We have been delighted to see such a positive response to our recent articles and announcements regarding Digital Signage projects for some of our clients. If you haven't seen some of the recent coverage, then click on the links below:
RetailCustomerExperience.com - our White Paper on Unlocking the Potential of Digital Signage in Multi-Department Retail outlets.
DigitalSignageToday.com - our White Paper on Unlocking the Potential of Digital Signage in Multi-Department Retail outlets.
SignageInfo.com - Homebase Totem Trial for Hire Station
DailyDOOH.com - Homebase Totem Trial for Hire Station
DigitalSignageToday.com - Video of Homebase Totem Trial for Hire Station
Showing posts with label digital signage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label digital signage. Show all posts
Thursday, 28 July 2011
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Hire Station Digital Signage Trial in Homebase - Press Release
Tenterden-based Digital Marketing Agency, Argent Ram Media, is trialling new digital signage displays for one of their major clients - Hire Station.
Hire Station Virtual Hire provide tool hire facilities for a number of national DIY retailers across the UK. The new digital signage system is being trialled in the recently rebuilt branch of Homebase, in Aylesford near Maidstone.
![]()
A 32" LCD screen is set into a purpose-made, branded totem display stand that can be situated anywhere within the Homebase store. The aim behind the display is to increase enquiries for tool hire either by phone, in-store or through the Homebase website. The marketing message on the stand itself is clear - "Pick up a Tool Hire Leaflet". Bespoke video content has been created to be displayed on the screen showing the range of tools and equipment available to hire.
Digital Signage is one of the fastest growing forms of marketing in the UK, with statistics now demonstrating that dynamic and compelling content displayed on visually arresting screens increases customer engagement and, as a result, brand awareness and revenue.
“Digital signage presents a unique and effective way for us to communicate to potential customers. With the correct call to action we hope these trials present new opportunities and increased revenues for us. Working with Argent Ram has been good for our team as they are a modern thinking and flexible team led with a vision, for which this trial is testament to. We hope the trials are effective and look forward to working more closely with Argent Ram.” Mark Moody, Director Climate Hire, Virtual Hire, Lifting Point and Ecommerce at Hire Station.
If the Homebase trial is successful, Hire Station will be looking at adopting Argent Ram Media's digital signage totem displays as one of their main marketing tools for all their virtual hire partners through the UK. The ongoing business relationship would result in significant growth for Argent Ram Media, with commensurate employment opportunities for designers and sales consultants.
To view a very short video of the digital signage system in situ, visit:
http://youtu.be/tvWRIbw6lmg
Hire Station Virtual Hire provide tool hire facilities for a number of national DIY retailers across the UK. The new digital signage system is being trialled in the recently rebuilt branch of Homebase, in Aylesford near Maidstone.
Digital Signage is one of the fastest growing forms of marketing in the UK, with statistics now demonstrating that dynamic and compelling content displayed on visually arresting screens increases customer engagement and, as a result, brand awareness and revenue.
“Digital signage presents a unique and effective way for us to communicate to potential customers. With the correct call to action we hope these trials present new opportunities and increased revenues for us. Working with Argent Ram has been good for our team as they are a modern thinking and flexible team led with a vision, for which this trial is testament to. We hope the trials are effective and look forward to working more closely with Argent Ram.” Mark Moody, Director Climate Hire, Virtual Hire, Lifting Point and Ecommerce at Hire Station.
If the Homebase trial is successful, Hire Station will be looking at adopting Argent Ram Media's digital signage totem displays as one of their main marketing tools for all their virtual hire partners through the UK. The ongoing business relationship would result in significant growth for Argent Ram Media, with commensurate employment opportunities for designers and sales consultants.
To view a very short video of the digital signage system in situ, visit:
http://youtu.be/tvWRIbw6lmg
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
What price a 33% uplift in product sales?
"According to a new consumer survey by the Nielsen research firm on "Awareness and Effectiveness of Digital Display Screens Installed In Grocery Stores," digital out-of-home media (DOOH) increases sales at the point of sale (POS). Four out of five product brands experienced significant increases of up to 33 percent in additional sales through the use of DOOH media." Digital Signage Today
Argent Ram Media have just submitted a proposal to a chain of retail outlets for a bespoke sales promotion signage system, on a lease agreement, for less than 37% of the cost of an average UK weekly shop!
This is, by any standards, amazing value.
The proposed solution consists of a branded display with fitted 32" LCD screen, manufactured by 10Squared. The branded surround welcomes visitors into the store, ensuring they feel valued as customers, and enhancing the overall brand image of the store.
The screen content is to run on the SignageLive Virtual Player, and each store has the option to have between 1 and 4 screens to fit in with their existing gondola-end displays. The bespoke display would be manufactured to slot into the top of the existing shelf unit, making installation a very straightforward procedure.
At present, the promotional display cards are only changed once every four weeks, but each specific store has a different customer base, who individually have different purchasing patterns, and the flexibility afforded by the digital signage solution will allow the stores to react rapidly to changes in consumer behaviour at store level.
Content will be created to take into account these changes in geographical behaviour in order to maximise sales on every promotion.
The statistics are there now to demonstrate that digital signage systems in retail stores do result in increased sales.
As the price point for successful solutions becomes ever more competitive, and the applications more creative, has there ever been a better time for retailers to embrace digital signage as the most cost-effective way of boosting sales?
"The screens are one of the most effective means of driving footfall and boosting sales that I have ever come across in retail." Independent Budgens-branded retailer, courtesy of Convenience Store.
