Pointing Out Your Point of View

Long time no see! Speaking of seeing, that is exactly what we will be discussing this week. Let me explain so you can see things a little more clearly before we begin. Okay, no more puns. Let’s move on!

Today we are going to talk about how you see the messages on your display, and how your potential customers see the messages on your display. Surprisingly, the way we see things and the way onlookers see things can be drastically different. This is an important comparison because it can mean the difference between gaining a customer and having that same person drive by without even noticing you.

Keep it fresh

Let’s talk about you first. I’m sure up to this point you have followed all of our best practices and recommendations, and have utilized all of the tips and tricks from our blog articles to get the most out of your display. Way to go! But you should always keep one thing in mind. Even the best ad campaigns can become stale or dull to passersby. I’m not saying that you need to change up your messages every single day, but you should always know what is playing and how often it has played. Repetition is a good way to get the message out to the world, but eventually people will get tired of seeing the same thing over and over again and will simply stop looking.

At this point you are probably asking yourself, “What can I do to keep my messages fresh? How am I supposed to come up with ideas for new content?” Don’t worry, we have some great ideas for you!

If you want a quick fix, simply change the background color to something people aren’t used to. You can also change up the way you have your messages worded. For example, instead of “Buy one, get one half off,” try changing it to “Half Price, buy one first.” Also try emphasizing certain words in your message by capitalizing them, making them bold, or underlining them. Remember though, reading text in all caps actually takes longer than reading normal text, so only place emphasis on certain specific words.

Take a trip

Another way to find inspiration is to go on vacation! You won’t believe how many ideas you will come across when you travel to other cities and states. You will be amazed at the unique ideas and ad campaigns people come up with. All you have to do is keep your eyes open and pay attention while you’re driving! Remember, it’s okay to write things down and take pictures if you’re worried you won’t remember by the time you return home. If you see something that really catches your eye on the road, chances are it will do the same back home! Even if you aren’t taking a full-on vacation, you can check out what other businesses are doing on their displays in your own town while you drive home from work! Wherever you go, just remember to take a look so you can SEE what things others are doing that you can try .

But can they SEE?

Now let’s talk about your potential customers. How they SEE your display is equally as important as how you SEE it. The word “see” is defined as, “to notice or become aware of something by using your eyes. To have the ability to see.” To be able to see is an amazing ability, and is also something most of us take for granted until we can’t see something clearly. As a display owner, your main focus is to use the display to increase profits, so at the very least you want your audience to see your messages. If they cannot be seen clearly, passersby won’t consider them.

What do I mean by this? I am saying that regardless of background color, ad campaigns, or how you phrase your messages, the first thing you should always do is make sure your messages are clear and large enough to be read from your target viewing distance. The simplest way to do this is to put yourself in your customer’s shoes and take a look at your display from the same place(s) that they would. This should give you some idea of whether or not your messages are readable.

We added a chart below to help you choose the appropriate character size based on traffic speed and viewing distance. The shaded areas represent acceptable exposure times.

Use the Zoom Bar

Another easy way to make sure that your messages are clear and readable is to use the Zoom Bar in Content Studio while previewing your presentations before you save them. The zoom bar is located in the bottom right corner of Content Studio and should be dragged to 100% to SEE the true clarity of the content as it will appear on your display. Take a look at the video below and notice the big difference between the layout zoomed all the way in and the layout that is at 100%. You can definitely tell if your text is large enough to be read and if you have noticeable blurriness or pixilation.

We hope this article helped you to SEE where we’re coming from when we talk about just how important your point of view can be! It’s always nice to finally SEE the light! I know, I know! I said no more puns, but that was the last one, I promise!

As always, thanks for reading and please let us know if you have any ideas for our blog. Don’t forget to come back next week! Thanks again!!