Content is KIng - so Bow Down!

It has been oft repeated that "content is king!"

So, if that's the case, why do people consistently try to get their content for free or on the cheap?

So many in Digital Signage and DOOH are systems focused, and so very, very few focused on content production, production values, message, and message strategy.

I think it's often assumed this is the responsibility of advertising agencies, and marketing "people", but if you are installing or running a network, it needs to be your focus.

The message (content) is where the value is.  You can have the best hardware and software platform, the best integration, the best technical support, but if the messages suck, the whole thing sucks.

Think of a Limo without seats, steering wheel or brakes.

Content (message) truly is king, and strategy must be queen, and the DS system, can only ever be the coach and four.

So, qualified, strategic content producers are a critical part of your success equation.  That is, people who know more than just how to make a pretty picture.  People who can create great visual messaging designed to accomplish real business objectives.

We like Phase 3 Digital, because they're both artistic as well as digital and strategy savvy.

Serious investment must be made in that expertise, that marketing message expertise and the appropriate production values that should accompany it.  If the message and strategy are great, but the visuals look like hell, the campaign will fail, and then Digital Signage and DOOH takes yet another black eye.  Don't do that to yourself, to your client, and to the industry; make sure that content and strategy are the best you can get.  Get the best expertise and production at the best price you can, but don't sacrifice mission-critical standards to a bean-counter's mentality.

Measure! Measure! Measure!

"If you don't measure it, you're not serious about it."  I heard Tony Robbins say that, and I believe, oh yes, I believe.

BUT, what you spend your time (and money) on measuring is a critical distinction.  So many are focused and measuring eyeballs, footfalls and what-all other traffic-related metrics.  Fine and dandy.  Those will possibly do you some good when trying to sell to agencies.  But you will not convince me (or them) that those metrics are all you need in order to steer their placement dollars your way.

That's the same school as those enamored of "page views" and clicks.

Big deal.  Is there value to know that?  Sure.  Will it help you sell more?  Possibly.  But once again, I mount my hobby horse and ride across the digital landscape sounding the alarm, waking the sleepers to the critical task at hand:  "ROI!  ROI, ROI!!!"

More and more, companies are prioritizing action and transaction based metrics.  This is why "engagement" has become so popular, but it too, can be a mere siren, luring the unsuspecting DOOH investor and network owner onto the rocks of wasted investment and even business failure due to insufficient ROI.

Action, and better yet, transaction is highest and best.  If all you can manage is traffic, then measure as much and as deep as you can.  But if you can create a metric for action and transaction related measurement, which is more of a marketing/sales related function, then that is where the investment in time and money are better spent.  Develop trackable campaigns and messaging.  Promote engagement via mobile, tactile or best of all POP purchasing action.  Be sure, when you can to propose dedicated selling propositions, something which can only be attributed to the action coming as a result of seeing your visual deployment.

Carefully tracking those actions and their financial value is paramount.  Dollars always compare favorably to digital increments like impressions or views.

"15% off all women's left shoes" placed only on your screens, is a message that is trackable.  The only way anyone asks for that, you know, is if they saw it on your screen, since it is a unique message.  This is what is meant by a "dedicated offer".

Always use dedicated offers whenever possible and ensure that your tracking system is sound (that you have a reliable way of capturing that data.)  That is where you gain the edge in selling (advertising, and more displays) with your DOOH displays.

The Accountable Screen

How effective is your content at producing measurable results?

Measuring traffic, eyeballs, footfalls, etc., is on a lot of people's minds these days.  But if you've read this blog much at all, you know that for me, and for most business people, the bottom line is the bottom line:  How effective is your DS or DOOH at producing measurable results, SALES results?

If your content is not currently featuring trackable propositions, it is underutilized.  This is the holy grail, people!  Your product, producing measurable sales, revenue, and profit, is the ultimate justification for the existence of our medium!  I think there are few with more potential, that still remain so underachieving.

I'm not sure why that is, but it is borderline criminal.  This is where it's at.  Making money.  When you can demonstrate measurable sales results via your product, for your clients, YOU WIN!!!  No matter what that client does, when you have tracked, proven sales results, nothing they can do can take that away from you.  It is success incarnate.

Strategize unique selling propositions (USP) dedicated to your medium only.  Make sure the measurement mechanism is firmly in place and that you have access to that information.  That is power, the ultimate justification for your product.  Start now, to make your systems accountable.  You will never regret it.  And you will make more money.  The window of opportunity is here.

Is "Social" Anti-Social?

This business of Social Networks is really intriguing.  Even the very term, and how it's used.

I will not argue here, about whether "Social" media is actually social or not.  I only observe, that while Social Media may facilitate more of a certain type of interaction and information exchange, it doesn't really totally do what its proponents claim:  that is, give you deep insight into prospective target markets.

Let me start with something simple:  From my perspective, what happens on Social Media looks arm's length and superficial.  The thing that seems to drive it mostly, is some kind of insatiable need to express one's self or one's opinions.  OK, let's say that provides insight.  What kind of insight?  Is it reliable for marketing purposes?  In other words, can you take someone's word about what they think or do, or might do, as authoritative and truthful?