Argent Ram Media specialise in providing digital signage and marketing screen solutions for any business or organisation. By looking at specific objectives and aims, we work with our clients to ensure that their digital signage system generates the results they expect.
Argent Ram Media have just submitted a proposal to a chain of retail outlets for a bespoke sales promotion signage system, on a lease agreement, for less than 37% of the cost of an average UK weekly shop!
This is, by any standards, amazing value.
The proposed solution consists of a branded display with fitted 32" LCD screen, manufactured by 10Squared. The branded surround welcomes visitors into the store, ensuring they feel valued as customers, and enhancing the overall brand image of the store.
The screen content is to run on the SignageLive Virtual Player, and each store has the option to have between 1 and 4 screens to fit in with their existing gondola-end displays. The bespoke display would be manufactured to slot into the top of the existing shelf unit, making installation a very straightforward procedure.
At present, the promotional display cards are only changed once every four weeks, but each specific store has a different customer base, who individually have different purchasing patterns, and the flexibility afforded by the digital signage solution will allow the stores to react rapidly to changes in consumer behaviour at store level.
Content will be created to take into account these changes in geographical behaviour in order to maximise sales on every promotion.
The statistics are there now to demonstrate that digital signage systems in retail stores do result in increased sales.
As the price point for successful solutions becomes ever more competitive, and the applications more creative, has there ever been a better time for retailers to embrace digital signage as the most cost-effective way of boosting sales?
"The screens are one of the most effective means of driving footfall and boosting sales that I have ever come across in retail." Independent Budgens-branded retailer, courtesy of Convenience Store.
Argent Ram Media specialise in providing digital signage and marketing screen solutions for any business or organisation. By looking at specific objectives and aims, we work with our clients to ensure that their digital signage system generates the results they expect.
Thursday, 12 May 2011
Digital Information Displays are overtaking static displays
In this changing marketing environment, where consumers do not want to be bombarded with interruptive messages, preferring instead to find their own relevant information when they need it, it is no surprise that digital screens are becoming omni-present.
If you are a customer-facing business, how much do you spend every year on printed marketing material? Think about leaflets that you might have on your premises, catalogue and brochure updates, price change information, special offers, posters, banners, advertisements. Using those traditional methods, how can you measure the effectiveness of each method in terms of Return on Investment? What percentage of sales can you accurately attribute to a leaflet, for example?
The cost of screen systems has fallen dramatically in recent years, and the technology behind them has increased in an equally dramatic way.
Consider the money you could save on traditional print by using a screen to:
"The average recall of a brand advertised on in-store television is 66%, compared with 24% for brands advertised on in-home television.“
"Digital [screens] are twice as likely to be viewed as static [advertisements] and are looked at for up to 60% longer, according to research by Kinetic on Outdoor screens at London Bridge."
Media Week.
"Compared with static signage that needs to be reprinted every time the store’s layout or inventory changes, retailers may actually end up spending less by investing in a digital signage system."
At the end of the day, most small and medium businesses want tools that will help them increase sales revenue without a massive increase in costs. Digital marketing and signage screens no longer fall just within the realm of the larger retailers. These are affordable for the smallest of outlets, and the benefits speak for themselves:
"We’ve seen sales lift from 10 percent to as much as 50 percent on items and services featured on a digital signage network."
"We have had excellent success basically because the product is promoted via our screens."
"Just to let you know, our store has just received the stock of the new product. We have sold 4 already! Over £700 of extra, welcome sales thanks to it being promoted via the screens."
Argent Ram Media specialise in the design and installation of digital signage and marketing screen systems, from the smallest of Point-of-Sale screens up to video walls. Please contact us on 01580 761000 for further details.
If you are a customer-facing business, how much do you spend every year on printed marketing material? Think about leaflets that you might have on your premises, catalogue and brochure updates, price change information, special offers, posters, banners, advertisements. Using those traditional methods, how can you measure the effectiveness of each method in terms of Return on Investment? What percentage of sales can you accurately attribute to a leaflet, for example?
The cost of screen systems has fallen dramatically in recent years, and the technology behind them has increased in an equally dramatic way.
Consider the money you could save on traditional print by using a screen to:
- Show special offers and promotions to customers when they are physically on your premises.
"The average recall of a brand advertised on in-store television is 66%, compared with 24% for brands advertised on in-home television.“
"Digital [screens] are twice as likely to be viewed as static [advertisements] and are looked at for up to 60% longer, according to research by Kinetic on Outdoor screens at London Bridge."
Media Week.
- Update content as and when you like, in real-time, without incurring additional print costs and commensurate turn-around times.
- Allow customers to interact, using touch-screen technology to find information that is relevant to them.
- Track and monitor consumer reaction and response.
- Use High Definition Video and streamed content to maximise every sales and marketing opportunity.
"Compared with static signage that needs to be reprinted every time the store’s layout or inventory changes, retailers may actually end up spending less by investing in a digital signage system."
At the end of the day, most small and medium businesses want tools that will help them increase sales revenue without a massive increase in costs. Digital marketing and signage screens no longer fall just within the realm of the larger retailers. These are affordable for the smallest of outlets, and the benefits speak for themselves:
"We’ve seen sales lift from 10 percent to as much as 50 percent on items and services featured on a digital signage network."
"We have had excellent success basically because the product is promoted via our screens."
