Pinterest, the virtual pin-board, is a great social media hit, with many pages having been already been written about how and why businesses should use it to promote themselves so this is not the focus of this article.We must note one key aspect that made Pinterest so popular- its ability to help us cut through the information clutter we have to deal with every day. And that’s what digital screens are meant to help us do, too.
1) Both platforms have a very strong visual element. In this day and age when we consume tons of written information, visuals make it so much easier for us to digest it. Neither digital signage nor Pinterest are about changing the message itself but the way you present and deliver it. And all marketers know that this fact in itself makes a world of difference.
2) The two platforms are targeted to those that qualify themselves for the delivered information. It’s a shift in paradigm. For Pinterest, this self- qualification process is represented by requesting an invitation, if you don’t care about it you don’t sign up. When it comes to digital posters or message boards, if you don’t care you don’t step into the store, hotel, restaurant etc.- so in this case too viewers qualify themselves to receive information (promotions, student announcements, corporate communications, latest menus’) by simply choosing to be in a particular place. This simple fact confers your communications an aura of exclusivity- they’re not for everybody but just for a selected audience. Which leads us to the next point.
4) Gladly, you don’t need a long attention span to take in the information presented. The pin board allows you to easily spot the most interesting pins from your chosen categories in the same way as a digital message board allows you to catch the news from a glance (so communication must always be eye- catching and short).
5) Both are about branding. A major motivation of Marketers using the two channels is strengthening their brand names. Pinterest isn’t a platform reserved for renowned companies like Debenhams; it’s a channel accessible by small players too who can pin, tag and make themselves known. We have a saying in the digital signage industry- the medium is the message.
Besides the tangible benefits of quick information delivery, the fact that your message board is digital helps you make a brand statement about your company or institution- presenting it as tech-savvy, modern and forward- looking. Digital signage is no longer the exclusive communication medium of big companies; the fall in the prices of displays and new technologies make it an affordable solution for small and medium enterprises too.
The moral: Pin your ideas to your screen(s) and make it easier for people to digest your news.
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