The Big Picture - August 2014 - (Page 14)

dynamic signage dynamic signage Get Social: Providing Interactivity Between Consumer and Brand By Beth Osborne S ocial media has become a regular part of the human experience. Like it or not, it impacts the way we communicate. And although some would argue that being "connected" causes those who are heavily plugged in to actually become disconnected, social media has revolutionized everything from how news breaks to how brands are built. Many agree that social media is now more important to branding than traditional advertising channels. But social media doesn't just build brand presence from followers or likes; it can be leveraged within stores and other locations with the help of dynamic signage. You may have seen Facebook or Twitter feeds displayed on dynamic signage screens, providing an instant stream of how people are reacting to a brand. But does this type of integration of signage and social media actually elicit a favorable response? Do current customers buy more of something because they see others talking about it? Most indicators show that they do; people tend to want what others have. Those conversions are much higher in the 25-and-under age group that has been raised on social media. These new consumers may now have the majority of their social experiences online, which is also how they become connected to brands. Determining the best strategy for integrating social media into dynamic signage involves careful consideration of multiple factors. The most important: what your customers want to sell and to whom. Understanding how your customers want to connect their brands with their consum- BETH OsBORnE is a dynamic-signage consultant based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the former director of marketing for Visual Impressions, a print and dynamicsignage company headquartered in Charlotte. A long-time advocate of dynamic signage, she currently works as a marketing strategist in the professional-services industry. Contact her at bethfosborne@gmail.com. 14 THE BIG PICTURE AUGUST 2014 ers socially will allow you to customize solutions to meet their needs, which helps you win the business and prove the all-important return on investment. Why is social important in the consumer space? Using dynamic signage to publish social media provides interactivity between the consumer and brand. Messages may provide a call to action like, "Tweet us now!" When users engage in the activity, they can see their tweets live on the screens, making them feel like they're part of the story. It personalizes the experience and helps them relate more to the brand. Another way consumers can interact with dynamic signage socially is through the use of QR codes. By scanning a code, the consumer can be taken to a landing page that provides a special coupon, which can then be shared socially. When people share promotions or content in this manner, it's called an endorsement, and it carries a great deal of weight within a social network. This interactivity between social media and dynamic signage means that viewers experience everything in real time. Dynamic signage can be updated instantly to reflect what just happened on social media. Posts and tweets can appear immediately. Instagram images can be shown on the signage as they are posted. Pinned items on Pinterest can be instantaneously streamed. Our culture has come to expect immediate gratification from technology, and the "freshness" of social media commentary and dialogue meets this need. Making the connection, technically speaking So, how do you go about integrating social into dynamic? Several dynamic-signage software platforms are available that include social media plug-ins. These types of solutions may not be highly customizable and can have limitations on the social media sites with which they work. As Facebook and Twitter seem to be the most popular, they are the most commonly integrated. However, studies show that Facebook, even though its worldwide user counts continue to rise, may actually have declining usage, especially >36

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Big Picture - August 2014

The Big Picture - August 2014
Contents
InSight
Wide Angle
UpFront
Inside Output
Dynamic Signage
Pack It Up
Media Mayhem
Step-by-Step: Float On
R+D
Explorer

The Big Picture - August 2014