"Just to let you know, our store has just received the stock of the new product. We have sold 4 already! Over £700 of extra, welcome sales thanks to it being promoted via the screens."
Argent Ram Media specialise in the design and installation of digital signage and marketing screen systems, from the smallest of Point-of-Sale screens up to video walls. Please contact us on 01580 761000 for further details.
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
A Million Pound Marketing Look for Pin Money!
This week, the London Stock Exchange became host to the World's largest installation of Microtiles:
http://www.dailydooh.com/archives/46872
That may mean absolutely nothing to the small business owner, but with an impressive 503 individual screen modules, this installation comes with a heafty price tag.
That said, the client is so impressed with the finished result that it is believed that more Microtiles may be added in time.
Again, what relevance does this have to the small business owner?
Digital Signage and Marketing Screens make up one of the fastest-growing marketing sectors both here and in the US.
Marketing is changing. Although the basic principles remain the same, the way in which businesses market themselves has evolved dramatically over the past couple of years. Traditional forms of marketing - telephone, direct mail, email - are increasingly seen as interruptive and intrusive.
Now, the marketing approach is about providing real customer service, engaging with potential clients, being visible when customers search for your products and services, and making the consumer feel valued.
If your business is customer-facing, then it is now statistically proven that screens can work for you:
"On the first day of playing our content in our waiting room we had four or five new enquiries into private treatments. It is a significant marketing tool for us."
"Our waiting room screen increased our private sales by 20% in just the first six months."
"9 of our branches have sold over £27,000 of the product in the past month, and because this tool needs to be demonstrated, the screens have been a perfect ‘tool’ for promoting and selling this product."
This is a small selection of genuine testimonials from small and medium sized businesses who use screens to sell products and market their companies.
With single-screen systems costing from as little as £18.95 + VAT per week, you don't need to go as overboard as the London Stock Exchange, but you can have the same impressive results, not least in terms of Return on Investment in these straitened times.
If you would be interested in knowing more about Digital Signage and Marketing Screens, please call Argent Ram Media on 01580 761000.
http://www.dailydooh.com/archives/46872
That may mean absolutely nothing to the small business owner, but with an impressive 503 individual screen modules, this installation comes with a heafty price tag.
That said, the client is so impressed with the finished result that it is believed that more Microtiles may be added in time.
Again, what relevance does this have to the small business owner?
Digital Signage and Marketing Screens make up one of the fastest-growing marketing sectors both here and in the US.
Marketing is changing. Although the basic principles remain the same, the way in which businesses market themselves has evolved dramatically over the past couple of years. Traditional forms of marketing - telephone, direct mail, email - are increasingly seen as interruptive and intrusive.
Now, the marketing approach is about providing real customer service, engaging with potential clients, being visible when customers search for your products and services, and making the consumer feel valued.
If your business is customer-facing, then it is now statistically proven that screens can work for you:
"On the first day of playing our content in our waiting room we had four or five new enquiries into private treatments. It is a significant marketing tool for us."
"Our waiting room screen increased our private sales by 20% in just the first six months."
"9 of our branches have sold over £27,000 of the product in the past month, and because this tool needs to be demonstrated, the screens have been a perfect ‘tool’ for promoting and selling this product."
This is a small selection of genuine testimonials from small and medium sized businesses who use screens to sell products and market their companies.
With single-screen systems costing from as little as £18.95 + VAT per week, you don't need to go as overboard as the London Stock Exchange, but you can have the same impressive results, not least in terms of Return on Investment in these straitened times.
If you would be interested in knowing more about Digital Signage and Marketing Screens, please call Argent Ram Media on 01580 761000.
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Digital Signage and Screen Marketing for All!
The advances in digital signage and digital screen marketing technology are proceeding at an alarming rate, with commensurate reductions in cost and shorter term Returns on Investment.
Touch Screen, mobile connectivity, consumer-relevant content, live interaction via video; all this starts to place screen technology at the very forefront of customer service. This, at a time when marketing is all about engagement, customer loyalty and customer choice.
Every business needs to think of their own experiences as a customer, and what entices them to spend, what encourages them to remain loyal to a brand and what makes them feel valued.
Take those experiences and then use them to examine your own approaches to customer care. Are you whiter-than-white? Do you lose customers because they do not feel valued? Are you sure that your customers are, and will remain, loyal to your brand? You think you know what makes you unique as a business, but are you communicating this effectively to your clients?
There is no doubting (the statistics are there to prove it) that the use of digital screens and signage is becoming de rigueur for any business wanting to get their message across to their customer base.
Think back 15 - 20 years when a company website was still considered a novelty. Now, you ignore the effectiveness of your website at your peril.
The use of screen technology as a way of engaging and bringing together all the various strands of your marketing maelstrom in a customer-focused way may be new to you now, but ignore it at your peril.
Screens work for so many business sectors:
Retail, trade counters, dental practices, showrooms, hotels, leisure venues, pubs and clubs, educational establishments, hospitals, restaurants, outdoor and many more such environments.
Argent Ram Media can supply bespoke and off-the-shelf solutions, from 10.4" point-of-sale screens up to huge scale interior and exterior video walls. We lease and hire equipment, design and create content and supply media-player software systems.
Our prices start at just £18.95 + VAT per month for a fully installed system.
Touch Screen, mobile connectivity, consumer-relevant content, live interaction via video; all this starts to place screen technology at the very forefront of customer service. This, at a time when marketing is all about engagement, customer loyalty and customer choice.
