Over 80% of today’s customers will enter a store that has a  digital sign attached to it. But is your local business making the most  of the opportunity? Digital signage is easier than ever to set up, using  technology you already know and use, like TV screens, cloud-based  software and a dashboard managed from your PC.

The result? Powerful digital communications that speak to your  audience and help them to make successful purchase decisions, armed with  all of the information they could need.

Digital signage can be used for wayfinding, product information, advertising and digital menu boards. According to studies, 29.5% of customers find digital menus influential for purchase of product.

Digital media in public venues also reaches more customers  than videos on the Internet or Facebook. This gives even the smallest  local businesses the chance to go up against big brands in eyeball space  and gaining views.

Of course, great digital signage relies heavily on great content.  Choosing what to display on digital screens within your business and how  to use them for full effect can be tricky.

With this in mind, here are five digital signage marketing strategies  that local businesses can use to improve their digital communications  and connect with more customers.

Customers entering your local business are faced by ton of different  choices that all require them to make a decision. Particularly in  retail, making the wrong decision could be a costly mistake.

Past experiences, both of the customer and their fellow peer group of  shoppers could help make the decision-making process easier. Online, we  see customer testimonials everywhere. In store, one of the easiest ways  to replicate this is through digital signage.

Digital screens bring the words and thoughts of your customers into  the environment that new and existing customers are shopping in. The  power of such testimonials is vast - it helps put customers in a state  where they feel safe, and in good company.

In local businesses you could even have the surprise and delight  element where a customer in the shop sees their own testimonial up on  screen. Or where another shopper knows the person on screen, increasing  authenticity.

2. Allow customers to contribute on your behalf

You know the best way to make customers feel like they’re part of your brand? Let them own it.

Customers today want more from the people they buy their bread or  electricity from. They want to feel part of the community and form a  relationship with the people and company they’re buying from.

One way to build this connection is by allowing customers to  contribute to what you show and share. Using digital signage as the  vehicle through which their message reaches the real world.

This could be a tweet that they send, that’s shown on a live Twitter  wall, a customer testimonial board or an Instagram display of customer  images.

Digital signage is also a powerful means of storyboarding. Sharing  success stories and the personal challenges of your customers humanizes  your brand and shows a deep connection with customers.

Product setups are great but one way to bring them alive and increase  the 360-degree view is to back them with digital displays. Online,  products that have video demonstrations have a 160% higher conversion rate than visits where no video is viewed.

In store, product videos allow your customers to dig deep into what  the product could do for them after they leave the store. A simple  digital signage setup could allow you to show that new camera out in the  French Alps, or swimwear at the beach. Perhaps it’s a quick shot of  people tucking into your new apple pie, or a delighted relative  receiving one of your postcards.

According to a Cisco IBSG study,  over 40% of shoppers say that digital displays can change what they buy  because relevant information is served close to the point of purchase.  Digital screens allow you to extend the branding of your product and  create a full-circle view about what you have on offer that pairs both  the physical and the digital displays.

The best digital signage displays in local businesses are the ones  that focus on who the customer is and why they may want to buy a  specific product or take up a service.

This comes down to making your signage timely, adaptable and relatable. A simple way to remember this is to use the acronym TAR:

TAR will help you to think about what you show on your screens and  when. For example, if you own a food shop, perhaps you advertize  steaming hot coffee in the morning and ice cold beer in the evening.  Most modern digital signage apps and players allow you to set up  schedules and playlists that can be optimized for different times and  days.

This might mean rolling out one playlist Monday-Friday and another at  the weekend. Or creating content specifically for payday, seasonal  periods or special holidays.

Lastly, it needs to be relatable to your audience. Your digital  presence should be an extension of what they see in your local business,  whether that’s fun and light, or serious and knowledgeable.

Some customers may never have been to your store before. How do they  know where to go or what information is available? Digital signs can be  used to do the job of three or four people as they help visitors get to  the areas or products they need.

Screens are intuitive to us. This makes them natural candidates for  wayfinding, information display, checkout directives and more. Digital  signs have also been proven to be a more affordable long-term solution  that static ones which are costly and messy to exchange.

Your digital signage strategy should do more for your business than just look good.

Like any marketing, the investment needs to create a return but the  effects of digital signage are widespread, affecting perception, revenue  and customer loyalty to your brand.

Isn’t it about time you gave it a go? Start today with a free trial of ScreenCloud.

How to set up a digital signage display for your local business to share content, social media feeds, news and events and connect with new and existing customers.

How to make intuitive digital screens your best customer lure.

5 Digital Signage Strategies for Local Businesses

5 Digital Signage Strategies for Local Businesses

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