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Go full spectrum: Don't forget the other half of your digital signage

Why would you invest in a technology to only use it halfway? If you use video, don't forget text — and vice versa.

August 18, 2015 by Christopher Hall — w, t

Why would you invest in a technology to only use it halfway?

In recent travels I noticed two great examples that bookend each other at the opposite ends of the digital signage spectrum.

One, at a bourbon-themed food shop in Louisville, Kentucky, featured professional-quality video, expertly shot, edited and produced, on a digital signage screen on a back wall.

Another, this time at a bike shop in Santa Fe, New Mexico, featured a thorough menu listing of service options and information, digital menu board-style on a digital signage display hung over the shop's service counter.

The problem with both? Each showed just that and nothing more — at least not while I was in the shop, and I was in both for at least 20 to 30 minutes.

So, while each did what they did quite well, it was still roughly equivalent to serving a very well-made salad but leaving off the dressing, or giving a customer a fresh Big Mac with no special sauce. If you have the capacity for video, why wouldn't you use it, instead of simply re-creating on a dynamic display what you'd have on a static display? And conversely, if you have a digital sign, why not use it as a sign, instead of just showing pretty video and essentially turning it into a TV?

One is an expensive sign board; the other is a nice atmospheric piece with no call to action. Neither is fulfilling the rich potential digital signage offers.

If you have a menu, highlight it with video or animation, or occasionally switch to exciting video that helps sell your other products or service offerings. (In this case, the bike shop could show exciting mountain rides on the trails around Santa Fe to encourage bike rentals or inspire a new bike purchase. Or it could show a rider in the middle of nowhere fixing a flat as a way to sell puncture-resistant inner tubes.)

If you have great video, clearly you should use it, but why wouldn't you include some kind of direct messaging to your viewers, encouraging them to sample or try the products you're showing being made, or promoting for sale some of the same? (In this case, why not alternate video with some text-based messaging that offers historical insight into the state's relationship with bourbon or some other reason that would encourage shoppers to purchase?)

Digital signage is a fantastic medium for communicating to customers, primarily because of its mixed-media capabilities. It's not just a sign, and it's not just a video screen — it's both. Why not use it as such and get the full benefit of your investment?

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