Every business needs to think of their own experiences as a customer, and what entices them to spend, what encourages them to remain loyal to a brand and what makes them feel valued.
Take those experiences and then use them to examine your own approaches to customer care. Are you whiter-than-white? Do you lose customers because they do not feel valued? Are you sure that your customers are, and will remain, loyal to your brand? You think you know what makes you unique as a business, but are you communicating this effectively to your clients?
There is no doubting (the statistics are there to prove it) that the use of digital screens and signage is becoming de rigueur for any business wanting to get their message across to their customer base.
Think back 15 - 20 years when a company website was still considered a novelty. Now, you ignore the effectiveness of your website at your peril.
The use of screen technology as a way of engaging and bringing together all the various strands of your marketing maelstrom in a customer-focused way may be new to you now, but ignore it at your peril.
Screens work for so many business sectors:
Retail, trade counters, dental practices, showrooms, hotels, leisure venues, pubs and clubs, educational establishments, hospitals, restaurants, outdoor and many more such environments.
Argent Ram Media can supply bespoke and off-the-shelf solutions, from 10.4" point-of-sale screens up to huge scale interior and exterior video walls. We lease and hire equipment, design and create content and supply media-player software systems.
Our prices start at just £18.95 + VAT per month for a fully installed system.
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
Think Screens!
"Digital signage is an unbeatable way to reach an audience. Used by retailers around the world, it reaches customers at the exact moment purchase decisions are made, delivering an attention-grabbing, high-impact message.
Provide information in a format that entertains, informs and engages audiences – and that gets results. Deliver the right message, at exactly the right time, to the right people. And where the costs of updating printed signage can add up, going digital can earn a pleasingly quick return on investment."
So says Hewlett Packard, but it is a message that sums up the power of digital signage.
Screens are now affordable enough for even the smallest business, so if you are spending money on advertising (local press, magazines, posters and leaflets) think about the power of increasing customer spend-per-head at point of sale.
Our prices for a full system - 32" screen, media player, installation - start at just £17.95 + VAT per week.
Call Lorraine on 01580 761000 or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com for further details.
Provide information in a format that entertains, informs and engages audiences – and that gets results. Deliver the right message, at exactly the right time, to the right people. And where the costs of updating printed signage can add up, going digital can earn a pleasingly quick return on investment."
So says Hewlett Packard, but it is a message that sums up the power of digital signage.
Our prices for a full system - 32" screen, media player, installation - start at just £17.95 + VAT per week.
Call Lorraine on 01580 761000 or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com for further details.
Monday, 14 February 2011
FoneHouse Postscript
Further to my last post about Mary Portas and FoneHouse, the following passage can be found on the FoneHouse website:
"At Fonehouse we are always looking to improve ourselves as a business, as a result we recently have been looking into redeveloping our in store customer experience and brand as a whole. That's why when leading consultant and television personality Mary Portas asked if she could work with us on this, we jumped at the opportunity.
Thanks to our combined efforts we have created a superior customer experience that culminates in our newly refurbished store in Angel, London (IsIington). The design incorporates the new brand, the Fonehouse values of a relaxed 'homely' atmosphere with impeccable customer service and even includes TV screens with live interactive content. With the concept due to be rolled out across the Fonehouse retail estate of 50 stores there has never been a better time to join the Partner Programme. If you want to become a Fonehouse Franchise Partner then complete the form below and we will get back to you as soon as possible."
http://www.fonehouse.co.uk/MaryPortasSecretShopper/
It is now becoming increasingly acknowledged that digital signage can and does enhance the retail shopping experience.
Approximately 60% of buying decisions are made in-store. Carefully placed, compelling and engaging sales and marketing messages, delivered in a dynamic way, can have a very strong influence on what shoppers place in their baskets.
An accepted rule of thumb indicates that a minimum 15% boost can be achieved by placing promoted items on a marketing screen.
These statistics show convincingly that the use of strategically positioned screens should be ignored at the retailers' peril. The returns generated by a well-conceived network of sales and marketing screens cancel out the costs and increases revenue.
For further details on the screen systems available through Argent Ram Media, please contact Lorraine Baker on 01580 761000 or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com.
"At Fonehouse we are always looking to improve ourselves as a business, as a result we recently have been looking into redeveloping our in store customer experience and brand as a whole. That's why when leading consultant and television personality Mary Portas asked if she could work with us on this, we jumped at the opportunity.
Thanks to our combined efforts we have created a superior customer experience that culminates in our newly refurbished store in Angel, London (IsIington). The design incorporates the new brand, the Fonehouse values of a relaxed 'homely' atmosphere with impeccable customer service and even includes TV screens with live interactive content. With the concept due to be rolled out across the Fonehouse retail estate of 50 stores there has never been a better time to join the Partner Programme. If you want to become a Fonehouse Franchise Partner then complete the form below and we will get back to you as soon as possible."
http://www.fonehouse.co.uk/MaryPortasSecretShopper/
It is now becoming increasingly acknowledged that digital signage can and does enhance the retail shopping experience.
Approximately 60% of buying decisions are made in-store. Carefully placed, compelling and engaging sales and marketing messages, delivered in a dynamic way, can have a very strong influence on what shoppers place in their baskets.
An accepted rule of thumb indicates that a minimum 15% boost can be achieved by placing promoted items on a marketing screen.
These statistics show convincingly that the use of strategically positioned screens should be ignored at the retailers' peril. The returns generated by a well-conceived network of sales and marketing screens cancel out the costs and increases revenue.
