Businesses and organizations have long used signage to share information with their target audiences. From the simple “Lemonade 4 Sale” hand-lettered message to complex, large, colorful campus maps, signage has always been a key communication tool when interacting with the public. However, smart digital signage solutions raise the bar and create unique marketing and interaction opportunities. Innovative digital signage has blurred the line between signs and computers, giving the public immersive, dynamic interactions.
Here are some innovative digital signage options to better connect with your target audience.
Digital Menu Boards
Whether you need digital signage or other smart solutions, digital menu boards offer viewers deep control over their experiences. With dynamic, interactive menu boards, patrons, students, visitors, and others can navigate through the offerings you provide.
For example, you can set up a Brightsign unit to enable students to see a menu of classes they might like to audit or sign up for. Brightsign’s products can also empower users to tap each choice on a menu and see additional details, such as where the class is held, the teacher or professor running it, and any necessary materials.
Many businesses need to create awareness around several offerings at once. In this case, a digital menu board, such as one provided by Pro AV, empowers visitors to explore at their own pace. Also, by including vibrant, attractive images, your board both encourages engagement with your students, constituency, or clients.
Wayfinding
Some smart digital signage can give you a powerful wayfinding solution and even adjust to the needs of the person viewing it.
For example, in an academic setting, wayfinding signage can provide a more customized experience for students and visitors who need to locate classrooms, offices, and common spaces. For instance, let’s say you’re holding your first back-to-school night and expect dozens of freshman parents to attend. They have no idea how to navigate your campus or find their children’s teachers. But you can set up wayfinding signage that presents a map based on each student’s schedule.
Wayfinding signage has unlimited useful applications, especially when the public needs to get from point A to point B quickly. Instead of walking into Town Hall with no idea how to get to the cashier’s desk, for example, you can be presented with wayfinding signage clearly outlining the right way to go.
You could also use signage technology such as Samsung MagicINFO, which provides a cloud-based solution for displaying content across multiple screens. In a scholastic setting, a MagicINFO setup would enable you to simultaneously adjust the contents of every screen. For instance, if a teacher were to call out for back-to-school night, you could eliminate that classroom from the wayfinding map, preventing parents from going to the wrong room.
Promotional Content
Digital signage can also play a key role in advertising promotions, sales, and special offers. You can position a digital sign near the entrance of your business to advertise the latest items you have for sale. By including high-quality, detailed images, you can grab customers’ attention and help them make buying decisions.
For instance, suppose you have an overstock of a certain item and need to unload it before the spring season hits. By advertising promotion using digital signage, you increase awareness of the product and let customers know how much money they can save if they act quickly.
Digital signage also plays a key role as an awareness tool for service-based businesses. Instead of depending solely on customer service reps to describe new offerings to clients, you can use digital signage to outline the highlights of your services and spark their interest.
General Brand Messaging
By leveraging digital signage, you can streamline your brand messaging by crafting multiple solutions that can all be featured using the same display. Brand messaging is all about increasing awareness, improving the customer experience, communicating your values and culture, and promoting your products and services. Here are some ways digital signage can make it easier to meet the objectives:
- You can create animations and videos consisting of high-quality images that showcase your products and their specifications.
- Skip the static sign and create an animated story that shows the benefits of using your offering, best practices, or use cases. In this way, you use storytelling to boost sales.
- Use dramatic, striking visuals and graphics that resonate with your target audience. You can download high-resolution images, choosing which ones to use based on the demographics of your target customers.
The same principles apply to public organizations, such as government agencies and schools. Digital signage allows you to achieve brand consistency by incorporating government seals, school mascots, and official colors.
You also have the freedom to design templates featuring borders and consistent spacing that gives your brand image a more polished look. And anytime you need to adjust, a few clicks and drags on a computer screen are all it takes to refresh or renew your signage.
Dynamic Content
Digital signage is a powerful option for presenting dynamic content that changes as it needs to. For instance, you can stream data as it’s generated in real-time. This kind of smart digital signage solution integrates an app that powers the sign. Using a Spinetix screen and software, you can connect it with disparate data sources. Spinetix then presents the data in a customized dashboard or display for viewers.
Many more options for real-time data streaming are available on digital signage for schools or small businesses. For example, a university can display the number of spots left for each class during registration. If the school adds another section in response to high demand, the sign’s figures can reflect the number of additional spots.
A government agency, such as a transportation department, can provide live traffic updates via dynamic signage. The sign’s content can change based on real-time traffic data. In this way, you give people the timely information they need to plan when they’ll leave the office or schedule a stop or two on the way home.
Emergency Alerts
It can be difficult to provide emergency alerts to a broad audience, especially when time is critical. Fortunately, government agencies can use digital signage to get critical information across quickly and in response to changing conditions.
For instance, suppose a severe winter storm is coming and you just received information that it will dump more snow than experts previously thought. You can use digital signage that you position in government offices to let the public and workers know what’s happening with the storm. That way, they’ll have the information they need to make important decisions regarding their travel plans and the safety of their families.
Also, because you can quickly alter the information on digital signage, you can always display the most recent data. This may include road closures, interruptions to utility services, and other crucial information during an emergency.
Other emergencies may call for informative, on-campus signage, such as in schools or local government buildings. If there’s an emergency and students need to muster in a specific location, you can include directions in your emergency alert. In the case of a fire alarm or drill, your emergency alert can include the spots outside the school where students need to gather until they get the all-clear.
Event Announcements
Digital signage also makes it easier to announce important events because you can customize—and change—your signage quickly and inexpensively. For example, a local government agency presenting at a town forum needs to get the word out about who’s speaking and the subject matter, as well as the date, time, and location.
It isn’t uncommon for speakers to be added or replaced on the bill, and digital signage makes it easy to adjust your announcement accordingly. You can also string together a series of pages, all working to support the event’s narrative.
For instance, a fire department can have a three-part digital sign laid out like this:
- Page 1: A statistic about wildfires
- Page 2: The name of the event, its date, time, and location
- Page 3: Speakers who will present a few tips for citizens about how to prevent wildfires
By making these pages rotate in sequence, you bolster the narrative, boost awareness, and attract more attendees.
Enhance Your Digital Signage Strategy with Pro AV Systems
These innovations share a common denominator: they all encourage more intimate interactions with your target audience. Dynamic and interactive signage changes based on what your audience needs or wants to see. This creates customized, compelling experiences that may support sales, brand loyalty, and safety.
The best way to get started with smart digital signage solutions is to rely on experts with years of experience at the cutting edge of sign technology. Pro AV’s professionals know how to leverage innovative digital signage to support your growth and customer engagement goals. Connect with us today to see how!
