Digital signage is everywhere, and for a good reason. Businesses have realized the tremendous advantage this cloud-based technology brings to the table. 

From increased brand visibility to enhanced customer engagement, there is much to gain from this advertising approach.

However, the real question is, what can you do to maximize the potential of this groundbreaking technology?

Digital signage is not just about putting a bunch of advertisement slides on a loop. It involves thoughtful considerations regarding the content and location of your sign, among other factors. 

Having a blueprint ready will help you leverage this technology to the fullest.

If you use or are planning to use digital signs, here is an exhaustive list of proven solutions. Careful implementation of these tactics will help you get the most out of your ad investment.

So, let's strategize your digital signboards, shall we?

1. Employ strategic placement

One of the most crucial things you can do to maximize returns from your digital signage is to pay attention to its placement. You want your ad front and center, in the high-traffic areas, to maximize visibility.

Consider your customer's journey through your establishment when choosing a spot for your ad. Identify the spots where your customers congregate. 

One such spot is the entrance. It is an excellent location for an ad to capture your customer's attention as soon as they enter.

Another possible hotspot for your digital signage is the waiting area to increase sales. People tend to engage more with long, detailed ads on digital screens in these areas. 

Creating engaging content will also help your customers kill time and be more receptive to your message.

The checkout lines also offer another great opportunity for displaying digital signs. Waiting can be a real annoyance for many customers, and they tend to search for distraction. It is an ideal time to capture your target audience’s attention through a gripping ad.

When choosing any location, ensure that the sign is placed at eye level and easily readable. Content to be shown could be a greeting for visitors, a store map, or an ongoing promotion.

Bear in mind that you are aiming at improving a customer’s experience, not bombarding them with unnecessary information. Hence, you should place the ad intuitively and aim to improve users’ experience.

2. Use targeted content

“Content is King,” as they say, especially in the world of digital advertisement. Ensure you pay attention to the viewers of your advert when selecting the content. For instance, if the ad is about children’s goods in a store, advertisements with animated product showcases and interactive games would be appropriate.

However, ads meant to appear in the technical section may be instructional and a bit more text-heavy. Give the product specification/comparison that can help your customers pick the right product.

However, in both cases, the content must be relevant to the interests of your potential customers. It should help make their buying decisions easy and not confuse them.

Finally, you may change the marketing approach based on operational hours and days. 

The customer’s experience can be made even more personalized by changing the content for rush hours, weekends, and holidays.

Regardless of the avenue of approach, make sure that the content of the advertisement offers something worthwhile to your clientele. 

Always remember that though digital signage is a tool for marketing or selling, your company's marketing approach should appear subtle and less desperate.

3. Create dynamic and engaging visuals

It is a scientific fact that your brain processes visuals much faster than text. You can leverage this aspect of the human brain in your digital signage. Opt for dynamic, engaging imagery over verbose text in your ads.

Ensure that your ads contain high-quality graphics and visually appealing images. Add more flair through the use of animation in your message.

Lastly, note that even the most appealing snapshots will not compare with moving pictures if it comes down to attracting more eyes to them. The flashy does not trump engagement. However, it is necessary for your advertisement not to be over the top and thus bore or turn away your customers. You need to make it brief but with a point.

You may also like: The Best Graphic Design Tools for Digital Signage (2023).

4. Provide real-time updates

Updating the content in real-time is perhaps the greatest benefit associated with your digital signage. Contrary to the usual signboards, you can update digital ads by merely pressing a button.

Let’s take an example of a restaurant to illustrate how you can leverage this idea. You can adjust the menu on the fly depending on the availability of the ingredients or the time of the day.

Similarly, taking the same approach to a clothing store can also be a great idea. Showing current information about short-term deals or quick sales might help sales.

This strategy informs your customers and shows you care about improving their experience. Once again, ensure that your updates are on time and accurate. 

You do not want to show either outdated or incorrect information, creating confusion in your customers’ minds.

