Digital Signage Advantages for Small Business

My blogging goal today is to share with you the many advantages associated with running a Digital Signage Display in your small business. By the end of the blog, I hope that you are envisioning your own business success and how you might utilize a Digital Signage display to improve upon your business success.

There are many names associated with Digital Signage; Digital Signage Networks, Out Of Home (OOH) Networks, Place-Based Advertising Networks, In-Store Networks, Narrowcasting Networks, Community Networks, Facility Networks, or just "TV-like" Networks -- Regardless of what they are called there is one thing most everyone agrees upon: Digital Signage provides an extremely effective and efficient method of communication and has a huge impact on individual behavior.

Many recent industry reports have been published with similar results. Here are a few highlights from recently published reports:

300% sales increases when aided by a promotion(1)

29% of shoppers made an unplanned purchase based on what they saw on screens(1)

68% of shoppers said in-store messages help their purchase decisions(2)

44% of consumers said they would switch a product they previously intended to purchase(2)

40% of consumers said they took note or watched the entire ad (2)

Sources: (1) 2006, Nielsen Media Research; digital signage does influence consumer behavior, (2) 2006, Research by Arbitron & Scarsborough; Digital Sigange and consumers.

If you have any questions on how Digital Signage can improve your small business, send me your name and email addess at the bottom of the page and I will return your question within 24 hours.

In addition to questions, I would like to hear testimonials on how Digital Signage has improved your small to mid size business.

How to Increase Brand Awareness in Your Small to Mid Size Business

Pepsi has it! Nike has it! McDonalds has it! Polo has it! If you guessed a huge Marketing Budget, you are right. But that was not the question. The question was how can you immediately recognize the existence of each company's product or service? They have created there brand awareness, now it’s your turn small business owners.

What Does Brand Awareness Mean? Wikipedia defines brand awareness as a marketing concept that refers to a consumer knowing of a brand's existence. Think about it, immediately upon identify the Nike swoosh, you think of sporting goods. Creating brand awareness or brand recognition is one of the key steps in promoting a product and then keeping the customer for repeat sales.

Increase Your Brand Awareness
What if I tell you that I can increase your brand awareness by at least 47% with the purchase of a single product. In addition, generate a minimum of over 32% growth in repeat buyers by purchasing the same product. The product is a simple to use, inexpensive, web faced device called Digital Signage Display.

Based on your product research and sale cycle information, the digital signage display allows you to customize specific target messages at the right time, and just as important, the right place, to your specific target market.

How does Digital Signage Increase Brand Awareness
Do you know your target market? Do you know your competitive advantage? By displaying the right message at the right time, you are silently increasing your Brand Awareness of the product you wish to market. By exposing your targeted market to customized and consistent messaging, think Nike, your customers are intrinsically developing a recall and identification with your targeted product. The up-sell is huge to small business. Once your targeted customer identifies with a particular brand, the purchase decision is made, in your favor.

How To Effectively Promote Your Small to Mid Size Business

One of the issues that many small to mid size business owners have is their ability to promote their business. Most business owners understand the importance of:

• Having a niche product
  
  
• Understanding their competitive advantage



• Knowing their target market
  

However, most business owners don't have a true understanding of how to effectively promote their market or have an extensive marketing budget to help promote their business and the products or services that their business can provide.

The answer is much easier than you might have anticipated. The first rule to quality promotion is to understand the concept that good promotional activities are those that give knowledge, appreciation, and recognition to your clients as well as help to increase your business visibility.

Recently, The University of Indiana, in Bloomington, Ind. installed Digital Signage throughout their main campus to promote their school mission statement, promote and recognize student efforts, and increase their student's exposure to programs and services. "Digital media is not only modern and eye-catching to students, but it's less of a hassle than printed materials," said Aaron Sudduth, senior system administrator of IU's Auxiliary IT Services. "It's evident that the marketing departments have been able to reduce the cost of printing, and the real return has been on getting information to students and staff much faster."

The University of Indiana in Bloomington, as well as Ashland University in Ohio and other school agencies around the globe have figured out how to promote their business in addition to reducing marketing cost, increasing communication, and furthering their commitment to their students.

The one component not mentioned in the above paragraph is how businesses are using Digital signage to promote their business messages at researched best times. By delivering the right message at the right time, small to mid size businesses are to turn prospective customers and good customers into even better-spending customers. Digital Signage is a promotional monster that has proven it's worthiness by its ability to up sell, cross-sell, and effectively engage and influence customers. Businesses who are utilizing this digital display device have quickly learned how to promote their business using this silent salesperson , thus reducing their marketing budget and the costs associated with hiring expensive marketing agencies.

Marketing Mechanics. How to Reduce Your "Out of Control" Marketing Budget To Maximize Success.

