The “wow” factor is everything when it comes to first impressions. This is why digital signage leads the way when it comes to in-store branding. However, just as a Ferrari is useless without gasoline, a digital signage display is nothing more than an aesthetically appealing piece of technology without good content. Too many businesses neglect inputting highly engaging content into their display and then wonder why the digital signage system they invested heavily in isn’t working its magic.

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8 Biggest Mistakes
when Planning
a Digital Signage
Campaign

2. 8 Biggest Mistakes when Planning 2
a Digital Signage Campaign
The “wow” factor is everything when it comes to
first impressions. This is why digital signage leads
the way when it comes to in-store branding. However,
just as a Ferrari is useless without gasoline, a digital
signage display is nothing more than an aesthetically
appealing piece of technology without good content.
Too many businesses neglect inputting highly
engaging content into their display and then wonder
why the digital signage system they invested heavily
in isn’t working its magic.
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# 5 # 6 # 7 # 8
There are mistakes businesses make that are all too
apparent from an experienced marketer’s standpoint.
By avoiding the following eight common pitfalls, you can
create a crafty and compelling digital signage campaign
that your audience will actually take their time to look at
and engage with.
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3. Mistake #1: Not Knowing the Audience who will be
Looking at the Displays
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You need to understand your core demographic from
the inside out and tailor your content to their needs.
For the most part, your demographic can be divided
into two categories: employees and customers. How to prevent it:
Study your key
demographic. This
can be done through
surveys, questionnaires
or studying the analytics.
If you know your
demographic comprises
of teens and young
adults, for example,
then you can create
content that caters
to teens and millenials.
This may include
messages in the style
of a tweet or the heavy
use of emoticons, smiley
faces, GIFs and other
social media jargon,
such as “LOL”, “SMH”,
“OMG”, “face palm”, etc.
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Employees – More businesses are using digital displays
to keep their staffers informed on the latest updates, such
as changes in conference meeting times or the latest sales
report shown in real time. As long as the information is
displayed in a way that is easily readable, there is no need
to present the data in an ultra-visually appealing manner.
Customers – When appealing to your customers, you
need to go that extra mile to showcase content that will
catch their interest. Too many businesses fail to step into
their customers’ shoes and therefore don’t truly know
the products, services and experiences they are looking for.
This results in broad and generic content that hardly elicits
noteworthy attention.

4. Mistake #2: Not Knowing what You want
to Communicate
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If you are confused about
what you’re trying to
communicate, then
so will your consumers.
Too many businesses
make the mistake of
communicating too
many messages at once.
The result is a mishmash
of data stuffed into a
single screen. This results
in information overload
that consumers will
quickly forget.
How to prevent it:
Know ahead of time
what you want to
communicate.
Are you promoting
a product launch?
Are you advertising
a new loyalty program?
Or are you showing
general information,
such as the weather
or stock? If you have
multiple messages,
then separate them into
different slides or videos.
Only one message
should be shown on
screen at any given
moment.

5. Mistake #3: Not Knowing What’s the Goal
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Not knowing the goal is
similar to not knowing
how to communicate.
Without a clearly defined
goal, how can you create
content designed to
meet the company’s
end objective? You have
to have a goal in order
to give your content
a direction.
How to prevent it:
Ask yourself “what is
the goal for this digital
signage campaign?”
Is it to bring attention
to a new product? Is it
to provide entertainment
value for customers
waiting in line? Knowing
the goal will help you
craft suitable content.
If the goal is product
promotion, for example,
then you will need to
create content that
utilizes all the tricks of
effective copywriting
followed by a strong
call-to-action.

6. Mistake #4: Not Knowing What Assets
You Have to Deploy
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Many companies fail to
utilize the full range of
tools available to them.
This results in digital
signage content that is
not a whole lot better
than a static sign display.
How to prevent it:
If you’re going to invest
in digital signage, then
go the whole mile.
Explore ways to enrich
your ad campaign.
Some of the tools at
your disposal include
but not limited to:
• Website information
• System Data
(database, phone
switch, production
numbers)
• Existing ads
• Live television feeds
• Social media
Know the full capabilities of your digital signage system.
Most models, for instance, have touchscreen features
and can also show social media posts with live updates.
Why not use these features to your advantage?
Why not create an interactive feature or use the power
of social networks to interact with your audience?

