So, you have digital displays up and running. Now what? Are you getting the return you expected? If you don’t have a strategy for your digital communications network then you aren’t leveraging all the opportunities. Developing a strategy doesn’t have to be complex or intimidating, but without a strategy you’ve made a big investment with little chance of return. If you want to use your screens to communicate and engage your audience, then you must be purposeful.

Strategies Yield Results

Digital displays can influence the viewer's decisions and actions. That’s not just a hypothesis. Eclipse Digital Media found that 29.5 percent of customers said that the content on digital menus impacted their order. These same displays were also responsible for a 50 percent boost in sales. Digital communications attract attention, just make sure it’s the kind of attention you want. If you’ve ever been in a store, restaurant, or really any venue, where the digital displays are either not working or have badly designed content it’s not very impressive and sometimes even distracting. It may even have customers questioning the quality of the business and its brand. A survey from FedEx revealed 68 percent of consumers see a store’s digital communication methods as a reflection of its quality. These types of expectations aren’t just in retail, they apply across all industries.

How to Build a Strategy

Start with a simple but meaningful question: what do you want to sell or communicate? Once you are able to answer this you can build on that idea. In a retail environment you could promote items with a better profit margins on your digital displays. Environments, such as airports, schools or hospitals, may share information like schedules or wayfinding to improve visitor experience.

When you think about how the viewer will intake the information, you are more likely to promote a positive emotional experience, which is very important for the right response. For example, research from the Temkin Group relayed that those customers with a positive emotional experience with a brand are over 15 times more likely to recommend it, 8 times more likely to trust it, and 7 times more likely to make another purchase from them.

A Platform to Align with Your Strategy

Once you have an approach to your communications, much of the rest of your strategy should focus around finding a platform that supports your needs now and in the future. It is important to find an agile platform that provides your organization with the ability to put information on any screen. As well, make sure you put some thought into your content strategy. This could mean changing content based on time of day, day of the week, or season.

It’s Time to Get Strategic

Digital communication is a key aspect of how many brands communicate with their audiences. Like any form of communication, it needs a strategy to support it. Being random with digital won’t deliver the results you desire and expect. Start by exploring all the business challenges that digital communications can help you overcome.