Big Picture - August 2016 - (Page 18)

dynamic signage Increasing Your Client Base Want to sell more digital signage? Know your customer. | by Beth Osborne H ow can your shop better penetrate the digital signage market? In the simplest terms, it comes down to knowing your customer. That's not a novel or revolutionary idea, yet many digital signage suppliers aren't leveraging it. Whatever your value proposition is to prospective customers, it needs to be tailored to their needs. You can't sell screens to a fast casual restaurant in the same way you would to a medical facility. They have different requirements and expected outcomes, and you need to understand what those are if you want to capture their business. To help you do that, here are three strategies to execute. BIG PICTURE August 2016 PUBLISH CONTENT: TALK ABOUT SUCCESSES Are you providing content on what you're doing right now in digital signage? If not, then you need to start. You should have a blog, resources, and case studies, and you should post regularly on social media. Putting out great content about what you're doing right now creates real interest. It also builds authority and confidence. You can garner leads by showcasing how you're making a mark with digital signage. Here are a few ideas: Make a video of an installation. Trim it down to just a few minutes. (Remember, people have short attention spans, but they love to watch videos.) Edit it with some music and highlight the most important parts of the installation, like putting up the screens, hooking up the hardware, and showing those screens in action. This gives your audience an intimate look at what they can expect should they choose to do business with you. Write a case study with a trusted partner. Do you have a client that is over the moon about what digital signage has done for them? Will they let you use their name and company? Yes, and yes? Then start writing. Talk about what exactly their challenges were and what they wanted to accomplish. Then, discuss how you solved those challenges and delivered the expected outcome. Numbers are important in case studies so you can provide insight into ROI. Did sales increase on particular items? Did wait times decrease? Did social media impressions and followers increase due to a digital signage promotion? Package your case study with images and testimonials that can ring true for your audience. Create an informational e-book. The key to creating content and attracting people to it is adding value, not selfpromoting. One way to do this is to create an informational e-book. This should be a targeted and specific asset. Narrow it down to a topic like "Tips for Great Content" and then make it even more targeted by choosing a specific industry, like retail. So, you could create an e-book called "7 Tips to Great Digital Signage Content for Retailers." The bulk of the content should be informational and provide real ideas for that audience. You can certainly cite other references like industry publications, but also share some of your own content approaches. Close the e-book with a soft value proposition and/or elevator pitch about what you offer. Then get the content out there - on social media, through email, and, of course, on your website. BETH OSBORNE is a consultant with many years' experience working with end users, providers, and stakeholders in dynamic and large-format signage. She resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. Contact her at bethfosborne@gmail.com. 18

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Picture - August 2016

Big Picture - August 2016
Contents
Insight
Wide Angle
Upfront
Business + Management
Dynamic Signage
Touching the Future of Print
How I Got the Job: Sino Tour
RIP It, RIP It Good
R+D
Job Log

Big Picture - August 2016