By Milena Miller

This is part two of a series on audience engagement with digital signage.

The best-planned campaign can be ruined by poor design. Good content means attractive, clear messages that grab attention, are easily understood and motivate people to do something, such as making them linger.

Make them linger

Remember — this is not print! You can’t use the same methods for screens that you do for newsletters or posters.

Start with the screen. You need to consider the aspect ratio and resolution of the design, where it will be on the screen and what else will be on screen with it. Also, will this be on just one screen or a bank of screens? If you have touchscreens, you have a whole set of design options open to you that don’t exist for static screens:

• Horizontal or vertical
• Layout and juxtaposition
• Single display, group of screens or video wall
• Interactive or static design

Next you need to think about layouts. Change your layouts several times a day on every screen, so your audiences always see something new. As always, you have to consider your viewers – the faster they pass, the less you want on screen. If you have screens in a hallway, your viewers are on the move and need to be able to get the message at a quick glance. You can show more detailed layouts in waiting areas and lounges where your audience will be hanging around:

• Change layouts throughout the day
• Use both full-screen and multi-zone layouts
• Design layouts that appeal to the target audience

Next, you need to design clear messages. When you create messages for your screens, you’ll want to use the basic rules for digital design.

• Good contrast and legibility
• Don’t overcrowd the message with text
• Don’t use too many images or fonts
• Understand colors and perception
• Use focus techniques through placement of elements
• Preview your designs on a screen from six feet away

Make them act

You don’t just want your audience to see your communications, you want them to react to them in some way – sign up for something, attend an event, tune in for the webinar, share the info with a colleague or friend, or just learn more about the subject.

In order to motivate viewers to act, you need to include some clear direction in your messages, so they know how to get more information, take the next step or give feedback. By including a clear call to action in your message, your audience can engage with your communications and become part of the process.

It’s great when your viewers participate, but can you report on just how successful your campaign was? You can if you include measurable ROI triggers.  If you can quickly count the number of times an action’s taken, it’s measurable. This lets you see how viewers react to different motivations, so you can tailor future campaigns to meet their preferences. It also gives you great reporting data, so you can look at each campaign’s progress and success measures.

Make sure to include message triggers. There are a lot of different measurable calls to action you can include in your message designs. About ROI, but here’s the quick list:

• QR tags
• SMS response
• Smartphone snaps
• Interactive surveys and polls
• Social media
• Coupons or codes
• Designated URLs
• Bluetooth triggers

If you can capture people’s attention, get them to notice your messages and internalize them, and take whatever action you’re hoping for, then you can confidently say that your digital signage is engaging audiences. And that’s the point of all the time, money and effort you’ve put into it.