Growing up as a kid you either wanted to be a doctor, firefighter, police officer, pilot, or an athlete. These are usually the most common professions that we dream of as kids. As we grew up we learned of so many other options that those early childhood dreams no longer seemed as appealing or as realistic as they used to be when we were 5 or 6 years old. I know, I know, you are asking yourself, “What does this have to do with digital signage?”

Let me tell you why a digital signage company is blogging about childhood goals and aspirations. Recent developments coming out of Texas indicate the Texas State Technical College (TSTC) has launched an associate’s degree program in digital signage. TSTC is offering a 2 year program that will teach students all the ins & outs of digital signage. Coursework will consist of classes in digital marketing, design, and scheduling.

Want more incentive to sign up? The courses are fully online, meaning you never have to set foot on campus (well, unless you want to or have to take care of paper work and things like that).

All joking aside, this is just another indication that digital signage is here to stay. The technology is getting ingrained into the mainstream every single day, and it’s only a matter of time before digital displays become the predominant form of outdoor advertising. The cost & time efficiencies and flexibility that this medium provides are second to none.

Maybe one day you will ask a kid what he wants to major in when he goes to college and his answer will be, “I want a degree in digital signage.” Sure, this is still a few years away, but that’s what the “experts” said about a gaming degree; and yet, most major universities have started offering bachelor’s and even master’s degrees in game design and management.

Here is a common question that we get… why does UCView chose to go with campaigns rather than playlists in order to run ads? UCView is the only solution provider in digital signage that handles ad management through campaigns instead of playlists. Sure we are going against the industry norm, but going with the flow doesn’t always mean it’s the right way to go. With campaigns we have managed to simplify ad management and playback to a point where you only have to worry about the ads you personally are responsible for and not the ads that your co-worker or someone in another department is responsible for.

The traditional way ad management takes form is through playlists. Each player is assigned a playlist of ads that it needs to run, and that playlist has to be accessed by multiple people so they can all put in their ads. As you can imagine, this is not the most efficient method by which to run ads. There is always the chance that an ad can accidentally be moved around or even removed by someone else. So you have to deal with the constant worry of making sure your ads are present in the final playlist before it goes to the player.

Well, we thought there has to be a better way to handle ad management than the old way, and we figured it out. Why not create an ad campaign?

When you enter the Campaigns & Ads section of the UCView Portal, you can start the simple process of making your ads & setting them up into campaigns. Once you have created all the ads you are responsible for, you can group them into campaigns. These campaigns can then be sent to specific players in your network, without any concerns over someone else messing around with your ads. Since no one else has access to edit your campaign you can rest assured that your campaigns will be displayed.

Ad management done right. Another reason why UCView’s digital signage solutions take the hassle out of your digital signage network and give you the ease of mind that comes with a solid, simple, and secure network.

Historically, advertising has focused on reaching the widest audience possible. This meant coming up with a campaign that would be attractive to a large number of people while at the same time staying true to the roots of the brand or product.

With digital signage, this concept can be turned on its head.
Due to the flexibility that this medium can deliver, ads can now be targeted at a very specific demographic, meaning they have a much better chance at success because the messages are ones that the target audience can actually relate to.

Now, not only can you integrate ads that are updated instantaneously, but you can also present them in a form that is visually appealing. With live TV, RSS feeds, social media streams, and even 3D, digital signage has reached a stage where pretty much any media format can be displayed on your network.

However, just because you have the freedom to put up anything you can think of doesn’t mean your advertising will be effective. In order to get your audience to engage with the content you are displaying, it has to be something they care about and want to learn more.

Recent trends indicate a shift toward location based advertising or geo-tagging as it is commonly known in social media terms. The popularity of Twitter and Foursquare has put this trend at the forefront of location based advertising; more and more people are tweeting about where they are and what they are doing, or “checking-in” to a location they visited through Foursquare. Many battles for “Mayorship” and “Trending Topics” later, the remnant is the fact that people care about the places around them.

