Guidelines for Creating Great Digital Signage Content

Once you have the latest LED screens, servers, programming tools, and CMS software, it’s time to start creating content that gets attention. An effective digital marketing strategy has many moving parts. If your digital signage doesn’t provide the results you need, the investment won’t pay off. Following a few simple rules can result in great content that helps achieve a solid return-on-investment for your digital signage equipment.

 

If you want to know how to create digital signage that promotes your business and brand and communicates a clear message, here are some key guidelines to help you get started:

Keep It Simple

Getting attention doesn’t always mean filling your content with flashy colors and complicated graphics. In fact, that can be counterproductive. Instead, focus on a simple color scheme with a contrast of light and dark colors. For example, if you have dark text, use a light background; and with light text, make the background dark. The font should be easy to read as well, whether the observer is far from the display or close by.

Also give careful consideration to:

• Screen ratio: Use 16:9 ratio for a horizontal screen and 9:16 ratio for a portrait screen.
• Display resolution: For a 16:9 ratio, full HD is 1920 x 1080 pixels.
• Layout: Look to balance content, with enough space left outside and elements placed in an “F Pattern” that follows natural eye motion.
• Font size: Arial, Verdana, and other sans-serif fonts are easiest to read. Assuming reading distance is usually seven to 10 feet, use a font size range between 20-30 points and 100 points.
• Use zones: Zone your digital signage display if displaying multiple pieces of content at once.

Have It Edited and Proofread

A professional eye can not only verify your digital signage gets the message across but is also grammatically accurate. One misspelled word or poorly structured sentence can ruin your content and brand reputation. The help of a proofreader can add substantial value to your content. They can assess the flow of words and sentences to ensure they can be read quickly and understood by most readers. This is an important step when you consider public image, even if your audience isn’t super-critical about grammar.

Use Supporting Graphics and Designs

In a world of superior quality movie graphics and video games, the expectations of your audience must be satisfied. Visuals draw the eye and help consumers understand your message. Video is especially useful. It can help explain your product or service and its benefits and how to use it. Color scheme comes into play in this category, but provides an opportunity to match your message with your brand, especially when using colors from your company logo or with which your business is associated.

Rotate Your Content

Showing the same content over and over again will bore your audience. While it’s not necessary to update it daily, your content should be fresh. Rotating it according to the time of day can keep your audience’s attention. Also check the accuracy and timeliness of the material; inaccurate, outdated information can send the wrong message or cause people to lose interest in your brand.

To plan content rotation, it’s important to know how long visitors typically view your digital content display.

• For passers-by, such as shoppers, use short 30-second messages.
• For medium-time viewers, such as staff members, reception staff, or coffee shop patrons, 30 seconds to 2-minute rotations work.
• For long-term viewing, such as at a restaurant, waiting area, or office, content rotation should range from 2 to 30 minutes.

Use a Call to Action

After your audience sees your message, they need to know the next step to take. A call to action can guide them in the right direction. This should appear at the bottom of your content and include exactly how to reach your company about the message or ad they see. Beginning with an action verb creates a sense of urgency. The sooner your viewer acts, the more likely they are to benefit from your product/service/message and the greater your chances of profiting from their business.

Don’t Forget Social Media

Just about everyone uses social media at some point during the day. You might not be able to say everything you want in your digital signage, but your call to action can easily include a link to your company’s social media presence, for example, or a Facebook page or YouTube videos. If you have news or video tutorials to share or want to provide insights into your company, social media is an effective tool. Get everyone involved, including customers and employees, in generating ideas for your social media campaigns.

We Can Meet All Your Digital Signage Needs

At Total Concept Integration, we know how to create digital signage that works. Our team can provide hi-tech LED screens along with design, engineering, and installation services with the equipment needed to create a high-end digital experience. Rigging services are also included in our turnkey package. For help with retail, tradeshow, and event implementations or with custom development, reach out by calling 855-950-0824 today.