Think Outside the Box
Why everything you thought you knew about Google and “digital signage” keyword marketing—is wrong.
Perception Versus Reality
Odds are your company has many competitors offering the same types of products and services. New hardware, software, and service-based solutions are being launched into the digital signage marketplace on a regular basis. In fact, if you Google the search term “digital signage,” more than 3 million results are returned. While it’s true that Internet search volume for the keyword “digital signage” has increased, it’s important to recognize that your customers may not be finding your products and services through this search term. Here’s why:
Don’t assume that customers know what to call a new technology that is just beginning to gain momentum. Search terminology needs to be relevant to end-users. A keyword’s real value is completely dependent on how common it has become in regular English usage. “Digital signage” is not currently in the mainstream of English usage. While many people have seen digital signage, few people know specifically what to call it. If you don’t believe it, ask around. If you ask people outside of this industry what “digital signage” is, most people will not know the answer.
This fact becomes even clearer if you examine the broad range of terms people use to describe this technology when searching on the Internet. For example, some of the search queries we see on Digital Signage Universe based on our traffic analytics include the following phrases: electronic signs, electronic displays, flat panel displays, video signage, video advertising networks, retail networks, networked displays, menu boards, media signage, media displays, plasma screens, LCD screens, LED signage, audio visual signage, and AV displays.Less than 20% of traffic is being generated by the keyword “digital signage.”
Many people search the Web using trusted brand names as part of their search string. Some of the current search trends we see include top brands such as Samsung, Sanyo, 3M, and Cisco. Digital signage news portals are able to capture additional Web traffic as product and corporate news stories are picked up by search engine spiders.
Reports of increased search volume are not accurate. There’s a direct parallel that can be drawn between the rise in search volume for the keyword “digital signage” and the increase in the number of registered domains for providers and services within the space. As one might expect, a percentage of this increased search volume has been generated by the industry itself, creating an artificial rise in search queries for digital signage; therefore, some of this increase should be discounted.
The digital signage market is a global growth industry. If you’re marketing your products and services to other regions of the world, you need to factor in online search variables for other languages and cultures. Mandarin Chinese is the most widely used language on the Internet, followed by Spanish and then English. Within the United States, more than 22 million people (322 million people worldwide) use Spanish as their primary language, and they’re not using “digital signage” for their keyword search. It’s more likely that they’re searching using: “senalizacion digital.” Try Googling senalizacion digital and see for yourself. There’s a whole world of customers out there that your company is missing out on.
Bridging the Gap to New Ideas
There has been some debate within the industry about rebranding the technology with a new name, something other than “digital signage,” which might describe the medium better. When describing a completely new concept such as digital signage, it’s logical to connect new ideas with well-known, established concepts. Bridging the old with the new makes it easier for people to understand new concepts by drawing a tangential relationship with a person’s existing knowledge.
This is why it makes sense to continue using “digital signage” as the primary industry descriptor. At this point in time, digital and signage are both well understood and defined concepts, so connecting the two words is logical. As a developing market, the industry must focus on building momentum based on established concepts, not by reinventing new ones that require an increased learning curve. As pointed out earlier, digital signage is not a part of mainstream English—yet—but it will be.
Grow Your Brand
Most people researching digital signage products and services for the first time are looking for familiar names that they know and trust. On many levels, buyers become emotionally attached to known brands. Think of it this way: if you’re a buyer in this market, whom are you going to spend your dollars with? Are you going to risk your project on an unknown, unproven product, or will you stick with brands that have built a reputation of quality and trust? Your product may be better than anything that’s available, but it’s a moot point without trust.
The digital signage marketplace has become crowded. There are almost 300 software solutions, more than 100 media player providers, and a wide array of display options available to buyers. In short, it’s a buyer’s market and most products and services have become commodities. To be successful in a commoditized marketplace, companies must find ways to differentiate themselves.
Part of the process of differentiation and trust-building involves the development of a strong brand image. Part of building trust is through consistent and regular exposure to your company’s brand. Your strategy needs to go beyond online metrics such as click-through, link exchange, and page rank. Adwords, Twitter, social marketing, and press releases don’t build brand equity. These are elements of a modern marketing strategy, but are by no means a complete strategy. Your company’s brand image has a life online and offline that needs to be nurtured on a regular basis. Growing your brand requires an integrated plan that reaches customers through multiple touch points, reinforces your identity, builds visibility, and builds brand equity through regular exposure. Without a well-defined plan, the market will define you.
The Adoption Curve
Most successful innovations go through an adoption curve that slowly ramps toward majority acceptance. Digital signage is still at the beginning of the adoption curve and has a long way to go before it is widely embraced by the majority. What the industry has experienced to date are “innovators” and “early adopters”—the point of critical mass is still several years away. Therefore, it’s too early in this technology’s adoption curve to focus specifically on “digital signage” as the center of any online marketing strategy.
About The Author Lionel Tepper is a advertising marketing professional with 25 years of experience. He is currently Managing Director of Digital Signage Universe, a leading resource for news and information on the digital signage industry that offers breaking news and special feature articles on technology, marketing, and content development.
http://www.digitalsignageuniverse.com
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/online-promotion-articles/think-outside-the-box-1517088.html
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