For the business community, however, the adoption of interactive methods of advertising have been far slower to arrive. Many marketing departments, it seems, are still stuck in a 20th century mindset, and they view advertising as a static process, one that requires consumers to simply sit back, watch and listen.
That lack of interactivity has been the watchword for marketers for some time, but the world is changing fast. After years of resistance, marketers are making up for lost time and embracing interactive digital signage in a big way. So, what is interactive digital signage, why this type of systems is right for you and how do you incorporate these new opportunities into your own marketing efforts? Here are some key things you need to know.
What is Interactive Digital Signage?
The term digital signage covers a lot of territory, from the menu selections at the drive through of your favorite fast food restaurant to the billboard you pass on the highway. But interactive digital signage is a different type of solution, and one that marketers in many different industries are beginning to embrace.
Interactive digital signage software allows the end user, from the hungry customer in line at the coffee shop and the diner paying their bill to the worker on the factory floor and the manager at the call center, to interact directly through the screen they are looking at. Instead of simply viewing a message, the users of interactive digital signage can respond, turning a static form of advertising into a two-way conversation.
Examples of Interactive Digital Signage
There are many different examples of interactive digital signage, and each has its place in the modern marketing landscape. From smartphone apps for Apple and Android for payment kiosks to ordering solutions, these examples of interactivity are all around you.
Chances are you already use some form of interactive digital signage in your own life, even if you have not yet implemented a digital signage solution for your own place of work. If you have ever sat down at a quick service restaurant and ordered through a kiosk, you have experienced interactive digital signage software as you contemplated the offerings and made your choice.
When you paid your check, you may have interacted with another form of digital signage software, one that can process your credit card and even tip the wait staff. These are just two examples, of course, and digital signage apps are not confined to the restaurant industry.
Some games are designed to take advantage of interactive digital signage, including games designed by major corporations and played on popular mobile devices. These games are wildly entertaining, but they are also great drivers of sales for the companies that design them. For businesses trying to turn something as boring and non-engaging as advertising into a game, interactive digital signage can be an elegant, and highly effective, solution.
Other examples of interactive digital signage are not quite as fun, but potentially even more important. If you have ever traversed a busy airport in a hurried attempt to find your flight, you know how stressful such a situation can be. But thanks to the interactivity of digital signage software solutions, airlines can keep their fliers informed, with key information about flight delays, gate changes and estimated arrival times.
A number of major airports, including hubs like Los Angeles International, have already added interactive digital signage solutions to their operations, much to the relief of the millions of travelers trying to catch their flights.
Why is an Interactive Digital Signage Solution So Important?
The world is getting more interactive, not less, and it has never been more important to incorporate interactivity into everything you do. If you want to market your business more effectively, build brand awareness and sell more products, you need to embrace interactivity.
That can include designing the interactive scenarios for wayfinding kiosks in shopping malls, POS displays in retail stores, info boards in museums or hotels, self-service terminals in restaurants to tailor your important messages based on a number of critical factors and seeking other ways to meet your customers where they are.
Traditional forms of advertising have forced the customers to pay attention often to boring print messages or poorly produced television commercials. And once those marketing messages were in place, they were static, with no ability to change or accommodate the shifting tastes of the buying public. These issues often limited the effectiveness of even the most expensive marketing efforts, creating a difficult situation for all involved.
Interactive digital signage solutions are far different, and much more effective than traditional forms of advertising. By encouraging customers to engage with their marketing efforts, businesses can enhance their brand awareness, get real time feedback from their customers and turn what would have been a boring exercise into something akin to a video game.
If your digital signage business is not yet using the power of interactive digital signage, now is the perfect time to get started. No matter what your niche, you can be sure that many of your competitors are already embracing a digital approach to marketing, one that includes interactive elements designed to capture the attention of would be buyers and turn curious passersby into happy buyers. The 21st century has brought many changes, and the increasingly interactive nature of marketing and advertising is one of the biggest untold stories.