As I stated in Marketing Mechanics tip #1, Once you have an idea on who you are marketing, you are now able to put a sensible Marketing Plan in place. Again, when it comes to your customers, please keep in mind the importance of a controlled target market. It is a no brainer that small business marketing and large business marketing are different. The majority of small business owners have little to no marketing budget. This doesn’t mean that you can’t niche market with the bigger companies; it just means you have to think a little more creatively. As a result of your niche market, you might gain by their huge marketing budget and zest to market all of their products.

To increase control of your marketing budget and maximize your business success, apply these two easy to implement concepts;

Where’s the Beef! Make a list of all your expenses and check out areas where you could cut down and save money without sacrificing performance. Don’t work harder, or spend more, work smarter. Combine expenses as your business data results recommend. This can be done on a simple, self created spreadsheet or purchase an inexpensive software program. This will help you keep track of your expenses and allocate funds to meet them. The most important piece of tracking expenses is not the present, but the past. What did you budget from day to day, week to week, month to month? Are you on budget? Are you making decisions based on your measurable data? If not, you are guessing. Use your data to drive your decisions!

Memo to Customers, You’re Fired! The reason this is important is that only a small fraction of the population is likely to purchase any of your products or services. As you track your expenses, examine all of your accounts. There might be clients who are high maintenance using up your time and resources with little or zero profit. Focus on your customers that appreciate your business and are profitable. By taking the time to pitch your sales and marketing efforts to the correct niche market you will be more productive and not waste your efforts, money or time.

Marketing a small business doesn't have to be financially devastating. A little creativity and analysis of data will go a long way toward maximizing and increasing your business success.

Marketing Mechanics. What Is Your Competitive Advantage?

In my profession, I commonly use the quote, "With Knowledge Comes Understanding, With Understanding Comes Commitment!" This quote can be used for almost any line of business and daily activity.

Does everyone really know what your business has to offer? What is your competitive advantage and how will you make the market understand the unique value your small business has to offer?

Does your business provide faster results, easier procedures, personal attention or a better guarantee? How do I know? Give me knowledge! What share of the market do you expect to command, and why? What is the difference between your company's abilities and those of your competitors - why customers should do business with you rather than your competition.

Identify why prospects should do business with you instead of with a competitor selling a similar product or service. Ask yourself, "What does my company do best?" Or better yet, what can my company potentially do better than any other company? That is your competitive advantage.

With understanding comes commitment! Your competitive advantage can be responsible for fifty percent or more of your sales. Make sure you have one - and don't lose it. Keep checking on your competition and make any changes necessary to keep your competitive advantage.

Marketing Mechanics. Who are you Marketing?

RETHINK your marketing strategies! Does your business have a Marketing Plan? Do you have a Marketing budget? Are you over budget?



Rethinking from Marketing "Reaction" to "RETHINK" is easy and can be done with a paper and pencil.



Lets RETHINK are marketing plan. Who are you trying to reach? Write down the detailed characteristics of your ideal prospect. Be very specific. Once you clearly define the characteristics of your ideal prospect, you are able to then develop a powerful sales message appealing directly to their unique interests and needs. Prospective customers are more likely to respond when they feel you are talking directly to them about their individual needs.



There are endless examples of a small inexpensive advertising. Learn how to cost-effectively advertise and promote your business through such tried-and-true methods as direct mail, ads in local newspapers, Web sites, blogs, Digital Signage Displays, even by sponsoring a local little league team or recreation league team. The number of advertising and promotional ideas that exist are only limited by your own creativity.

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Marketing Mechanics. Are you sabotaging your own marketing efforts?

Business entrepreneurs pay a lot of attention to the mechanics of marketing. They take workshops, read books, and hire consultants to find out the best ways to market their business. As a result of their education and previous marketing experiences, entrepreneurs marketing techniques are quite good. What I have noticed is that a lot of business owners lack the right kind of marketing attitude.

Are you sabotaging your own marketing efforts?

Here are The Eight Areas of the Power of Productive Marketing CHOICES!

1. Rethinking from Marketing "Reaction" to RETHINK

2. Rethinking from Marketing "Problems" to OPPORTUNITIES

3. Rethinking from Marketing "Out of Control" to CONTROL

4. Rethinking from Marketing "No Choice" to CHOICE

5. Rethinking from Marketing "Controlling" to RELATIONSHIP

6. Rethinking from Marketing "Wants" to NEEDS

7. Rethinking from Marketing "External" to INTERNAL

8. Rethinking from Marketing "Outcome" to PROCESS

Do you have any Marketing Choices that you would like to add to my list? Just post me a comment and I will add it to my Power of 8.

Digital Signage Reduces Customer Wait Time

It can be less expensive to lower the perceived wait time than to actually decrease wait times.

Nobody likes to wait. Reduction in wait time can lead to improvements in many types of services. Ideas for change that can reduce the time that customers have to wait are especially useful. This applies not only to the time to perform a service for the customer, but also to the time it takes the customer to use or maintain a product.