For further details on the screen systems available through Argent Ram Media, please contact Lorraine Baker on 01580 761000 or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com.
Thursday, 3 February 2011
The Proof is in the Pudding...
Did any of you watch Mary Portas: Secret Shopper (Channel 4) on Wednesday 2nd February?
In this episode, Mary took on the High Street mobile phone outlets, those typically male bastions that revolve around the hard-sell and the up-sell.
"Secret cameras reveal them to be one of the least user-friendly retail environments on the high street. Staff bombard you with technical information that has little to do with finding the right phone for you - and you can't even try before you buy."
Mary's sights were set on FoneHouse, a largely-franchised business that has some fairly ambitious growth plans, but follows the pack when it comes to the trading style of its stores and the service offered by its staff.
By changing the interiors of stores to make them far more welcoming, encouraging dwell time and a far greater level of helpful customer service, Mary aimed to prove that FoneHouse could lead the way in which mobile phone stores treat their customers. Taking the Angel, Islington branch as the test site, the turnaround in perceived customer satisfaction levels were so great that the CEO of FoneHouse had no hesitation in deciding to roll out the new store designs to all new branches, and then re-design existing branches.
If you saw the program, you will have noticed that one feature that was very evident in the new design was the use of digital signage.
On the walls of the store, instead of racks of accessories in bubble packs, there were screens that displayed product information, deals and special offers. The use of these screens provides subliminal direct response sales opportunities without being perceived as the hard-sell. Staff are on hand to answer queries whilst customers are free to test real products, not replicas attached to the walls by a piece of string.
The whole premise behind the redesign is to make customers feel valued, provide them with information that is relevant to them and allow staff the time to listen to what the customers want and then advise them accordingly - the essence of great customer service.
Digital marketing screens are playing an increasingly important role in this approach, as it allows companies to get their core marketing messages across in a non-techy, user-friendly and informative way, furniching customers with the right information for them to make the right choice.
At FoneHouse, Mary carried out a quick customer survey and when asked if FoneHouse would be their brand of choice prior to the redesign, 80% of customers said "No". After the refit, 97% said "Yes".
As a result of the refit, the Islington branch reported that new contracts and upgrades increased by a third.
The overall response was that the new style was welcoming, relaxed and provided a great environment.
What effect could a digital marketing screen have on your business?
To view this episode of Mary Portas: Secret Shopper, click here:
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/mary-portas-secret-shopper/4od#3158376
For information on digital marketing screens, please contact Argent Ram Media on 0845 009 5396, or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com
In this episode, Mary took on the High Street mobile phone outlets, those typically male bastions that revolve around the hard-sell and the up-sell.
"Secret cameras reveal them to be one of the least user-friendly retail environments on the high street. Staff bombard you with technical information that has little to do with finding the right phone for you - and you can't even try before you buy."
Mary's sights were set on FoneHouse, a largely-franchised business that has some fairly ambitious growth plans, but follows the pack when it comes to the trading style of its stores and the service offered by its staff.
By changing the interiors of stores to make them far more welcoming, encouraging dwell time and a far greater level of helpful customer service, Mary aimed to prove that FoneHouse could lead the way in which mobile phone stores treat their customers. Taking the Angel, Islington branch as the test site, the turnaround in perceived customer satisfaction levels were so great that the CEO of FoneHouse had no hesitation in deciding to roll out the new store designs to all new branches, and then re-design existing branches.
If you saw the program, you will have noticed that one feature that was very evident in the new design was the use of digital signage.
On the walls of the store, instead of racks of accessories in bubble packs, there were screens that displayed product information, deals and special offers. The use of these screens provides subliminal direct response sales opportunities without being perceived as the hard-sell. Staff are on hand to answer queries whilst customers are free to test real products, not replicas attached to the walls by a piece of string.
Old Layout
Redesign, showing the use of digital screens
The whole premise behind the redesign is to make customers feel valued, provide them with information that is relevant to them and allow staff the time to listen to what the customers want and then advise them accordingly - the essence of great customer service.
Digital marketing screens are playing an increasingly important role in this approach, as it allows companies to get their core marketing messages across in a non-techy, user-friendly and informative way, furniching customers with the right information for them to make the right choice.
At FoneHouse, Mary carried out a quick customer survey and when asked if FoneHouse would be their brand of choice prior to the redesign, 80% of customers said "No". After the refit, 97% said "Yes".
As a result of the refit, the Islington branch reported that new contracts and upgrades increased by a third.
The overall response was that the new style was welcoming, relaxed and provided a great environment.
What effect could a digital marketing screen have on your business?
To view this episode of Mary Portas: Secret Shopper, click here:
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/mary-portas-secret-shopper/4od#3158376
For information on digital marketing screens, please contact Argent Ram Media on 0845 009 5396, or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com
Monday, 24 January 2011
Print Ad and Screen Ad - a Marriage made in Heaven
In these days of tight budgetary control, I am always urging clients to think creatively, and try new ways of marketing their business without increasing spend.
I would like to look, therefore, at the relationship between your print advertising and what happens when your customers visit your premises.
In Kent, we have a very popular weekly free publication called the Wealden Advertiser. Many local businesses advertise regularly in this, and other reagional publications, as they perceive it to represent good value for money. Certainly, over a period of time, there is no doubt that consistent visibility will generate enquires.
