cars were unsafe with a few seconds of video showing people in Smart cars being hit with a wrecking ball and walking away fine. Other examples are of people using their water-resistant watches in a swimming pool and in the sea.
All you need are short and very attention-grabbing videos to draw people in and instantly educate them on your brand. Just be sure that the demonstration or video works without sound because many digital signs either have no sound, or the sound cannot be heard from wherever the target consumer is standing/sitting.
Keep Passers-By and In-House Customers Updated
Probably one of the most common uses of outdoor digital signage is keeping passersby updated on current events. Hotels in Vegas show you which comedians are playing in their bars tonight, and video game stores show which games are coming out soon. In fact, back in the old days when book shops existed, there were digital signs showing when the next Harry Potter book was coming out, and on the release day, the signs said “One per Customer.”
As mentioned earlier, you can keep your in-house staff, customers, or people in your waiting room updated on whatever is happening with your company. Be it your new opening hours or your upcoming sale date.
Count Down Your Sales and Discount Events
A very simple trick that stores use in malls is to count down to sales events. This became more popular as Black Friday became more common. It also gives retailers a chance to show off their best items, best sale prices, and their biggest discounts.
There are even some companies that use digital signs to show a demand for products in the same way that shopping channels do. For example, the signage in the window shows how there are only 3 super-deluxe lawn mowers left on sale, and to mark this event, they are knocking another 10% off the price. It sounds like a corny and cheap move, a little like what you see on TV shopping channels, but for some retailers, it is a big draw, and it helps them shift some of their slower moving stock.
To conclude, digital signage works well in many countries and for a wide range of businesses, being especially effective and versatile in countries like the USA.
