Anyone with a bullhorn and a bright sign can attract attention. And you could easily turn your digital signage strategy into the equivalent of just such a crass attention-grabbing maneuver. But we’ll assume you don’t want to have to scream to get people’s attention. How can you use your digital displays to attract attention in ways that actually make people want to pay attention? Let’s look at a few key considerations.
Text vs. Image
You are not going to catch anyone’s attention with a text-heavy display. Unless the text is bright red and strobing and accompanied by a blaring alarm. In which case, people will definitely pay attention--except they will think there is a fire and immediately vacate the premises. Communicate as much as you possibly can via bold graphics and evocative images. In cases where text is absolutely necessary, use fonts that are large enough for viewers to read with a cursory scan. This is no time to burden your customers and clients with an essay. Make it simple.
Frequency and Variance
Now you have to think about your audience and just how long you expect them to be in the presence of your digital signage. If we’re talking about a display in a mall concourse that people will spend maybe five seconds looking at, you will want to go for something simple and bite-sized--your viewers won’t be around long enough to take in more than an image or two. But if your display is hanging in a lobby, where people will often be waiting or milling about for minutes at a time, you will want to vary the content to keep people engaged.
Color, Motion, Sound
Now that you know who will be looking and for how long, you can start to think about just how you will catch the eyes you want. Use bold, contrasting colors that the eye can’t help but be drawn too. Use motion as much as possible. You can achieve this dynamism with streaming video, scrolling text or elaborate transitions between images. We live in a world defined by movement, and yet another static billboard isn’t going to cut it, no matter how bright and clear the display. If it isn’t too disruptive or overbearing--and if you have the necessary equipment--consider adding sound to your array. Be careful, though. You don’t want anyone to feel like they are being assaulted by a sales pitch.
Placement
This one might seem like a no-brainer: put the display where people will see it, right? Right. But it’s a little bit more complicated than that. If you were to take the “just make sure everyone will see it” strategy to its logical end, you would just plop the screen right in front of your entrance. But this would impede traffic. And look...strange. So placement is an interior design issue as much as a visibility issue. You want your display to integrate with the overall vibe and look of your space. It should seem like a natural extension of the building’s design instead of a commercial afterthought.
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