Compelling Calls to Action

Imagine that you’ve just installed your first digital signage solution and are ready to start drawing in the new business. You’ve researched your target audience, your type of display, and everything in between. The signage is placed in the perfect spot to maximize visibility. Moreover, you’re excited to put your digital sign to work for you. However, the big rush that you were expecting never comes. First, a week goes by. Then a second. Soon it has been a month and still nothing. So, you start to think that your digital signage is a bust, but that’s not the case at all.

The problem here isn’t your sign. Rather, it’s the content that is being displayed. The chances are that your call-to-action (CTA) needs to be improved. Without a compelling CTA, your potential prospects won’t be motivated to take your desired action. Basically, without a compelling call to action, your digital sign will pretty much be rendered useless.

A good call-to-action will be specific and personalized to your target market. This action can be anything from purchasing a combo, registering for a special promotion, taking advantage of a limited-time deal, social media interaction, or simply coming into your store to check out what’s new.

A call to action is essentially a command to take a discrete, specific action.

So once you have a great, compelling CTA for your digital signage, you will definitely start to see some results. Digital signage is already powerful at grabbing passerbys’ attention. When you use this modern signage, the display will automatically draw people to look at it. Now, partner this need to look at your digital signage with a compelling call to action, telling them exactly what they need to do. And that’s a recipe for success.

Another great thing about having a compelling call to action partnered with digital signage is that it’s easy to track and change. So, you can test what type of call to action works the best.

Imagine being able to put up a call to action that has been proven to increase leads and prospects by 15% on a specific day and time. That would be incredible, right?  That’s exactly what a compelling call to action can do when displayed with digital signage.

So, what are some of the most effective calls to action that you can display on digital signage? They vary depending on the niche you are working in (our designers have years of industry experience to perfect your signage). With that being said, there are still a few simple steps that you can take to craft the perfect call to action. No matter what market you’re in.

Steps for Compelling Call to Action

Step #1: Always Consider Your Target Market

Depending upon your target market, you will find that your action methods will need to vary. For example, you will not market the same way to a 23-year-old college student as you would a 77-year-old retired person. Men and women are other great examples of what is called demographic analysis. So, to really zero in on your ideal prospect, you always want to consider your target market’s outward attributes. Furthermore, their internal motivators and beliefs.

This may sound difficult, but don’t worry. You can easily find all the statistics you can handle for any actions online from government agencies and industry researchers. Commonsense always helps in this area, but if you are really going to want to laser in on the details.

Step #2: Make it Easy to Take Action

For a compelling call to action to work, it needs to be understandable and actionable. If it is too difficult for the prospect to act, they won’t even learn more. You always want to make it as easy as possible for your prospect to take the action you want.

For example, if your digital signage promotes a special sale or item, let them know where that item or sale is located. If you are looking for a social media connection, let them know your username so they can connect with you. Some simple ways of doing this are to implement captivating animations that draw users’ eyes to what you are trying to make them do.

You get the idea.  The whole point is to make this action as easy as possible for your prospective viewers.

Step #3: You Want to Create a Sense of Urgency

Urgency is one of the 12 methods of making sales. Think of any infomercial you’ve ever seen? While they might be a little overbearing, their underlying principles are sound. There is usually some form of countdown timer on the screen. This conveys a sense of urgency, as this item or offer won’t be available anymore after the timer gets to zero.

This is the same for calls to action on digital signage.  By adding “order now and get a free drink” or “the first 15 people will receive an extra 50% off,” you are creating that sense of urgency. This feeling of the clock ticking away will make them have to take action now or they may miss out.

Digital signage is a great way to attract new customers and clients, but if they are done incorrectly, they will be ineffective. By creating a compelling call to action that is clear, targeted towards your niche market, and creates a sense of urgency, you will be able to maximize the use of your digital signage.

Remember to never settle on one message. Always track what type of response you receive from the call to action currently on your digital signage so you can tweak it and make it better. When you do this, you will really be taking full advantage of your digital signage and will notice an increase in traffic for your business.

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