Between you and the endless number of brands out there, your potential customers have quite a few options for daily shopping. While this is the forever after situation for B2C businesses, it is also true for B2B enterprises who are trying to find a loyal customer base. You need to think, what makes your brand stand out among the possible thousands of similar brands out there. Is it enough to offer a competitive product? Do you need to put in an extra effort to stand out in the crowd?
Digital signage has your back
Digital signage has been helping brands like yours for decades. They provide flexibility, innovation, and interaction that was otherwise absent in popular advertising media. Print ads and TVC, of course, do the job “just fine,” but they lack the interactive appeal that digital media players and touchscreen digital displays offer right now.
Just imagine walking through a mall and chancing upon a kiosk with two-way interactive touchscreen displays. They let you explore the brand story, customize your shopping options and even book products instantly. You don’t have to go inside a crowded store or stand in the long queue to complete payment. Will this experience not stay with you for days to come? Will you not speak of this to your family and friends? Moreover, whenever mall shopping comes up as a discussion topic, you are bound to mention this one unique shopping experience. This is exactly what makes any brand stand out.
We are sure you are already thinking of reinventing your brand identity and integrating store marketing with new technologies for digital signage. Here are a few things you may want to consider before you take that dive –
Make your first impression last
First impressions last and that is true for retail stores as well. Whether you are selling inside a mall or as an independent store at the end of the block, you need to understand that your sales pitch begins as soon as your first customer walks in through the door.
You may have already noticed how people love spending time at electronic stores even when they are done shopping. It is mostly because of the digital displays in there. Electronic stores have welcomed the era of digital signage and digital media players with open arms. The scores of large LED and LCD screens in there create a completely immersive experience for the visitors. That is what you should aim for as well.
Even if you are selling fresh produce, airing images of fresh and colorful food, updated offers, cheerful entr’acte signs and customer-friendly messages can become your content. Help your customers and potential customers reckon with your brand values with immersive digital displays.
Give visual impetus to all your buyers
We have already seen in case of the food industry how the image of delicious food excites the senses. If you don’t believe us, simply switch to Instagram for a minute and try scrolling through a foodie’s profile. The visual stimulus whets the appetite for the real deal.
This is true in a lot of cases. That is why we are seeing a lot of retail outlets adopting digital displays to showcase their clothing collection, accessories collection, and even makeup collections. Once a person sees real-life models sport the latest collections, it becomes much easier for them to make the buying decision. Also, do not forget the music on the media player. The music should fit your brand and your product.
Brand your digital content for recognition
Why do you have a brand logo and typography for the brand name? It is to make you recognizable in all print and digital media. The key to recognition is consistency. Therefore, you need to be very consistent when you are creating your digital media content as well. Do you have a specific type of images you use for social media promotions? Do you already have TVCs that use specific tones and colors? Then you should stick to them as you work on your signage content. This will help your viewers recognize your brand wherever they are.
Think of this for a second – you are using unbranded generic content for promotions inside a mall. Even if the screen is right next to your store, people might just assume it’s your next door neighbor who has put it up. Always use content that has your brand logo and your brand colors. The dynamic digital displays should always display a common theme.
Always give your customers what they are looking for
Customers do not have much patience, and we all know that by now. They want to know about products, promotions, and offers, but they are not ready to wait. Well, they are quite right! When there are a thousand brands they can explore, there is nothing that should keep them waiting for hours for the brand information they want. You should not even try to test their patience. Be precise, be reiterative if necessary and always display appealing content on your boards. Customers need to see the brand message as frequently as you can manage. This is also true for in-store promotions. You can always educate your customers about new products, services, and offers.
That’ll help you stand out!
You need to create more than just another digital display content. You need to create a story that your potential customers are willing to spend time seeing. You need to create an experience that will keep your customers coming back for more. Having digital displays might give you an edge, but unless you can put in the extra bit of effort, you will not be able to secure a loyal customer base. Digital signage can help you create a complete experience for your new customers and old.
Author bio: Dan Knight is a marketing strategist and analyst. He has been working with several companies to help them develop digital marketing content for digital media players and digital signage.