Luna Screens will help you convert any screen into a cloud-based ad platform. We offer a powerful solution that allows you to customize your in-store experience with a click of a button. Check out all the features Luna Screens has to offer today.

5. Implement cross-promotions and upselling

If you dream of increasing your average ticket size, digital signage can significantly help. When you showcase products that complement those your customer is already interested in, you can upsell.

Look at this scenario.  Let's say you have digital signage near a display of smartphones. 

Now, you can display the smartphone's features in the ad or take the customer experience a step further. This gives you ample opportunity to upsell since your customer is already interested in buying a smartphone.

In such a case, the ads can display informative content about accessory items such as covers, chargers, and earphones.

Such ads should not appear to sell just an additional item on top of what is already offered. Your goal should be to project the additional items as a complement to the main item, potentially improving the user experience.

Another highly efficient marketing method is selling a more expensive version of the products already placed in the market. Your advertisement content should be informative to highlight the extra features and attributes that set premium products apart from the ones displayed.

Always make sure that your message does not come off as pushy. Instead, aim for content with helpful suggestions to add value to your customer's purchase.

6. Incorporate customer reviews and testimonials

You can also use the strategy of customer feedback when utilizing digital signage. You can use a digital signage display to show positive customer reviews as social proof of customer satisfaction. It is your opportunity to persuade potential consumers with ratings and reviews.

These testimonials can be tweaked to modify how they are displayed on your digital signage. For instance, try some pictures with quotations instead of plain text and use video reviews whenever possible.

This approach works exceptionally well for products or services in which quality and customer satisfaction are prioritized criteria for purchasing decisions. Ensure you use material that is authentic and understandable.

Your prospective customers should be able to visualize themselves enjoying the benefits discussed in the reviews. In addition, make sure you update the testimonials in response to the latest feedback to keep the information in this content fresh.

7. Leverage social media

Social media is one of the most influential forces driving purchase behavior nowadays. Digital signs can merge the offline and online customer experience by using the potential of social media.

The influence of listening to your customers is simply tremendous. An excellent approach for this is using user-generated content such as pictures, posts, and tweets concerning your brand in your display ads. It fosters a sense of belonging and inspires others to follow suit.

The result? Enhanced customer engagement; who wouldn’t want that?

If you manage it correctly, you can create a self-feeding cycle of engagement and awareness for your brand.

However, be careful of one issue with this method- relevance to your customer. 

Create relevant content based on your brand. Provide hashtags for your customers to use so it is easy to locate and post relevant social media feeds.

8. Create seasonal and time-sensitive content

The most important advantage associated with your digital signage is customizability. The flexibility of this approach to content creation makes it easy for you to prepare content for different seasons and occasions. 

You could develop material for a seasonal holiday or a particular time of day.

For example, in a café, you may publish breakfast menus during the mornings, lunch menus in the afternoon, and relaxed dining experiences while operating at night.

Use retail digital signage and inform your customers about themed products or special sale items during this period.

This approach requires that content should be kept up-to-date and in line with the market audience. It is also the best way to create a rejuvenating and lively atmosphere during the festive and holiday seasons.

9. Educate customers

Digital signage is also one of the best methods through which your consumers can have a taste of infotainment. Your customers will appreciate positive, educative, and instructive information contributing to their experience or helping them in their purchasing decisions.

You could try the following: 

• How-to guides

• Product demonstrations

• Content targeting specific customer segments

10. Create loyalty and reward programs

Loyalty and reward showcases are best done through digital signs. Advertise the benefits of having a membership in your brand loyalty program by using digital billboards within your stores to boost sales. You can display discounts, points, and sales promotions.

This tactic is great at convincing clients to purchase again without sounding too pushy. You can also include information about the program and how your clients can enroll.

As an example, a coffee shop can employ a digital sign that displays a countdown of the number of additional coffees to a free cup. In the case of retail stores, a digital sign could offer an incentive for the customer’s next visit.

