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2 reasons to wait to deploy digital signage

Digital signage can improve your branding and messaging, but there are times when deploying more digital signage might actually hurt your store rather than improve it.

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August 23, 2019 by Bradley Cooper — Editor, ATM Marketplace & Food Truck Operator

I know what you're thinking. But isn't this website called "Digital Signage Today?" Shouldn't you be telling me why I need to deploy more digital signage? While it's true that we certainly believe in the power of digital signage to improve your branding and messaging, there are times when deploying more digital signage might actually hurt your store rather than improve it.

When something is off with your digital signage already, deploying more displays will only make the problem worse. The two main ways digital signage can become damaging to your messaging is when it is too unclear or too loud.

Too unclear

Have you ever looked at a display and thought to yourself, "What exactly is this display trying to say?" Something about the message of the display isn't getting through. This could be happening for a number of reasons such as:

• The display lacks a clear call to action.
• The display is too cluttered with different types of content.
• The content wasn't formatted for the display's resolution.
• The display doesn't change its content much(it acts more as a static billboard).

If a customer looks at a display for more than 5 seconds and can't get a clear idea of what it is trying to say, they will likely tune it out completely. And if you try to deploy more displays before you fix the messaging on your existing displays, you are just going to annoy your customers.

This is why it is so critical to have a clear content strategy for all displays and ensure there is a clear, concise call to action that no customer can miss.

Too loud

Recently, I went to an arcade that was filled with loud games blaring at me from all angles. Also, no matter where I looked, I would see some sort of flashing light from some game or attraction. While there were some displays around me, I was so overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds I can barely remember what they had to say.

Digital signage is a communications tool, and when that communication gets lost in the noise, or it just adds to the noise, it is a waste of time.

So, how do you ensure your digital signage rises above the noise? There are a number of ways to do this such as:

• Using colors that contrast with the rest of the environment so the display stands out.
• Deploying the displays away from noisy areas such as crowded aisles or near loud electronics.
• Keeping the display's volume at a moderate level.
• Conducting polls to see if customers notice your displays.

When the message isn't getting through, the solution isn't always to add more messaging tools. Sometimes you just need to fix the tools you already have, and the same principle applies with digital signage.

About Bradley Cooper

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Bradley Cooper is the editor of ATM Marketplace and Food Truck Operator. He was previously the editor of Digital Signage Today. His background is in information technology, advertising, and writing.

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