Customers are always looking for a good deal, new products from their favorite brands, and opportunities to make the most of their free time. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), like their customers, are also looking for fresh opportunities to offer new deals, products and optimize their time for growth and efficiency. That’s why they’re drawn to the potential of digital signage — an effective tool for showcasing promotions, highlighting new arrivals, and capturing attention, all while optimizing time and resources in a fast-paced market.
What is digital signage, and how does it differ from traditional static signage?
Companies have traditionally put up signs limited by two-dimensional graphics and a single, unchanging message. Advancements in technology have allowed digital signage for business solutions that offer a far more dynamic way to communicate with your customers.
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Similar to the screens that showcase content on your laptop or smartphone, digital signage for small business solutions can be used to make announcements, present special promotions and educate or even inspire customers.
When used strategically, digital signage can capture customers’ attention and compel concrete actions, such as asking for more information or placing an order. From a marketing perspective, digital signs simplify business processes and drive operational efficiency. Just as important, they increase foot traffic and revenue while boosting customer loyalty.
Some common digital signage for small business options include LED signage, outdoor and window-facing signage, direct view LED displays, digital menu boards and more.
How can digital signage enhance the customer experience?
Every step of the customer journey involves moments where the right signage can answer unasked questions, additional context to guide decision-making and greater confidence in your company.
For example, outdoor digital signs for businesses, such as Samsung outdoor LED displays, can stand out amid static signage and invite customers to explore the experience you’re offering. Once they enter, digital signs can guide customers to the products and services that interest them.
Using combinations of images, text and even video, digital signage lets customers immerse themselves in details about products they care about, update them on the latest deals and showcase complementary products and services they wouldn’t have known about or considered otherwise.
The ability to continuously update digital signage means you can display content based on the time of day or the season, your local neighborhood or specific customer segments. It’s a tailored approach that makes your communications more personalized and relevant.
Digital displays can also introduce interactive elements, such as touchscreens that let customers browse online catalogs, subscribe to your database or enter a contest.
Once customers are ready to pay for a purchase, digital signs and kiosks can inform them about upcoming events or special sales and ensure they understand return policies and customer support options.
What are some key factors to consider?
Make the most of what digital signage for small business solutions has to offer by following these steps:
1. Identify the customer-facing content that matters
A digital display can display a much wider range of information, so plan accordingly. If you don’t already have one, consider developing a content calendar that reflects your schedule of promotions, holiday hours and other standard announcements. Also, consider how you might use digital signage to go beyond text with more images and videos. Cloud-based solutions like Samsung VXT offer intuitive and remote display management in one secure platform to help you create and schedule content and streamline your screens.
2. Map out the spaces where communication is critical
Walk through your business and look for areas where customers typically dwell. Consider the size and capabilities that make sense when customers arrive at a store or restaurant, for instance. What would be the best form factor or style of display to help them when they’re considering what to order to buy? What’s the ideal location for digital signage as they pay and leave? The answers to these questions will also help guide your investment.
3. Keep the employee experience top of mind
You may be deploying digital signage to assist customers, but the products you choose should also benefit your team. Ask your technology partner how digital signage solutions and displays can reduce administrative burdens, increase productivity and make collaboration easier. With the right content management system (CMS), for example, managing and scheduling content updates becomes fast and easy. In some cases, digital signage and display solutions, such as Samsung Kiosk, can also offer self-service features that reduce employee workloads.
PIRS apps give businesses the ability to create engaging, eye-catching content without having to hire partners or learn complicated software:
- Seenspire. SMBs in corporate environments can leverage dynamic content services for digital signage like Infotainment by Seenspire. Blending information and entertainment, it offers over 200 regularly updated content feeds, covering news, sports and entertainment. The feeds can be customized with branding elements like logos, ensuring digital signage is aligned with brand identity while keeping viewers engaged and reinforcing employee engagement.
- Link My POS. For retail settings, solutions like Link My POS effortlessly pull product data from your POS system, eliminating the need for manual data entry or exports and freeing up employees to focus on other crucial tasks.
- PIRS Art. With access to a wide range of art content and the flexibility of canvas design capability, SMBs can easily tailor content to suit their unique needs, from announcements to performance recognition, while keeping it visually appealing and easy to digest.
The PIRS landscape has a constantly growing list of apps, making it easy for businesses to find the right application to appeal to their employees and customers.
Future-proof your digital signage investment
As with any other area, your use of digital signage for business is bound to evolve. However, that needn’t lead to excessive costs and complexity.
Prepare for the long term by standardizing on solutions from a trusted technology partner with digital and display capabilities that you can set up without relying on a professional services team. Also, opt for products with mobile integrations that will ease future digital transformation efforts.
Next, measure the impact of your digital signage investments with customer surveys and other feedback mechanisms. Assess whether they’re getting all the necessary information and if further opportunities exist to engage and educate them with additional displays.
Finally, stay open to experimenting and innovating with new digital signage solutions as they emerge. The more you test, the more you’ll learn — and the more likely you’ll maximize your return on investment.
Learn more about Samsung’s portfolio of digital signage solutions that empower small businesses. And discover how Samsung is helping streamline retail operations, drive customer engagement, improve workflows and boost ROI with digital displays.