Always ensure that the information in your ad boards is clear, concise, and visually catchy. 

Finally, you should regularly update what your consumers can benefit from the incentive program to keep them interested in your brand.

11. Adopt event and sales countdowns

Creating a sense of urgency is one of the biggest things that drive sales. Event and sale countdowns are a good motivator for your customers using retail digital signage software as the medium.

You can take advantage of this phenomenon by having a countdown clock to the end of a sale or the launch of a new product. 

Such display ads cause a FOMO moment in your customers’ minds, thereby increasing conversion rates.

It includes countdowns to Black Friday sales in the case of a retail store, where your board can advertise offers that will be valid for only some time. 

As always, you need to ensure that the countdown is precise and updated in real-time for credibility and purpose.

12. Leverage brand storytelling

Digital signage is a great medium to put out your brand's story. It allows you to connect with your potential customers at a personal level.

One way you can leverage this strategy is by designing catchy content that will educate people on how your brand started, what it stands for, and where it is heading.

This is one of the strategies that many family-owned businesses use to involve their customers with the brand.

For example, an owner of a restaurant could recount the history, the origins of recipes, and the guiding values upon which the service is based. 

Such content makes the brand much more humane and increases the emotional quotient of your brand.

However, these stories must be told in a compelling and truthful manner through illustrations and tales that are comprehensible to your target audience to encourage sales.

13. Opt for multilingual support

Digital signage provides an avenue for accessing content in different languages, leading to increased effectiveness. As a result, you can use multilingual ads in metropolitan cities with multiple languages to enhance customer involvement.

For instance, you could choose to change languages automatically or even let your customers see the ad, promotions, and other details using their preferred language.

The strategy will surely help your customers to relate to your product and services better. Furthermore, it will help your brand come off as inclusive and accepting of diversity.

14. Embrace personalized and context-aware content

The use of personalized and context-ready messages on retail digital signage can significantly increase the possibility of sales and enhance the level of interaction with customers. 

Digital signage has recently evolved to display different information depending on the inputs, including time of day, weather, and the audience profile.

To illustrate, a clothing outlet with a digital display indicating either summer or winter wear based on weather conditions. The winter coats and boots pop up on cold, snowy days, while the summer wear and sunglasses on sunny days.

You can even tweak the digital displays such that they can change with the age, gender/mood of the audience. 

For instance, digital screens in the mall would show more engaging content when a young group approaches, whereas more muted, informative content when the older generation is around.

That said, personalization is crucial and should be done so as not to interfere with people’s rights to privacy. You must adhere to proper and fair data management procedures

15. Utilize analytics and feedback

Using analytics and feedback tools allows firms to comprehend how their customers interact with the digital medium. Most retail digital signage systems have sensors that measure customer foot traffic, how much time visitors spend reading, and how many people look at specific items of interest.

It also allows them to finetune the content of their strategies. Furthermore, including feedback features such as using QR codes that lead to a feedback form allows for direct customer insight. 

Do not forget to check and act upon this data so that the digital signage stays relevant to the customers and nudges them to purchase.

Takeaway: Improve your sales through digital signage with Luna Screens

Digital signage can be effective only when synced with the objectives, principles, and traits of your business and your target customers.

Businesses can only realize the benefits of retail digital signage when it goes beyond mere generic applications. It includes understanding their customers thoroughly, analyzing consumers’ behavioral patterns, and knowing the dynamics through which different communities use digital media.

The key to the success of your digital signage campaign is a perfect combination of art and science involving compelling storytelling and the scientific marketing strategy of evidence-based analysis. 

If you combine these elements well, you could end up with impressive digital signage adverts that will make a lasting impression on your customers.  

Luna Screens offers an innovative digital signage system, enhancing customer engagement with dynamic, tailored content, interactive digital displays, and real-time updates, boosting brand visibility and sales. Contact us today to get started!