A 6cms single column advertisement will typically cost £40.50 + VAT per week. Over a 52 week period, this will total £2,106 + VAT, so not a small sum for the small business.
How many advertisers are able to track the return on that investment? To make it worthwhile, this advertising cost really needs to result in at least £4,000 worth of new business. If you do advertise in local publications, do you really know what business is generated as a DIRECT result of that advertisement?
I know that is being simplistic, as consistent advertising has other benefits: maintaining a profile, reminding existing customers that you are there etc., and this has great value.
But let's look at a low-cost addition to complement your print advertising.
Local, and indeed national advertising is about generating the enquiry. If you are a business with premises that are visited by your customers, what can you do to maximise end per head from those customers. At the end of the day that is what you want:
Profile - Enquiry - Sale - Customer Retention/Loyalty
From as little as £18.95 + VAT per week (so less than half the cost of your small weekly local advertisement) you could have a dynamic, direct-response digital screen in your showroom, at your trade counter or in your waiting room; indeed, anywhere where you need to engage with your customers and clients.
The printed advertisement has brought the customers in and the screen will maximise the spend-per-head opportunity.
Additional Sales:
“Just to let you know, Sheffield Central have just received the stock of the Fein MultiMasters. They have sold 4 already! Over £700 of extra, welcome sales thanks to it being promoted via the screens.“ Electrical Wholesaler
Customer Care:
“Our customers appreciate that we are far removed from the 'production line' world of the multiple optician chains; we provide them with a caring, professional service - personal attention that's combined with value for money.” Opticians
Increased Spend-per-Head:
"On the first day of playing our content in our waiting room we had four or five new enquiries into private treatments. It is a significant marketing tool for us.“ Dental Practice
Taking the Electrical Wholesaler above as an example, what would £700 of increased sales versus £18.95 weekly costs mean to your business?
For further information on digital sales and marketing screens, please call Argent Ram Media on 0845 009 5396 or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com.
I would like to look, therefore, at the relationship between your print advertising and what happens when your customers visit your premises.
In Kent, we have a very popular weekly free publication called the Wealden Advertiser. Many local businesses advertise regularly in this, and other reagional publications, as they perceive it to represent good value for money. Certainly, over a period of time, there is no doubt that consistent visibility will generate enquires.
A 6cms single column advertisement will typically cost £40.50 + VAT per week. Over a 52 week period, this will total £2,106 + VAT, so not a small sum for the small business.
How many advertisers are able to track the return on that investment? To make it worthwhile, this advertising cost really needs to result in at least £4,000 worth of new business. If you do advertise in local publications, do you really know what business is generated as a DIRECT result of that advertisement?
I know that is being simplistic, as consistent advertising has other benefits: maintaining a profile, reminding existing customers that you are there etc., and this has great value.
But let's look at a low-cost addition to complement your print advertising.
Local, and indeed national advertising is about generating the enquiry. If you are a business with premises that are visited by your customers, what can you do to maximise end per head from those customers. At the end of the day that is what you want:
Profile - Enquiry - Sale - Customer Retention/Loyalty
From as little as £18.95 + VAT per week (so less than half the cost of your small weekly local advertisement) you could have a dynamic, direct-response digital screen in your showroom, at your trade counter or in your waiting room; indeed, anywhere where you need to engage with your customers and clients.
The printed advertisement has brought the customers in and the screen will maximise the spend-per-head opportunity.
Additional Sales:
“Just to let you know, Sheffield Central have just received the stock of the Fein MultiMasters. They have sold 4 already! Over £700 of extra, welcome sales thanks to it being promoted via the screens.“ Electrical Wholesaler
Customer Care:
“Our customers appreciate that we are far removed from the 'production line' world of the multiple optician chains; we provide them with a caring, professional service - personal attention that's combined with value for money.” Opticians
Increased Spend-per-Head:
"On the first day of playing our content in our waiting room we had four or five new enquiries into private treatments. It is a significant marketing tool for us.“ Dental Practice
Taking the Electrical Wholesaler above as an example, what would £700 of increased sales versus £18.95 weekly costs mean to your business?
For further information on digital sales and marketing screens, please call Argent Ram Media on 0845 009 5396 or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com.
Thursday, 13 January 2011
How can you make your existing customers spend more money?
If you have customers coming to your premises, how can you encourage them to part with a little bit more of their hard-earned cash in these straitened times. As one of our leading supermarkets never fails to tell us, "Every Little Helps"!
As I am sure you know, marketing is about creating desire. The message you send to your customers, be it through product display, posters or any other type of merchandising, needs to make the customer think "I MUST have that". If they think "I'd quite like that" or "that looks nice, but..." then in this climate you aren't going to get a sale.
So, think desire. Consider your actual point of sale and the moment the customer comes to part with their money. I am sure that if you had the inclination, or it didn't look too desperate, you'd whip out your best-selling product and shove it under the customers nose, yelling "Buy this now".
A small screen, strategically positioned by your till, can subtly do this for you. Direct response advertising does work when it comes to persuading the customer to make the impulse purchase. A static display will not necessarily tempt, but an evocative, tempting visual marketing message, on a digital screen will achieve so much more:
“We have had excellent success basically because the product is promoted via our screens.“
“9 of our branches have sold over £27,000 of the product YTD, and because this tool needs to be demonstrated, the screens have been a perfect ‘tool’ for promoting and selling this product."