How can you take advantage of this? By integrating these trends into your digital signage strategy. You can set up a Twitter feed with the latest tweets from your business or even a feed that includes predefined keywords and selects the tweets that contain those words. This will get your audience buzzing about your business both online and off, and it can be a great way to get the word out about your brand. Not only is this approach very cost effective, but it also gives your audience an opportunity to engage with your brand actively.

You can use your digital signage network to give your customers an extra incentive for coming in. Whether it is an opportunity to interact through Twitter or by advertising nearby businesses that your customers might be interested in, digital signage gives you the flexibility to create, manage and display content that will best match the needs of your audience.

After the TV screen, computer screen, and mobile screen, the battle for attention on the fourth screen is at the forefront of advertising. The fourth screen gives businesses the opportunity to advertise to a receptive audience who has the willingness to engage. However, who’s to say that place based advertising really works?

Research has shown that people are exposed to about 5000 ads per day. At the end of the day if you ask anyone to list some of the ads they have seen, I bet they will have a hard time coming up with anything more than 5-10 ads. The few ads that people do recall tend to be the ones that really stick out and are able to differentiate themselves from the clutter.

How do you get your ad to stand out from the other 4999? Deliver it on a platform where people have the opportunity and willingness to engage. This is where digital signage comes into play. With current technology, digital signage displays can deliver engaging content that is bound to grab the viewers’ attention. Whether it’s an RSS feed, a social media stream, live TV, or even 3D, digital signage can get audience engagement much easier than traditional print signage.

In terms of reach, a recent study by Arbitron showed that 181 million people in the US had seen a digital display within the past month and 135 million had seen one within the past week. This is a bigger audience reach than any other form of new media advertising. Also, it is a medium that people are willing to engage.

The study concluded that 47 percent of those who saw an ad on a digital display recalled the ad later. That translates to almost 1 out of every two people who recalled an ad they saw on a digital display. Another figure that stood out from the study was the fact that 19 percent, or 1 out of every 5 people, made an unplanned purchase after seeing a featured item on digital display. The study was done across a wide demographic and its significant sample size makes the numbers that much more reliable.

The fourth screen presents businesses the opportunity to significantly boost sales by featuring strategic ads in locations where those ads will be most successful. With 75 percent of purchase decisions being made inside the store, it is important to use digital signage to engage with your audience at the most opportune time.

Clearly there are figures to back up the claim that digital signage works. Not only does this medium provide a cost efficient platform by which to deliver your content, but it also serves it up in a form that people are willing to engage.

Our last series of blogs dealt with how to increase your audience. In this series we will dive into location based advertising, its effectiveness, and how to get your audience more engaged with the advertising on your displays.

There are two key issues to be addressed when it comes to location based advertising:

1. Does place based advertising really work?

2. What type of advertising is most successful in this environment?

Both of these topics will be discussed in full detail in this series; however, here is a sneak peak at each of these topics and how digital signage is perfectly positioned to capitalize on this trend. When it comes to the effectiveness of place based advertising, studies have shown that digital-out-of-home displays have a huge audience. This means the medium has a great opportunity to succeed. With the wide reach of digital signage, and its continued expansion into new locations and markets, it is only a matter of time before the medium is the dominant form of outdoor advertising. Place based also provides an opportunity for immediate gratification. In a culture where we want everything right now, digital signage is the best way to monetize this trend. Three out of every four purchase decisions are made while in a store, and with digital signage this can be used to your advantage. Offering a limited time discount or a special offer on your digital signage network can easily boost sales of the featured product or service.

From an advertising content perspective, the best types of ads to run on your display network are ones that would be easily accessible to your audience. For example showing a promotion or special offer that a local museum is offering would be much more effective as opposed to an offer from a business that’s two towns over. Location sensitive offers have the highest success potential because people can get what they want quickly.

