Blog: The Ultimate Guide to Content Creation

Edition two.

So, you understand the power of digital displays, but what are the top considerations when it comes to content. In this blog, we share top tips and tricks to ensure you maximise the digital space.

We understand that many businesses have a deep familiarity with their brands and possess a wealth of existing content—whether from social media, advertisements, posters, or collaborations with internal teams, external agencies, or a blend of both. You likely already know that effective content should be tailored to the audience, platform, and medium. That’s why our tips focus on the essential considerations for creating impactful digital displays. Ultimately, everything starts with Tip number 1.

Tip 1 – The Purpose

This one is the crucial one. Before you even begin to consider the dos and don’ts regarding ratios, pixels and eyeline you need to clearly understand the purpose of your digital displays and what it is you want your customers to feel or do as a result of watching your content.

The purpose will drive your thinking and the execution of your solution from location or size of screen, but it is also the linchpin to deciding content. Through working with our customers from a selection of sectors and sizes – motivations, challenges, functions and drivers for digital displays vary. Even the terminology from displays, screens and signage is different.

Key objectives and critical success factors in a digital strategy include:

• Promate different products / services
• Increase awareness of additional services / products
• Support self-service and convenience
• Create the opportunity to explore more than what you can provide in the venue / shop
• Formulate part of your venue to enhance the experience whether this is to reinforce the serenity of the setting or create entertainment value

Tip 2 – Know Your Canvas

Understanding the resolution and orientation of your display is essential for ensuring that your content fits seamlessly without requiring adjustments. For instance, larger displays often consist of multiple screens. In such cases, it’s important to ensure that key information and imagery remain unaffected by any gaps or seams between the screens. By thoroughly understanding your display canvas, you can effectively tailor your creative approach to work within these limitations.

Tip 3 – Keep It Simple

Industry experts highlight that most people give digital signage only 1.5 to 4.6 seconds of their full attention (1). With this in mind, your content must immediately capture attention and be engaging enough to hold it. Keeping your message simple and easy to read significantly boosts engagement. Ensure your content is displayed at eye level and is clearly visible—any challenges in viewing will result in consumers likely moving on.

Tip 4 – Keep Your Message Clear and Concise

Avoid overloading your screen with information; instead, focus on highlighting a single sale or promo code per display. Applying the 3×5 rule can help keep your message clean and impactful. Limit text to either three lines with up to five words per line or five lines with a maximum of three words each. This approach ensures your message remains clear, concise, and easy to absorb at a glance, allowing consumers to quickly understand and engage with your promotion without feeling overwhelmed.

Tip 5 – Use Strong Visuals

High-quality images and videos are more likely to grab attention. Motion images or short videos can be particularly effective. Humans are naturally drawn to motion (2). High-quality, targeted videos give your company the best chance to capture the attention of potential customers and clearly communicate your brand’s message.

Tip 6 – Follow Design Principles

Leverage the F-shaped pattern for text placement, as this aligns with the natural way people read, enhancing both readability and engagement. Additionally, apply the rule of thirds by positioning key elements at the intersections within your content. This layout draws attention to essential information and creates a balanced, visually appealing display that’s more likely to capture and hold your audience’s focus.

Tip 7 – Brand Consistency

Ensure your content aligns with your brand in every aspect—not just in colours and fonts, but also in tone, style, and the outcomes you wish to achieve. This consistency reinforces brand recognition, strengthens your reputation, and fosters customer loyalty.

Tip 8 – Relevance vs Personalisation

This ultimately circles back to knowing your audience and truly understanding what they value. When crafting content, aim to strike a balance between relevance and personalisation. Relevant messaging shows customers that your content meets their interests and needs, whereas overly personalised messaging can sometimes come across as intrusive, potentially making customers feel uncomfortable with how their information is used. Strive for a thoughtful approach that respects your customers’ privacy while still delivering content that resonates, engages, and adds value.

Tip 9 – Dynamic Content

Your digital display solution should enable you to dynamically adjust content in real-time, allowing you to respond to various events—whether it’s adapting to changing weather, reacting to a competitor’s sale, or managing content for out-of-stock products. Remember, tip number 8 emphasises the importance of relevance, and with dynamic content, you ensure that what your customer sees is timely and closely aligned with what’s happening around them. This flexibility not only keeps your displays fresh and engaging but also enhances the customer experience by delivering information that is immediately useful and contextually appropriate.

Tip 10 – Keep It Interesting

To keep your content engaging, it’s essential to incorporate motion and dynamic elements, as well as regular updates on results. Freshness can be maintained by rotating your content and routinely updating your playlists and schedules. Repeatedly presenting the same message can lead to disengagement, so variety is key to capturing and retaining customer interest.

Tip 11 – Consider Interactive Elements

From touchscreens and QR codes to interactive lift to learn elements, digital displays offer powerful opportunities to engage and draw in your customers. Whether it’s providing more information about a product, encouraging them to join your loyalty program, or inviting them to enter a competition, these features can be seamlessly incorporated into your content to enhance customer interaction and involvement.

Tip 12 – Test Always

To create effective content, make testing and iteration central to your strategy. Start by gathering audience feedback through surveys or direct interactions to understand their preferences. Regularly check sales data and review analytics to assess performance, identifying patterns in engagement and conversion rates. Implement A/B testing to compare different versions of your content, such as headlines or visuals and analyse the results to inform necessary adjustments. This iterative approach not only enhances the relevance and impact of your messaging but also fosters a stronger connection with your audience, driving better results over time.

Tip 13 – Re-Read Tip Number 1

Remember your customer and your objective throughout the whole content creation process!

Click the link below to download the guide!