If you have customers that wait prior to being serviced you're a prime candidate for a Digital Signage. Due to increased advances in the the Digital Signage software, displays are easy to operate and include all the tools required to make your customers wait more pleasant.

In a banking industry study it was found that customers waiting for a teller perceived a wait time decrease of 17% when a digital signage display was running. How much of a perceived wait time decrease could your business use?

Improve your customer satisfaction with a Digital Signage System!

Use A Digital Signage Display TO Get Rid Of The Wall Trash To Increase Profits

The Power of Digital Signage and digital displays. I have been a regular visitor to the gym for the last 20 years. In my 20 years, I have seen gyms grow and prosper and I have seen gyms close. What separates the good ones from the bad ones? Well, I'm writing to tell you that it's not the power of the weights, it's the facilities, the communication, and finally the advertisement.

The gym I belong to is fabulous. It has a large workout room, with separate accommodations for exercise and cycling. It has a daycare built in. It also has a great changing facilities that meets everyone need. With all of these great features, there was still one item missing. Missing customers! No one knew how great the gym was because not everyone knew what the gym offered.

The power of digital signage changed all of that! With overall sales lagging, and a reduction of exercise programs forthcoming, the owners knew they needed a change, but wasn't sure what that change was.

After one presentation, they found their answer, Digital Signage. They concluded at the end of the meeting, that our existing customer were not aware of all of the programs that they had to offer. They were selling their own business short. With the implementation of a Digital Signage display, more stay at home moms were able to attend the gym because they discovered the convenience of the day care program. Personal Trainers income and clients increased because customers now knew how to reach them and more importantly, what they had to offer. Repeat customers were signing up, because they now knew of the specials that were being offered. And finally, as a result of digital advertising, the gym equipment became better, because their sale of supplemental products and gym related attire or clothing line increased, thus creating an income that wasn't there before, all as a result of increasing communication and improving advertising.

Digital Signage Simplicity

In my last blog, I mentioned my reservation in buying a Digital Signage Display compared to just running a power point. In doing the price comparison research, it became obvious that purchasing the Digital Signage Software would be the best and most profitable solution.

As a building principal, I use the computer to track data, create power points, write newsletters, and update the school web page, but I have no idea how to write software, nor do I consider myself a "Geek Squad" wannabe. Do I need to involve or hire a technology guru to make updates or to run my Digital Signage displays?

The answer was simple, "NO!"

Thanks to evolving delivery technology, the Digital Signage system was just as easy to maneuver as anything else that I was already doing. The Simple-to-use web interface gave me the control of the schedule of my screen. I was able to readily create slides and insert pictures. The Digital Signage software make it simple to add, remove and edit content, and stream real-time broadcasting for immediate content delivery. It was like the creators of the digital signage software were in my head designing the programs for its simplicity for people like me.

One Question About Digital Signage Software Before I Make The Purchase

I am so intrigued and excited by the potential this digital player called Digital Signage has in my field of education. However I am a very conservative person by nature so my first question before purchasing the Digital Signage Software was, "Why not just run an internal Power Point or DVD, it's appears to be a lot cheaper than buying the Digital Signage Software required?"

My question about Digital Signage Software was answered and then some:

1) It may appear cheaper on the surface, but by the time you pay someone to time all
those slides in and out and then pay for a computer that is going to be used strictly

for the slides, you will be losing money.

2) In most cases the Power Point and monitor need to be shut down in order to make a
change. Not so with the Digital Signage software.

3) Power Points look like, well..Power Points. Images are often s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d or
distorted and people generally tune out much faster seeing the, "Same Slide."

4) You don't get Accuweather Information slides to keep the content engaging.
(By the way,I have learned that content is the most important feature in Digital
Signage)

5) With Power Point, you don't have the moving backgrounds that get the attention of
your featured audience, as the Digital Signage Software is designed to keep the
attention of your audience.

One Question down...a few more to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Digital Signage Advertising

In my last post, I mentioned how Digital Signage surrounds us in our everyday lives without us even knowing it. I mentioned the baseball game that I attended a few nights ago, and the number of digital displays that were being broadcast throughout the stadium. What I didn't mention was the Digital Signing Advertising that was taken place. The next time you are at a ballgame, or the mall, maybe even the dentist office, look around at all of the methods of advertisement that exist. From magazines to posters to card board figures, advertising is everywhere.

I had to laugh when I thought of how much free advertisement was being broadcast throughout the ballpark on the Digital Signage displays. Whenever the Digital Displays on the scoreboard captured individuals or groups of people dancing or having fun, whatever they were wearing or the slogans on their clothing was advertised...FOR FREE. Think about all of the Nike wear or Major League Baseball shirts or hats that were being advertised for the whopping cost of $0. Now that's a bargain!