Last but certainly not least, the most important factor in audience engagement and retention is content. If people are not interested in what’s being shown on the screen the next time they won’t even take a glance at it. In an environment where we are bombarded with content 24/7, every one of us has developed internal mechanisms to block out excess noise. However, when we see something unique or different, we are bound to observe it and even recommend it to family and friends. Word of mouth has grown into a major player in the decision making process, and with high quality content your displays can generate that positive buzz.

In today’s environment, traditional signs don’t stand a chance at success. Static images targeted to a wide demographic are not capable of generating engagement. Another disadvantage of traditional signage is its lack of flexibility. By the time these signs are printed and delivered to target locations, they could be out of date, not to mention the high costs of printing and delivery.

With digital signage, all these concerns disappear. Printing and delivery costs are eliminated, content can be specific to your demographics, and the flexibility of digital signage provides an opportunity for your messages to stick with the audience.

This is where UCView’s EZBoard Editor comes in. With this state of the art content creation / management tool, you can create eye catching layouts that are guaranteed to get people talking. Whether it’s a dynamic menu board, an RSS feed, a live feed from Twitter, or even 3D content; with EZBoard you can bring together all these elements into one display and rest assured that your displays will not just be another screen, but the screen people want to visit every time they are at your business.

You read that correctly, 3D CONTENT. UCView has integrated Magnetic 3D’s Enabl3D technology into our content creation package, allowing your media to be presented in 3D, without the hassle of 3D glasses. This groundbreaking technology is something that’s bound to resonate with your audience. It’s something that is not commercially available, so viewers will want to take some time and appreciate the truly innovative technology on display at your business. Not only will 3D grab viewers’ attention, but it will lead to high retention rates and word of mouth. This directly translates to better exposure of your content.

It’s also important not to overwhelm your audience with stunning content. Sure you can have the latest and greatest technology and create a piece worthy of a movie theatre, but the key is that the viewer remembers the product being advertised. After all, what’s the point of having great buzz about this piece they saw if they can’t even recall your brand?

So what it comes down to is showing content people want to see and engage with. Through the EZBoard Editor you can integrate your PowerPoint presentations, Flash, Live TV, a Twitter feed, music, 3D, and much more. Displaying engaging material, not only gets the attention of your customers once, but it will be a source of repeat visits and higher customer retention rates.

So you have done your homework and know that you have the right number of screens. Yet, still it doesn’t seem like you are getting the engagement level that you expected from your campaigns. The next question to ask yourself is, “Where are your screens?”

If only one screen is placed in your location, and it’s positioned in a low traffic area, you might want to reconsider its placement. Positioning a screen in common areas provides for more viewers and as this number increases, the opportunity for audience engagement goes up as well. Just like supermarkets place their weekly specials at endcaps of aisles, placing a screen by the cash registers, or near an elevator entrance will lead to much higher levels of engagement with your audience.

Retail businesses have mastered the art of product positioning to a point where they can predict sales levels of a product just by knowing where in the store it is placed. High traffic areas yield more exposure and therefore, more purchases. This same theory can be applied to digital signage and engagement levels it can generate with your audience.

Another way to get your screens to work for you is by placing products you want to sell close to the screens. Remember, the goal of your screens is to get audience engagement. If you are running content that the audience wants to see, it’s the perfect opportunity to move some product at the same time. Place your specials or brochures near the displays and it will simplify the decision making process for your customers. Studies have shown that three out of four purchase decisions are made while in the store, and what better way to make these decisions easier than by strategic positioning of your displays?

It’s crucial to place a screen in an area where people will notice it and be willing to engage. For example, by the cash registers or in areas where people tend to congregate for longer periods of time, the screen can add the highest value. People have time to spare and it gives your business a great opportunity to engage with your patrons; whether it’s providing them with headline news, weather conditions, a social media stream, live TV, or your weekly specials, placing your screens in high traffic areas will lead to more engagement.

You’ve decided on the right number of screens and strategically positioned them; now comes the last step. What content will be displayed on your screens? You can have the most screens and best placement, but if you are running content people don’t care about, your entire investment could go to waste. In the next edition of the blog, we will discuss how content can push your digital signage network to the next level.