Introduction
Setting up a digital signage campaign/system involves a lot of thinking, planning and strategizing. In making the task simpler, you may be tempted to breeze past the step where you decide the location of your signage, probably because you already have an anticipated answer. An empty wall space? At the entrance of your business location? At the center of your waiting area? Well, this decision is not as straightforward as you think. And the most important question worth mentioning here is:
Why invest in an LED sign that no one will see?
In terms of LED signage choosing location, strategic and scientific thinking is required.
- Which route does your target audience take to get to your location?
- Which areas prove to have the highest amount of foot traffic?
- Which areas do your audience prefer to spend most of their waiting time?
- Where do you see extra wall space within your organization?
Importance of choosing the right location
Digital signage is not just about filling up some empty wall space. You shouldn’t be wanting to place signs that incorporate into your current interior. You should want to strategically place signage with an aim to reach a maximum audience. Successful digital signage highly depends on correct placement; and if placed strategically, several benefits can be redeemed.
- High visibility, low maintenance
The bright lighting of LED signs make them highly visible, even through fog, rain and sunshine. Furthermore, LEDs don’t burn out fast and the wear and tear is less as compared to any other signage. As a result, much less bulb changing and cleaning is required, thereby giving you more time to focus on your business operations. - Targeting the correct audience
Strategic placement of LED signage allows a business to target the right audience at the right time. For example, patients in a waiting room, customers at point of sale, heavy traffic in an elevator, and so on. - Cost effective
The LED method of lighting uses less electricity and are cheaper than traditional lighting methods. Also, with the flexibility provided by digitalization, customizing and changing the signs has never been more convenient! As a result, amazing long term cost effectivity is seen as compared to traditional advertising techniques. - Increased foot traffic and brand recollection
Correct placement of LED signs will attract more customers into your store, thereby increasing foot traffic and ensuring your brand stays in the customers mind even if they decide not to enter your store at that point in time. - Eco Friendly solution
In addition to saving electricity, LED lights are environmentally friendly because they produce fewer pollutants into the atmosphere, releasing CO2 only when electricity is generated. - Competitive advantage
With so many benefits listed above, investing in LED signage and correctly using it means you have a competitive advantage over your competitors by providing your customers with an enhanced experience.
Considerations to be made when selecting the location
When making final decisions regarding placement, there are a few important considerations that you must keep in mind to make sure the signs are visible and easy to read.
Distance – measure the average distance between the viewer and the screen. The text should be large enough to be read from the farthest distance.
Height – a person’s vision ranges roughly between 75 degrees below the eye and 60 degrees above; hence your screen should be placed within this range.
Screen Time – figure out the average amount of time that your audience will be looking at your screen. Accordingly, limit your content clips to make sure your audience is able to view the entire message.
Space around the screen – if at any point a group of people have gathered to see what your screen is displaying, others in the area who cannot view the screen will lose interest if they have to wait too long to see what the crowd is lingering around for. Also, other obstacles such as pillars or walls that block the visibility of the screen will be a negative point for screen placement. Instead, you could use these obstacles as creative opportunities for your signage.
Lighting – glare on the screen will make readability very difficult. So, when choosing a location, be sure to look at that space at different times of the day. For example, morning hours may be clear but afternoon hours might have a glare on the screen.
Sound – if you are considering to use sound to enhance your signage, use it sparingly and don’t let it be a distraction. An indoor lobby that echoes is probably not a good space for videos with sound. Audio signage works better in waiting rooms, break rooms and other places where people waiting are in search for entertainment.
Power Connectivity – think about where would your nearest power source would be and how can you connect the media player to the screen. It is also advisable to have internet connectivity in the digital signage display or a Wi-Fi connection in the area.
Viewing patterns for LED screens
One important thing to keep in mind when making your placement decision is to pay attention to where your eye naturally goes when entering a space. This spot is probably a good place for an LED sign. Do consider the macro level as well – the three main viewing patterns for LED screens (each one being suited for different content):
- Point of Transit: when people are moving through that space while on their way to another. At this point, messages must be shorter, with more static images such as deadline reminders and wayfinding information.
- Point of Interval: people lingering around for a period of time for whatever reason. Messages can be longer here because people spend more time. In between promotional content, social media fees, staff spotlights, and brand building, use informative attractors such as news reports and weather forecasts.
- Point of Interaction: people purchasing something, interacting with the staff, or with a touchscreen. In this case, people are stopping for longer so you have the opportunity to display messages with strong call-to-actions. Also display information that is relevant to why they are stopping and other heavily informative static messages.
Possible Locations
- Interior walls and pillars
Interior walls and supporting pillars/columns are one of the most common places where you will see digital signage in indoor settings. These display screens are either placed flat against a surface or are positioned at an angle facing the audience. These LEDs have a purpose of conveying messages to an audience and are placed in high traffic areas, which will be viewed by audiences browsing the store.
- Aisle Endcaps
Smaller displays are used for displaying more targeted content at the ends of aisles. Product demo videos and exclusive information relative to the nearby products are usually displayed on these screens. Store owners may choose to control these screens with movement sensors or customer interaction.
- Freestanding kiosks
With freestanding displays and kiosks, digital screens can be placed anywhere in a store; not just on walls or existing fixtures. The ideal location for these screens is in high traffic areas just after the first few feet of entering the store. This is because once customers move past the decompression zone, customers adjust to a new environment and will better adjust to LED screens.
- Customer service counters
Just behind the point-of-sale counters or customer service counters is a good spot to place digital menus with informative content to entertain customers while they wait. Upbeat and engaging content should be designed that will shorten the perceived waiting time.
- Waiting areas
Clients often experience downtime in waiting rooms and lobbies. Placing digital signs in these areas proves to be highly beneficial. The duration of these video clips can be in line with the average waiting time audiences experience. A combination of entertaining and educational material is highly recommended.
- Patient rooms
Entertaining your patients in waiting rooms really helps with decreasing perceived wait time and thereby increasing customer satisfaction. Furthermore, you have an opportunity to use LED screens to provide educational material for patients while they wait.
- Elevators, changing rooms and other empty spaces
Stores, offices, and certain businesses have areas such as elevators and changing rooms which are ideal for placing digital signage to attract attention and make use of an empty wall in high traffic areas.
- Employee traffic areas
Digital signage doesn’t always have to be customer focused. Screens can also be used to inform, engage and motivate employees in working areas, staff cafeterias and break rooms.
Final Thoughts
Figuring out the location of digital signage in a business or organization is not as simple as just having it wall mounted on an empty space. Your digital signage goals play an important role in deciding where to put your displays. What sort of messages should be displayed in which location? How can you achieve maximum impact of your digital content? There’s no point in just investing in a bunch of screens and figuring out where to put them. Having goals in mind shows you the road to content and content is the road to placement. It is also important to do walkthrough audits time and again to ensure that you are maximizing your digital signage investment.
