We live in a world of soundbites. With TV shows broken up every 15 minutes by commercials, commercials changing every 2-3 minutes, and Tweets of 140 characters, the average person is looking for information and entertainment at lightning speed, and their attention span for your brand is no different. When it comes to connecting to your audience, your brand needs to be engaging and relevant, all at warp speed. A picture is worth a bit more than 1,000 words in the digital age. Maximize your engagement on the fly by using images in eye-catching and memorable digital displays rather than a block of text or a static ad.
Shark Week: A lesson in engaging digital content
This past week has been filled with Discovery’s Shark Week, one of the most popular annual features in television. The shows, commercials, and web content around Shark Week often feature interesting facts and statistics, such as the fact that sharks only kill an average of 12 people year, while over 11,000 sharks are killed each hour.
Did you catch that stat? Let’s try it again this way:
While your eyes probably glazed right over that statistic in text, a powerful infographic depicting the truth of the situation will linger with you. Images create a lasting impression within seconds–The same amount of time it would take a consumer to forget your lack-luster text advertisement or static ad. By creating engaging content that makes a visual impact and delivering it through an engaging platform like an LED digital display, your brand becomes something to remember.
Take your digital content from being just another fish in the sea to Shark Week status
So you know that you want to be engaging and to meet your customers with ads that create an impact and a lasting impression…but how? Creating content that works for your brand, as well as understanding how to deliver it to your audience will help you make the impression you want.
Step One: Actually create the content.
Sixteen:Nine recently posted about the hard truth that “There is no content fairy in digital signage.” The message you put into the world is just as important as the manner in which you send it, so be sure that you spend time thinking about what you want to say to your customers and how you’d like to connect with them, and having the assets to convey that message is essential. Invest in your marketing and content assets, creating a bank of quality content that can fuel your brand. Are you short on man power for content creation? Be an excellent content curator, with respect to usage rights.
Step Two: Know your audience.
In order to connect with your audience, you need to know your audience. In some industries, tech included, trade shows are the place to distinguish yourself to your potential clients. Your booth is more likely to induce passing glances than interaction if you’re trying to communicate with a basic banner and a few printed out flyers. Instead, an indoor LED display creates a visually interesting siren song to passersby. Is your target audience known for avid social media use? Get engaging with social content in your displays, connecting through a unified hashtag, a specific discussion, or a photo challenge.
Step Three: Share smarter.
The best content needs great delivery. Invest in the technology behind your brand to make your displays, stores, game floor, and/or tradeshow booths something to remember. Find the technology that works for your needs. For example, if you’re in a brightly area, you’ll want to go with LED for a brighter display that easier to view than an LCD screen. For tradeshows or in-store displays, you’ll want something lightweight that won’t alter the architecture of a leased space.
How is your content making an impact? What more would you like to see from brands when it comes to digital content? Tell us your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter.
Infographic via Huffington Post. Shark image via Wikimedia Commons.