How to turn your Digital Signage into a Paper Poster

You have Digital Signage installed, now what?

Yes, we did say how to turn your digital signage into a paper poster and not the other way around! You’re probably thinking right now, why would anyone want to do that? Well truth be told, it’s never intentional, yet we see it done so many times.

How does this happen? By installing beautiful digital displays, putting up some basic static content and never bothering to update it again. What you’ve done is essentially turn a perfectly capable digital signage board, into nothing more than the equivalent of a paper poster.

The Transformation of Digital Signage Content

There was a time when a website was nothing more than a digital representation of your company brochure. Once created, it was left alone never to be touched again. In contrast, websites today are anything but a static, digital brochure. In most cases they are engaging and informative, contain real-time updates from social media, and fresh content from blog posts like this one.

The most overlooked component in digital signage and yet the absolute most critical, is the content.

Less is More

This saying is applicable to digital signage! Having a crowded space makes a less impactful statement as customers are confused and don’t know where to look. Here are some great tips for creating content:

Avoid overcrowded displays, broken into too many zones with content scrolling in one place and flashing in another, combined with multiple videos playing at the same time
Reduce the amount of content and do not create too many different content zones
There is no hard and fast rule, just keep it to a minimum so there isn’t too much going on

ZONE TIP: Typically, primary content takes up about 2/3 to 3/4 of the display, leaving an “L” shape that can be broken into two or more additional zones.

You will need to play around with what works best for your size of display and the primary content you are using. In some instances, it may make sense for your primary content to take up the entire display for a period of time.

Sizing and Timing

Depending on where your screen is located and who it is targeted to, you want to make the font size legible and the timing long enough that it is read. Sometimes, we walk by a screen and miss the content because it went by too fast! Avoid these situations by:

Making content easily legible by increasing font sizes and sizing videos appropriately based on the display size
Ensuring the timing is right by allowing enough time for text to be read and images to be understood
Providing useful content by including real-time local weather, local news or sports feeds

Combining this type of dynamic content with your primary content will give people a reason to be engaged.

Targeted Messaging in Digital Signage

Targeted visual messaging is key to capturing the attention of your intended audience. Depending on the time that you have, you can create some very engaging content to get your message across. Some things to keep in mind when targeting your audience:

Content targeted at an audience in transit, with little to no dwell time, should contain very simple messages with quick calls to action or brief event announcements
Reduce the perceived wait times in areas with relatively high dwell times by including content that is entertaining and engaging, containing local TV feeds, entertainment news, sports news and trivia
Content targeted at point of sale audiences should contain things like in-store promotions, discounts or sales and content that takes advantage of cross selling opportunities

DWELL TIME is the time spent in the same position, area, or stage of a process. Lobbies, waiting rooms, and checkout lines have a high amount of dwell time.

These items will increase your digital signage return on investment. Your audience may be slightly different or possibly be a combination of audiences, but the point is to be sure to consider your audience when creating your content.

We understand this is a lot to consider, but just like most things, you’re only going to get out of it, what you put into it. Little effort and little planning around your content, will get you little in return. So, consider the suggestions we’ve made in this blog. A digital signage network is a powerful communication tool, so investing the time in your content will ensure you don’t make the backward transition from digital signage to paper poster.