Ways to Get People’s Attention with Digital Signage

Ensuring that your digital signage is getting people’s attention is the most important factor to consider when creating a digital signage advertising campaign. No matter how often you advertise or how compelling your product or service, if your signage doesn’t attract attention, your messaging will be lost.

Moreover, with the increasing popularity of digital signage, it's hard to make your message stand out from the crowd and gain notice amongst the competition.

In this article we will provide some of the top techniques and tools to ensure that your digital signage is gaining attention. These simple steps can ensure your digital marketing efforts reap the desired rewards and pay off.

The Power of Digital Signage Advertising

Digital signage is able to capture attention and enable viewers to retain that information significantly longer than simple text alone.  According to the Visual Teaching Alliance, 90% of the information the human brain receives is visual, and is processed 60,000 times faster than text alone. That’s what makes digital signage so effective in grabbing people’s attention.

Digital advertising also has a greater impact on customers in terms of brand recognition, as seen in a 2017 study conducted by Samsung that found that 84% of retailers believed their digital signage advertising efforts resulted in significant brand awareness (as compared to traditional means of advertising).

In addition, digital signage can be updated instantly and remotely, making it far more cost effective than traditional signage and other forms of traditional advertising, with opportunities to change content throughout the day and/or to target specific audiences.

Ways to Get People’s Attention with Digital Signage

You don’t need to be a tech wiz or use an expensive graphic design firm to ensure that people notice your digital signage.  There are several simple steps you can take to make sure your digital signage gains attention and stands out.

Use Eye-Catching Visuals

Since visual images are absorbed and retained much more quickly, make sure your digital signage has some great visuals (and certainly not just text alone). There are many websites where you can get free images in the public domain (or others where you can purchase the use of a great visual for a nominal fee).  Be sure the image is colorful,“pops” against the background and looks enticing. From a distance, your visual(s) will be the first thing people notice, so you want to include something that draws them in and encourages them to spend the time to look at the entire screen.

Keep Messages Short and Concise

Most digital signs are viewed by people walking by, or viewed from afar in a store or other location. Therefore, keep your message short so it can be absorbed quickly. You also want to make the words large so they can be read at a distance; because your message will take up a good amount of screen space you’ll need to keep it short. The amount of time people spend viewing a typical digital sign (also called “dwell time’) is 4.5 seconds. With such a short window of time to make an impact, keeping your messaging short and concise is the best way for your digital signage to gain attention.

Use Bright and Contrasting Colors

This may seem like a no-brainer, but if you’re showing an image of an item you’re promoting (a shirt, a purse, a drink, etc.), be sure that it stands out against whatever color background you chose; otherwise the image will not be perceived clearly.  Be sure the visual is high quality and bright, and large enough so that it can be seen from a distance. Keep images to one or two items at the most, so that it can be viewed quickly and easily by someone far away or moving past your digital sign.

Include Motion or Animation

Video and animation have been proven to be more effective for digital advertising than static messaging. According to recent research, video ads drive a 48% higher sales rate than static ads. Not only are videos more engaging and compelling than a static image, but they encourage the customer to view the image for longer (since they’ll need a few additional seconds to watch the video). A longer video doesn’t mean a more effective ad – short and simple still reigns supreme.

Display Relevant and Timely Content

One of the biggest advantages of digital signage is the ability to update and change content instantly. Therefore, there’s no excuse for running outdated information in your digital ads – which can be a turnoff to customers. Promoting timely specials and sales can make viewers feel like they are accessing the latest and best deals. You can even provide a weather-based ad to really gain attention (such as a snow day special or a beat the heat deal). You can change your digital signage by the hour, day, week or month - so you can target your audience in the most effective, relevant and timely way.

Implement a Clear Call to Action

You won’t be able to measure the success of your digital signage campaign easily without a clear call to action. Make sure all the necessary information for customers to respond to your ad is available (including a promotional code, website, phone number, address, etc.). An even more effective tactic is including a QR code that viewers can scan on their phone to link them directly to your product or service.

Ensure Legible Fonts and Text Sizes

No matter how great your digital ad is, if it can’t be viewed clearly then it won’t be effective. Make sure your font size is large enough to be viewed from afar, and is in a style that is simple and clear to read (avoid fancy scripts). Be sure the words pop against the background, and are not too close to your images so they can be clearly distinguished.

Test and Adjust Content Regularly

Digital signage can be modified quickly and simply from your computer. It is easy to adjust your message and/or content if you find your digital ad isn’t connecting with audiences. If your ad is not pulling results (which you will know if your specific call to action includes special code or unique website link only available via your digital advertising, or a special promotion only available to viewers who mention it), you can try making adjustments to sharpen or adjust your message. Create several different headlines to test and see if one is more effective than another, or see if ads featuring one product image gains more traction than other images. It's easy to tinker with digital ads to find the one that gains the most attention. Loop customers actually have the ability to create pieces of signage from dozens of templates available in the business portal, making it simple for you to A/B test messaging and visuals.

Consider the Location and Viewing Angle

Will your digital ad appear on a screen in a sports bar, over an in store display, or in the window of a store facing the sidewalk? The location and viewing angle of the screen will have an impact on how people view your ad. If your ad appears in a bar or restaurant on a screen that will be viewed from across the room, be sure that your fonts and images are large.  If it will be viewed on a screen placed high up (perhaps above the bar), be sure that crucial information does not appear at the bottom of the ad where it might not be visible. Considering the location and angle when designing your digital signage ad will ensure that viewers are able to view the content most effectively.

Create Engaging and Compelling Content

Nobody likes a boring ad, and nobody spends time viewing a boring ad! Your digital signage will attract peoples’ attention when the content is engaging and compelling. You can achieve this by implementing some of the suggestions above, such as using graphics and animation, plus ensuring the images are clear and the text pops on the screen. However, make sure that the actual content draws the viewer in. Your approach could be to use humor in your content or a headline that surprises. Make sure the most important aspect of your ad is at the forefront – such as a great low price or promotion (“buy one get one free” or “big sale” will catch eyeballs). Think about the ads that you’ve noticed when you’ve viewed digital signs or other digital ads.  What drew you to them? And be sure to ask for feedback, since it is always helpful to get other points of view.

Highlight Limited-Time Offers or Discounts

People always like to feel like they are “in the know,” and promoting limited-time discounts and special offers on your digital signage is always a great way to gain attention and excitement from viewers. Because digital signage allows you to change content quickly (and remotely), you can always keep viewers up to date with special events and promotions – even on the same day (i.e. a snow day special or a Labor Day promotion). In addition, you can add an element to target viewers more specifically by adding a promotion just for viewers of your digital ad, such as “mention SCREEN at checkout and get an extra 10% off). This type of promotion has the added value of letting you measure the effectiveness of your ad in different locations.

Create and Display Signage with Loop® TV

Creating digital signage to promote your business is an effective and affordable way to gain customers. One of the most affordable options to create digital signage is using the free, simple interface of built-in software tools available on Loop.TV. Digital ads can be designed from scratch using the Loop.TV’s easy-to-use online tools, or users can select from a wide range of pre-designed templates and simply insert their own images and wording. The templates are already designed to have a big impact.

Loop.TV integrates seamlessly with screens in thousands businesses across the country, including bars and restaurants, offices, spas, retail stores, medical facilities and many more.  Digital can be integrated as stand-alone messaging or simultaneously within the screen. Users have the power to change the messaging throughout the day or at whatever pace they choose.

In addition to signage tools, Loop.TV offers 150 channels of music and non-music streaming content for use in businesses across the U.S. For more information, visit www.loop.tv/business.