Getting your timing right – one of the keys to successful digital signage content.
Getting content timing right is crucial for successful and cost-effective digital signage content.
Content timing can be split into three areas:
1) Total content loop length.
2) The length of the individual messages/sections that make up the loop.
3) The frequency that the content is updated/freshened up.
Total content loop length
The total content loop length is the combined length of all the sections that play in the loop e.g. in a dental loop there may be a section on ‘The Team’, ‘Smile Makeovers’, ‘Dental Hygiene Advice’ and ‘Dental Plans’. Each of these sections might be 1 minute long, giving a total content loop length of 4 minutes.
In most cases, the total loop time should be less than the average dwell time for your screen’s location. When you’re considering the dwell time make sure you’re looking at the dwell time for the people your message is aimed at and not the dwell time for other people in the vicinity.
For example, if you have a screen by a fast food outlet in a railway station, you may know the customers are waiting in the queue for an average of 2 minutes. However, this is not the right dwell time to consider if your message is trying to get more people walking past to join the queue. The average dwell time for passers-by will be much lower and you will only have a few seconds to grab their attention and encourage them to join the queue for food from your outlet. They would require a much shorter loop time, possibly just one 5 – 10 second message which keeps looping.
Let’s look at the example of a veterinary waiting room. The dwell time or waiting time might be around 15 minutes on average. Does that mean a loop time of 15 minutes? Well the chances are most people won’t be watching the screen non-stop for the full 15 minutes. In most cases, they will also be attending to their pet and looking at other ‘distractions’, such as leaflets or other pets. As a result, a 5 minute loop would be more effective at getting your key messages across. Each client will then be exposed to the content 3 times on average and this will maximize the chance of them ‘receiving’ all the messages you want to communicate.
This will also save you money as you will only be paying for 5 minutes of content rather than 15 minutes!
The length of individual sections/messages
Individual sections make up the loop. (They normally make sense on their own without having to watch the full loop.) In areas with longer dwell times and where there are few others distractions, such as in a dental waiting room, the sections can, and may have to, be slightly more explanatory (longer), so as well as having ‘smile more with a smile makeover’ you could list the procedures which make up a smile makeover. In areas where there are many other distractions the sections and the messages they communicate will need to be as simple (shorter) as possible to be effective e.g. ‘Big Mac and only x calories’.
How often should the content be updated/freshened up?
One method to establish the optimum update frequency is to consider how often your average viewer sees the screen? Is it once a day, every month or every 12 months? In order to keep people viewing your digital signage you must keep the information fresh and up-to-date. When your client returns and looks at your screen some of the information needs to have been updated, so that they feel motivated to watch it again. It’s not necessary to change everything on the screen but you want to change enough to keep it looking fresh and ensure all the information is relevant and up-to-date. Viewers don’t want to see an advert for a mobile handset which is sold-out and no longer available.
Content timing needs to be considered on a case by case basis but it certainly does need to be considered if you want to make the most of your digital signage.
Useful links
Digital Signage Content Length and Update Frequency
Getting your timing right – one of the keys to successful digital signage content.
Getting content timing right is crucial for successful and cost-effective digital signage content.
Content timing can be split into three areas:
1) Total content loop length.
2) The length of the individual messages/sections that make up the loop.
3) The frequency that the content is updated/freshened up.
Total content loop length
The total content loop length is the combined length of all the sections that play in the loop e.g. in a dental loop there may be a section on ‘The Team’, ‘Smile Makeovers’, ‘Dental Hygiene Advice’ and ‘Dental Plans’. Each of these sections might be 1 minute long, giving a total content loop length of 4 minutes.
In most cases, the total loop time should be less than the average dwell time for your screen’s location. When you’re considering the dwell time make sure you’re looking at the dwell time for the people your message is aimed at and not the dwell time for other people in the vicinity.
For example, if you have a screen by a fast food outlet in a railway station, you may know the customers are waiting in the queue for an average of 2 minutes. However, this is not the right dwell time to consider if your message is trying to get more people walking past to join the queue. The average dwell time for passers-by will be much lower and you will only have a few seconds to grab their attention and encourage them to join the queue for food from your outlet. They would require a much shorter loop time, possibly just one 5 – 10 second message which keeps looping.
Let’s look at the example of a veterinary waiting room. The dwell time or waiting time might be around 15 minutes on average. Does that mean a loop time of 15 minutes? Well the chances are most people won’t be watching the screen non-stop for the full 15 minutes. In most cases, they will also be attending to their pet and looking at other ‘distractions’, such as leaflets or other pets. As a result, a 5 minute loop would be more effective at getting your key messages across. Each client will then be exposed to the content 3 times on average and this will maximize the chance of them ‘receiving’ all the messages you want to communicate.
This will also save you money as you will only be paying for 5 minutes of content rather than 15 minutes!
The length of individual sections/messages
Individual sections make up the loop. (They normally make sense on their own without having to watch the full loop.) In areas with longer dwell times and where there are few others distractions, such as in a dental waiting room, the sections can, and may have to, be slightly more explanatory (longer), so as well as having ‘smile more with a smile makeover’ you could list the procedures which make up a smile makeover. In areas where there are many other distractions the sections and the messages they communicate will need to be as simple (shorter) as possible to be effective e.g. ‘Big Mac and only x calories’.
How often should the content be updated/freshened up?
One method to establish the optimum update frequency is to consider how often your average viewer sees the screen? Is it once a day, every month or every 12 months? In order to keep people viewing your digital signage you must keep the information fresh and up-to-date. When your client returns and looks at your screen some of the information needs to have been updated, so that they feel motivated to watch it again. It’s not necessary to change everything on the screen but you want to change enough to keep it looking fresh and ensure all the information is relevant and up-to-date. Viewers don’t want to see an advert for a mobile handset which is sold-out and no longer available.
Content timing needs to be considered on a case by case basis but it certainly does need to be considered if you want to make the most of your digital signage.
Useful links