“A customer wanted some cable to be cut, and whilst waiting he saw the advertisement and bought the product. £26.10 for the cut cable plus an additional £179.00 for the Fein MultiMaster.“
“Just to let you know, our branch has just received the stock of the Fein MultiMasters. They have sold 4 already! Over £700 of extra, welcome sales thanks to it being promoted via the screens.“
Many of you may have noticed that Camelot have little 10" screens positioned above the Lotto tills in store. Why? They act as an eye-catching aide-memoire to remind queuing customers to buy their lottery tickets. If it works for them, it will work for you.
For details of Point of Sale digital screens, please contact Argent Ram Media on 0845 009 5396 or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com
As I am sure you know, marketing is about creating desire. The message you send to your customers, be it through product display, posters or any other type of merchandising, needs to make the customer think "I MUST have that". If they think "I'd quite like that" or "that looks nice, but..." then in this climate you aren't going to get a sale.
So, think desire. Consider your actual point of sale and the moment the customer comes to part with their money. I am sure that if you had the inclination, or it didn't look too desperate, you'd whip out your best-selling product and shove it under the customers nose, yelling "Buy this now".
A small screen, strategically positioned by your till, can subtly do this for you. Direct response advertising does work when it comes to persuading the customer to make the impulse purchase. A static display will not necessarily tempt, but an evocative, tempting visual marketing message, on a digital screen will achieve so much more:
“We have had excellent success basically because the product is promoted via our screens.“
“9 of our branches have sold over £27,000 of the product YTD, and because this tool needs to be demonstrated, the screens have been a perfect ‘tool’ for promoting and selling this product."
“A customer wanted some cable to be cut, and whilst waiting he saw the advertisement and bought the product. £26.10 for the cut cable plus an additional £179.00 for the Fein MultiMaster.“
“Just to let you know, our branch has just received the stock of the Fein MultiMasters. They have sold 4 already! Over £700 of extra, welcome sales thanks to it being promoted via the screens.“
Many of you may have noticed that Camelot have little 10" screens positioned above the Lotto tills in store. Why? They act as an eye-catching aide-memoire to remind queuing customers to buy their lottery tickets. If it works for them, it will work for you.
For details of Point of Sale digital screens, please contact Argent Ram Media on 0845 009 5396 or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com
Saturday, 7 August 2010
Affordable Digital Screen Marketing for every Business
In your business, do customers and clients ever have to wait to see someone, or do you need to grab their attention to get your marketing message across?
When customers or clients are waiting, how do you:
Just consider for a moment that all your marketing activity is probably geared towards enticing potential customers and clients to contact you, either by phone, email, enquiry form or a visit to your premises. Your website, email marketing and advertising campaigns do a great job to promote your services, and highlight the ways in which you are better than your competitors. As the old marketing adage goes, your efforts meet the AIDA criteria:
"The average recall of a brand advertised on in-store television is 66%, compared with 24% for brands advertised on in-home television."
Content is the vital ingredient in the digital screen marketing mix, but rather than being held hostage by a system that opnly allows you to show Sky News or CNN, solutions are sophisticated enough to allow you to create content that you want your clients and customers to see, and nothing else.
By all means, entertain them if they need to wait for a while, but ensure that you allow them to see information tha might tempt them to buy, to enquire and generally to engage with you as a business.
Don't take my word for it. Below are testimonials from a chain of trade counters who use screens to increase sales of products.
“We have had excellent success basically because the product is promoted via our screens.“
“York Group 9 branches have sold over £27,000 of [this product] YTD, and because this tool needs to be demonstrated, the screens have been a perfect ‘tool’ for promoting and selling this product."
“A customer wanted some cable to be cut, and whilst waiting he saw the advertisement and bought the product. £26.10 for the cut cable plus an additional £179.00 for the Fein MultiMaster.“
“Just to let you know, Sheffield Central have just received the stock of the Fein MultiMasters. They have sold 4 already! Over £700 of extra, welcome sales thanks to it being promoted via the screens.“
Digital screen marketing works for the following businesses:
Make your clients and customers feel valued and generate additional revenue.
Argent Ram Media provide a range of Digital Screen Marketing solutions for small, medium and large businesses and companies. Please contact us for further information - 0845 009 5396
http://www.argentrammedia.com/
ian@argentrammedia.com
When customers or clients are waiting, how do you:
- Entertain them and reduce the perceived length of waiting time?
- Inform them of your full range of products and services?
- Maximise the potential to increase spend-per-head?
- Keep them up to date with any special offers or promotions?
- Make them feel valued?
Just consider for a moment that all your marketing activity is probably geared towards enticing potential customers and clients to contact you, either by phone, email, enquiry form or a visit to your premises. Your website, email marketing and advertising campaigns do a great job to promote your services, and highlight the ways in which you are better than your competitors. As the old marketing adage goes, your efforts meet the AIDA criteria:
- Grabbing ATTENTION
- Creating INTEREST and DESIRE
- Having a clear Call to ACTION
"The average recall of a brand advertised on in-store television is 66%, compared with 24% for brands advertised on in-home television."
Content is the vital ingredient in the digital screen marketing mix, but rather than being held hostage by a system that opnly allows you to show Sky News or CNN, solutions are sophisticated enough to allow you to create content that you want your clients and customers to see, and nothing else.
By all means, entertain them if they need to wait for a while, but ensure that you allow them to see information tha might tempt them to buy, to enquire and generally to engage with you as a business.
Don't take my word for it. Below are testimonials from a chain of trade counters who use screens to increase sales of products.
