Using Outdoor Screens as Digital Signage for News Feeds

The way people receive news and information is changing. Thanks to the Internet, smartphones, rolling news and other new media, traditional sales of newspapers are on the decline, both nationally and regionally. People no longer want to wait until the next morning to read what’s going on in the world and in their local community. News is now something people want, when they want it, and invariable this often means when they are on the move.

This means people want to read the news when they have a few minutes spare with little else to do, such as when commuting on public transport, waiting at a train or subway station, or standing in line at a fast food restaurant.

And providing news to people in such situations can have several benefits for service providers and digital signage provides the ideal method of offering people news and information.

By installing a screen that provides customers with news and information, you can keep people amused during times of waiting. This increases customer satisfaction and reduces complaints when trains are late or when waiting in a particular long line.

Secondly, by providing news and information on an outdoor digital signage screen you are giving people an impetus to look at the display, providing other opportunities to offer more self-serving content. This can come in the guise of advertisements, promotions or branding information, which is more likely to be viewed than just providing this promotional content on its own.

Of course, news feeds do come with fairly high subscription costs from many news outlets, such as Reuters or Associated Press, but news doesn’t have to be national or from a top service provider. Indeed, providing more localized and relevant information can often be just as effective at getting people’s attention.

News concerning changes in service and the latest developments in a particular industry can garner interest from customers, especially if it is relevant to their needs. Some companies are even taking this measure to its extreme, by starting up their own TV stations to provide digital signage news and content, such as McDonalds, which has just launched McDonalds TV, where fast food outlets will have digital signage displaying entertainment, news, advertising and restaurant-specific pieces.

But news feeds don’t have to be so sophisticated. Uploading content from blogs, Twitter feeds or the company website can be just as effective at gaining people’s interest. Providing such content provides an ideal platform for communicating between your business and your customers, helping to develop trust and raising brand awareness.

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