My Digital Signage Doesn’t Work
The digital signage industry has grown significantly over the past ten years and continues to evolve. There is a lot to learn, especially understanding the nuances of a successful digital signage implementation.
With so many companies finding success, we’re surprised to still hear some people say, “Digital signage isn’t working for my business.” If that’s you, let’s dig a little deeper to understand why your digital signage initiative may not be working.
Objectives
It’s hard to say that something “doesn’t work for my business” if you don’t have a specific way to measure success. We believe that one of the most important questions of all is: Did you go into your digital signage initiative with an objective and purpose? What was the goal of your digital signage – advertising, menu board, brand building, wayfinding, etc.?
In fact, research shows that most of the failures in digital signage start with poor due diligence, business planning, and strategy upfront, according to the Digital Signage Experts Group (DSEG).
It’s critical to know what you’re shooting for and the role that digital signage will play.
Content
Arguably, relevant content is the ultimate reason why digital signage works for you – or not. Your current content might not achieve the objectives that you set out for many reasons, each of which is relatively easy to correct.
Do your messages instantly present a compelling, actionable value proposition? Do they leverage the time of day, weather, and other factors that may be top-of-mind for customers? Do they consider where each customer is standing based on products you’re promoting? In other words, does your content take advantage of the unique opportunities that digital signage offers in real-time? Is it worth committing someone to make sure you get the best ROI with the right content?
Digital signage success comes from creating relevant content, then tweaking it based on what you learn. Thankfully, there’s plenty of information available about what’s working for other businesses like yours.
Displays
Displays can also make or break your digital signage program, especially considering the demands of retail environments. Are you experiencing any downtime, perhaps due to displays that aren’t commercial grade? Have you fine-tuned the settings to ensure your content is always sharp and bright? Are you monitoring the health of your display(s) daily? Did you ensure proper placement of your displays so that customers instantly connect and engage with your content? Can the displays be seen from multiple angles within your establishment?
Displays are the final stop between your content and the customer, so it’s worth checking to be sure they aren’t negatively affecting your success. By the way, there are several behind-the-scenes components in a digital signage system, too, any of which might need fine-tuning.
Measurement and Analytics
You may think that your digital signage isn’t working, but how do you know? Measure the outcome with analytics and track the results against your objectives, the same as you do for other parts of your business.
How are you capturing and reporting digital signage data? How well is your content performing against daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals? What does the data tell you about possible modifications to content or even environmental factors like the placement of screens?
Before throwing in the towel on your digital signage investment, it’s worth taking a second look at each element. Sometimes it’s just a matter of defining an objective and fine-tuning each part of the system to reach it.