5 Common Digital Signage Content Mistakes to Avoid

Announcement

This article will provide readers with information about common pitfalls in digital signage content, providing them with practical solutions to avoid these mistakes and enhance the effectiveness of their digital signage campaigns. 

Introduction

Digital signage is a communication and marketing tool that can increase customer engagement and employee satisfaction. However, it is easy for content mistakes to occur and their impact on campaign success.

New research has shown that 60% of digital signage campaigns don’t have the impact companies want them to. Why? Despite the way digital signage has revolutionized communication, companies often make common digital signage mistakes. 

Below, we will review the top 5 common digital signage content mistakes. 

Mistake #1. Not Setting Specific Goals

Picture this:

You walk into a restaurant to pick up a to-go order. The menu is displayed on a poorly written whiteboard and you have trouble figuring out what to order, let alone what it will cost you. As you sit at an empty table you look up and notice several screens. One of them has a random assortment of pictures playing in a slideshow. Another has a television show playing on mute with no captions. The third is stuck on a home screen where no content has been displayed.

These digital signage mistakes are not uncommon. Companies might understand the importance of digital signage but they don't quite have specific goals for how they plan to incorporate it into their facility, office, or restaurant. The result? Several screens have no clear purpose and could more effectively be put to use by displaying things like an up-to-date and clearly legible menu.

With unclear objectives, companies have ineffective content that fails to engage customers or convert them.

Tip: Outline your objectives before you start creating your content. What is it that you want to achieve? Is it better to do a vertical angle or a horizontal viewing angle? Is your plan to promote a product or provide information?

Mistake #2. Overcomplicating the Design

When creating content for digital signage, you want to apply some of the same marketing techniques as the creation of print material: don't use too many colors, fonts, or overly complex messages.

The louder the display, the less likely anyone will be able to understand what your message is. This can be particularly difficult if you have invested the right amount of time and effort into setting specific goals. 

Tip: The best designs are the most simplistic designs. Don't overcrowd the screen space. Use white space to your advantage to highlight the messages that are most important. tangentially text should be short, something that a customer or client could easily memorize.

Mistake #3. Ignoring Content Adaptability

The content you create has to be adaptable to different audience demographics, locations, time zones, and other data pertinent to your operation. Common digital signage mistakes include listing for an event or a sale without specifying what time zone it is in, or failing to state that content is only for a specific location. 

For example:

If you run a gym with three different locations in the same town, any digital content you display that has to do with things like promotions for using a personal trainer or signing up with a new membership needs to specify whether that applies to all locations or just one.

If you offer health and body treatments like IV infusions or body sculpting, and you are providing content about discounts on specific services, you need to specify things like which insurance companies apply to or whether it only applies to customers who are paying out of pocket.

Tip: You have to consider where the screen will display key information. If you have data for multiple time zones, be sure to specify what time zone any listed hours are. If you are displaying information in the middle of a crowded mall, remember that there are several distractions, and customers who walk by may only glance at a display briefly, so the shorter the message, the more effective it will be.

Mistake #4. Underestimating the Importance of Content Scheduling 

Just the same as you would moderate when and how often information is shared on a social media platform, you have to do the same for digital signage. Digital signage content mistakes often include stale data or advertisements for events and sales that have long since passed. Companies need to be aware that leaving outdated flyers is just as bad as leaving outdated digital content on a screen. Moreover, content needs to align with viewer traffic patterns; otherwise, it won't reach the target audience. 

For example:

A sushi restaurant has updated the pricing on all of their menu items but they haven't updated the prices that are displayed on the digital screens overhead. Instead, they have a handwritten sign on the counter where orders are placed stating that the prices have increased and they can ask an employee for more information.

In this example, the sushi restaurant is not implementing a good strategy because the content is stale, and it reflects a poor use of the existing medium. 

Similarly, common digital signage mistakes extend to other companies. A store listing a sale or a community event that happened two months ago will give the impression that they don't update their content and don't spend enough time on the things that matter most to customers. This can dissuade customers from investing in the company and keep them detached from the potential engagement opportunities that digital signage offers. 

Tip: When creating content for digital signage make sure that you regularly refresh what is displayed. Work with creators to help manage and publish content on a regular basis if you can't do it yourself.

Mistake #5. Neglecting Content Testing and Analytics

The final mistake is that companies fail to use analytics to track viewer interaction and content performance. This is the same need that companies have to apply to other marketing efforts, yet companies commonly fail to test and review analytics for content displayed on digital signs. 

Tip: Consider working with a company that can track analytics and review content performance, then make adjustments accordingly. 

Conclusion

When working with digital signage, many people make the mistake of underestimating the importance of scheduling new content regularly, testing the efficacy of content, having clear goals, keeping the design simple, and making content compatible. As a company, don’t be afraid to continually learn and improve digital signage strategies for better outcomes so you can avoid these common digital signage mistakes.

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