Video has become one of the most important content formats in contemporary marketing. According to Forrester Research, 77% of online traffic by the end of the year will be in form of video. While this content was previously dominant in television advertising, digital signage has now evolved to become one of the most important forms of video marketing both on-site and off business sites.
If you are running a hotel business, digital displays are now readily available in flexible designs. What’s more, customers love them. According to a study published on the Small Business Technology Blog, small businesses that have adopted this marketing tool have boosted sales by over 50%.
To appreciate how digital signage content can revolutionize your restaurant business, here are some ideas on how you can deploy it:
Innovative Digital Menu
The days of using cardboard menus are numbered and this is evident with the increase in adoption of digital menus by both big and small businesses. You can replace your old table menus with exciting digital content. It is easier to update the menus on the fly using the easy user interface provided with the software. A good case study is Sansai Fresh Japanese Grill in Fullerton, CA and Empire Tea & Coffee in Newport, RI. The two food businesses have innovative menus that are easy to update and they contain a wider range of food and drinks.
Entertainment
In a restaurant business, one of the greatest turnoffs for customers is of course the waiting time. However, you can reduce the perceived waiting time greatly by using creative advertising. A recent study shows that digital signage entertainment helps reduce perceived wait time by up to 35%.
Increasing Sales through Promotions
If you have a running special, it is time to leverage digital sign boards to let your customers know. These can either be indoors or outdoors and they must have a call to action. A slide show is a great idea to help customers make a choice and always make sure your offers are time-limited to create a sense of urgency. From upcoming events to happy hours, you now have an affordable and interactive way to get word out there.
Informative Content
Branding is different from marketing and in a restaurant, you need to be cautious lest your audience is overwhelmed by your advertisement. Restaurants can now create their own TV content and help customers understand the brand by using their staff to talk about their experiences. You can also incorporate customers in your video content to make the content more authentic and this instantly clicks with your audience. Adding recipes on your content for different dishes and using contests can also help your audience understand your restaurant brand even more.
Save on operation Costs
You don’t need multiple hands to keep changing wall menus, as this is now done from a dashboard on the digital signage platform. Changing menu is easier and if there are any offers coming up, everyone in the restaurant will know. This cuts cost of labour and improves efficiency at your hotel.
There are many other ways of leveraging digital signage for a restaurant including creating a social media wall, introducing contests, interactive entertainment among others. It all starts with choosing the right digital signage provider.
via Tim Mackinnon
Tim is a New York based digital marketer consulting for restaurants in the area. He has worked in business marketing for over 16 years. He consults for https://www.dopublicity.com/ and has become an authority on digital signage.