7. Mistake #5: Not being Clear who will need
to Contribute to the Content
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Businesses can make the
mistake of designating
one or more staff member
who may not be the
right person for the job.
Randomly assigning
a faculty member to
handle the digital signage
campaign can result in
poor quality material if
the person is not versed
in advertising and
copywriting.
How to prevent it:
First, decide who will be in charge of the campaign.
Depending on the size of your business, it may be a
single person or multiple people from each respective
department. The person designated should be a natural
communicator and know how to convey a message
using common marketing practices for digital signage.
This includes keeping the message short, utilizing
images and animation, and incorporating interactive
media when suitable. If this duty falls outside of your
employees’ skillsets, then consider outsourcing the work
to a third party agency.

8. Mistake #6: Not Knowing where
to get the Information From
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The Web provides an
abundant supply of
information; yet so many
businesses neglect to
explore the information
that is freely available.
As a result, they do not
give their consumers
the in-depth information
that would establish
them as an authority
figure in their given
industry.
How to prevent it:
Acquaint yourself with
the resources available
to you. Within the
Web, this may include
blogs, forums, and
question and answer
sites. Also be willing
to explore outside the
Web to obtain industry-specific
knowledge
that can’t be found
with a Google search.
Consider interviewing
industry insiders or even
using your own first-hand
experience and
knowledge. If you are
outsourcing the work to
a third party agency, be
sure that they are willing
to go that extra mile
to obtain the needed
information.

9. Mistake #7: Being Unaware how often the Information
will need to be Updated
The neat thing about
digital signage is that
updates can be preset
and set automatically
without the need to
constantly remove old
banners and plaster up
new ones. Even so, too
many companies do not
supply their displays
with updated material.
Remember that this is
the digital age where
new information can
become old news within
a matter of hours. Failure
to provide consistent
updates shows to the
consumers that you are
out of the loop and not
up to date with your own
industry.
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As long as you have a steady supply of fresh content,
most digital signage systems can be programmed to
automatically switch them out hourly, daily or whatever
time you specify. Make sure that whoever is designated
to handle the campaign is on top of it so that the content
never becomes stale.
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How to prevent it:
Know how often
each piece of content
needs to be updated.
A promotional material
for a new product, for
example, can be shown
as long as the product
remains the trending
item. Other content like
industry news updates
pulled from online
sources should be
switched out frequently,
preferably every day
or even several times
a day depending on the
frequency of updates
becoming available.

10. Mistake #8: Not Knowing what the Installation
will Look Like
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Many companies
purchase multiple digital
signage monitors and
displays without even
deciding ahead of time
where they’re going to be
positioned. Without
a layout plan, companies
may run into multiple
difficulties, such as not
having electrical outlets
at the sites where the
displays are needed,
or not having a suitable
location for the central
command center.
Also be sure to have an answer for
the following questions:
What sizes are the
displays? What resolutions
and what orientations
are required?
Will the content be the
same or different for
each screen?
Will the displays need
to be floor, pole or wall
mounted?
Is an electrical
outlet available at each
display point?
Are custom frames or
protective enclosures
required for the displays?
How to prevent it:
Start by defining the
physical locations for the
displays and what the
viewer or audience will
encounter at each point.

11. Designing and executing a properly
functioning digital signage solution
can be a difficult and complicated
process. Typically it’s better to leave
that to professionals.
We at Retail Motion are happy to hear
from you and help you get a digital
signage solution that fits perfectly
to your situation, whether you need
a interactive kiosks, menu boards
or content management services.
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You can read more about our services here:
http://retailmotion.com.au/services/digital-signage-solutions/
If you would prefer to talk with us,
you can contact us at (02) 9431 1400
or by filling out the contact form here:
http://retailmotion.com.au/our-office/
Conclusion
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