I say no.  People are what they do, not what they say they do.  They are what they do, not what they say they think.  They are what they do, not what they say they are.  The truth is, most people cannot be objective about themselves, and largely, not even about what they think.

This is not to say that Social Media provides no meaningful insight.  It does.  But how to interpret that insight, how to divine the inscrutable intentions of the creators of all this "data"---that is another thing altogether.

Suffice to say, from a reliable marketing point of view, "it ain't that simple"!  Potentially useful, yes.  But reliably useful?  I am holding my fire and keeping my powder dry.

I see Social Media, as it relates to DS and DOOH, as powerfully connective.  People are using it, and to me, that's what matters most.  I advocate using social in concert with Digital signage networks and displays to connect people to the process of transacting business.  Now that tells you something!  Give them a suggestion, and see if they respond.  Give them an incentive and a quick, convenient, easy way to respond financially, and then you have something.

Of the gathering and analysis of data, there is no end.  Give me some people asking for my product or service, or responding to my sales proposition, (even if it's to get something for free,) and now I have something to sink my teeth into.  To believe in Social as a primary, necessary element to effective DOOH messaging or campaigns is to believe in the tail wagging the dog.

Powerful compelling messaging on Digital Signage displays is the engine that will pull Social more strongly into the brick and mortar environment.  There, you can harness the powerful connective properties of Social to actually sell something, and make some money!

"AND" Is The Enemy

In advertising, the word "AND" is very popular. But it needs to be put to death.

Advertisers always want to tell you something more, besides their core message. The temptation is overwhelming.

When all you have is a short-form message, dropped into the middle of some other type of content, the advertiser feels rushed, forced into cramming so much into so little time, that "AND" becomes the means to getting it all in before your time is up. Which of course, makes it sound that way to the listener.

Unfortunately, those types of ads don't work very well. Every new element added to the original message, increases the liklihood that the listener or viewer forgets what came before. And voila! Suddenly you've managed to make your message UN-MEMORABLE.

"AND" may seem like your messaging friend, but in short-form advertising, it's actually your worst enemy. It always drags the target audience away from the core message! If whatever preceeded "AND" was not your core message, then it likely shouldn't have been in there at all.

So I have always advised clients to pick one powerful, compelling, trackable message and push it hard.

Until now.

Window Video Systems are an exception. Each message is its' own campaign, and can be repeated as frequently as desired, right at the point of purchase.

Hallelujah! Unlimited messaging, AND repetition, right at the point of purchase! Window Video Systems (WVS) enable advertisers to ATTRACT customers, INTEREST customers, MOTIVATE them, and MOVE them TO ACTION all at the point of purchase, and then REPEAT. Digital Mannequin is a great example; the DM catches the eye, interests them, and can then be followed by product info and offers. Properly implemented, WVS will produce TRAFFIC, SALES and PROFIT. All by activating and existing under-utilized asset: the storefront window. Wow!

The Window of Opportunity really is here.

Your Message is the Answer

At the risk of hurting my own sales effort, let me confess here and now that media, and the various new forms technology has enabled ARE NOT THE ANSWER!

But before I go further, let's make sure we agree on the question. I say the question is:

"How do I achieve more sales and profit?" Ok, really that's two questions, but sales and profit are directly related, and most would agree that sales without profit are not so helpful. So they tend to go together.

Now back to the answer. Twitter is not the answer. Neither is Facebook. Neither is Google, your website, e-mail blasts, direct mail, SEO, LCDs, and (OUCH!!!) not even Window Video Systems.

Your Message is the answer. What do you have to sell, to whom, and how, that will motivate them to buy from you? That is the question, the answer to which, will determine your Message. In other words, have you defined your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? It is your USP which is the engine that drives all of your selling, marketing and advertising. Absent a compelling, motivating USP, you're in for a long haul. You can "reach" an ever-increasing audience, but without a USP, you won't get them to buy.

Much has been said and written about USP, and I won't attempt to reconstitute it all here, but invest the time and brainpower in developing your USP before you invest a cent in marketing or advertising, because it will be many, many dollars saved, as well as many more dollars earned. A strong USP enlivens all campaigns, justifies marketing and advertising investment, and supercharges the sales team. It is a reason to be excited about your business once again. It makes things happen.

A strong Unique Selling Proposition: get one now. And then buy a Window Video System from Looknglas and put your USP on your storefront windows.

The Window of Opportunity is Here.

Thing One

"In the beginning was the Word..."

I don't want to in any way compare what we do to the meaning of that phrase, but from a business messaging standpoint, it is very illustrative of the importance of your message. It is the articulated word that defines an entity, or an endeavor.

If you don't have the right word or message for who or what you are, everything else suffers, often fatally.

This is why your message must be right. This is why you continue to work on it, refine it, hone it, grow it, distill it.

Because nothing valuable happens without doing that. Say what you will, do what you will, if you start with the wrong message, you are working uphill with an avalanche coming at you. Business is challenging enough as it is, with competition breathing down your neck, or worse, eating your lunch. So get your message right, and get it out there pointedly, targeted, aggressively, consistently, repeatedly. Do it right. Do it better. Do it louder. Do it more.