Less Screen, More Strategy
By Jenn Gvozdek
Marketing Manager
March 28, 2018
So, you have digital displays up and running. Now what? Are you getting the return you expected? If you don’t have a strategy for your digital communications network, then you aren’t leveraging all the opportunities. Developing a strategy doesn’t have to be complex or intimidating, but without a strategy, you’ve made a big investment with little chance of return. If you want to use your screens to communicate and engage your audience, then you must be purposeful.
STRATEGIES YIELD RESULTS
Digital displays can influence the viewer’s decisions and actions. That’s not just a hypothesis. Eclipse Digital Media found that 29.5 per cent of customers said that the content on digital menus impacted their order. These same displays were also responsible for a 50 per cent boost in sales. Digital communications attract attention, make sure it’s the kind of attention you want. If you’ve ever been in a store, restaurant, or any venue, where the digital displays are either not working or have poorly designed content it’s not very impressive and sometimes even distracting. It may even have customers questioning the quality of the business and its brand. A survey from FedEx revealed 68 per cent of consumers see a store’s digital communication methods as a reflection of its quality. These types of expectations aren’t just in retail; they apply across all industries.
HOW TO BUILD A STRATEGY
Start with a simple but meaningful question: what do you want to sell or communicate? Once you are able to answer this you can build on that idea. In a retail environment, you could use your digital displays to focus on the items or promotions that have better margins or have been shown to perform well. In other environments, such as airports, schools or hospitals, where digital communications are used for sharing information like schedules or wayfinding, consider the user perspective and how what you communicate can help or guide them.
When you think about how the viewer will intake the information, you are more likely to promote a positive emotional experience, which is very important for the right response. For example, research from the Temkin Group relayed that those customers with a positive emotional experience with a brand are over 15 times more likely to recommend it, eight times more likely to trust it, and seven times more likely to make another purchase from them.
A PLATFORM TO ALIGN WITH YOUR STRATEGY
Once you have an approach to your communications, much of the rest of your strategy should focus on finding a platform that supports your needs now and in the future. It is important to find a platform that will enable your organisation to be agile and provide you with the ability to put information on any screen, from digital displays to desktops to mobile phones. As well, make sure you put some thought into your content strategy. This could mean changing content based on time of day, day of the week, or season.
IT’S TIME TO GET STRATEGIC
Digital communication is a key aspect of how many brands communicate with their audiences. Like any form of communication, it needs a strategy to support it. Being random with digital won’t deliver the results you desire and expect. Start by exploring all the business challenges that digital communications can help you overcome.
MARKETING MANAGER
Jennifer is Marketing Manager at Omnivex Corporation. She joined Omnivex in 2011 and is responsible for all aspects of marketing including strategy, communications, and execution. Jennifer has helped Omnivex redefine what digital signage is and how it can help organizations enhance and extend their two most valuable assets – people and data.
Jennifer brings 20 years of software industry marketing experience. She has held numerous marketing positions at software companies including PeopleSoft, Longview Solutions, and Microsoft. Prior to joining Omnivex, Jennifer was the Industry Marketing Manager for Microsoft Dynamics in Canada.