“We have had excellent success basically because the product is promoted via our screens.“
“York Group 9 branches have sold over £27,000 of [this product] YTD, and because this tool needs to be demonstrated, the screens have been a perfect ‘tool’ for promoting and selling this product."
“A customer wanted some cable to be cut, and whilst waiting he saw the advertisement and bought the product. £26.10 for the cut cable plus an additional £179.00 for the Fein MultiMaster.“
“Just to let you know, Sheffield Central have just received the stock of the Fein MultiMasters. They have sold 4 already! Over £700 of extra, welcome sales thanks to it being promoted via the screens.“
Digital screen marketing works for the following businesses:
- Retail outlets;
- Hotels and leisure;
- Trade Counters;
- Showrooms;
- Dental Surgeries;
- GP Surgeries;
- Pharmacies;
- Gyms and Health Clubs;
- Estate Agents;
- Hair and Beauty Salons;
- Solicitors
Make your clients and customers feel valued and generate additional revenue.
Argent Ram Media provide a range of Digital Screen Marketing solutions for small, medium and large businesses and companies. Please contact us for further information - 0845 009 5396
http://www.argentrammedia.com/
ian@argentrammedia.com
Thursday, 28 January 2010
Digital Screen Marketing need not be beyond the Small Business
Digital Signage and Digital Out of Home advertising (DOOH) are two of the most rapidly growing areas in the world of marketing today.
It seems that everywhere you turn, you will see a digital marketing screen: at point of sale on Camelot's Lotto terminals; beside the escalators on the London Tube network; in railway stations and shopping malls. The use and application of these screens is varied and increasing by the day.
Why is screen marketing so important?
In previous blogs, I have talked a lot about engagement, and for any business in today's economic climate, it is becoming vital that you engage with your customers and potential customers. This is nothing new, when you analyse it. It harks back to the days of the corner shop, when the shop owner used to know every customer and was able to get together their staple purchases for them before they even entered the shop - real customer service.
Direct response marketing has always been considered to be a vital part of any marketing strategy, and that direct exchange between you and your customer is the ideal opportunity for you to increase sales.
Looking back at the principles of successful market, we are always reminded of AIDA:
Attention
Interest
Desire
Call to Action
The AIDA principle is as strong today as ever, and should be ignored by any business at its peril.
Screen marketing is important because it can combine all the above in a dynamic and evocative format. It allows you, as a business, to disseminate some of your customer service principles, your key marketing messages and your direct-response advertising in an engaging way.
This is way above the budget of the small business, I hear you cry!
No; it's not. Screen marketing solutions are becoming ever-more affordable and, more importantly, more cost-effective.
I would urge any small business to examine their marketing and advertising strategies and analyse what really works for them.
Just because your competitors advertise in the local paper does not mean that you have to follow suit. What response do you get from this traditional form of advertising? What about the Yellow Pages? Always the favourite of the small business, but can you categorically state the percentage of your enquiries that come from this medium? Have you analysed the price-per-lead from these sources?
The following came through from Chris Cardell (Cardell Media) the other day:
"Have you ever wondered what the difference is between an Entrepreneur worth £200 Million and a struggling business owner who can't pay their bills?
It's not talent, genius or hard work. It's not luck. And it's not the economy.
The difference between them is actually very small. Undetectable to the human eye. We've had Duncan Bannatyne (from BBC's Dragons' Den) as a guest at a couple of our events. With the greatest respect to Duncan, I'm sure he'd agree that the difference between him (he's worth £200 Million) and the struggling business owner is not brains (he's smart but so are many of the struggling ones) and it's certainly not education (Duncan left school with no qualifications.)
I'll tell you the difference. It's their ability to use their minds effectively and think RADICALLY differently to everyone else."
Digital Screen Marketing gives you the opportunity, as a small business, to do something different that will set you apart from your competitors. Don't spend more money; just divert some of the money you currently spend on your routine marketing activities and try something new. Something that will speak directly to prospective new customers. Something that will promote your business with dynamism and in a format that will engage with the viewers. Something that will generate a response from those people who could be about to spend money, and something that will encourage them to spend that money with you.
Argent Ram Media offer a wide range of digital screen marketing solutions aimed at both the small and large business. Local advertising opportunities exist in major UK garden and leisure retail outlets and prices compare with those of local newspaper advertising. For more information, please contact Argent Ram Media on 0845 009 5396 or email design@argentrammedia.com.
It seems that everywhere you turn, you will see a digital marketing screen: at point of sale on Camelot's Lotto terminals; beside the escalators on the London Tube network; in railway stations and shopping malls. The use and application of these screens is varied and increasing by the day.
Why is screen marketing so important?
In previous blogs, I have talked a lot about engagement, and for any business in today's economic climate, it is becoming vital that you engage with your customers and potential customers. This is nothing new, when you analyse it. It harks back to the days of the corner shop, when the shop owner used to know every customer and was able to get together their staple purchases for them before they even entered the shop - real customer service.
Direct response marketing has always been considered to be a vital part of any marketing strategy, and that direct exchange between you and your customer is the ideal opportunity for you to increase sales.
Looking back at the principles of successful market, we are always reminded of AIDA:
Attention
Interest
Desire
Call to Action
The AIDA principle is as strong today as ever, and should be ignored by any business at its peril.
Screen marketing is important because it can combine all the above in a dynamic and evocative format. It allows you, as a business, to disseminate some of your customer service principles, your key marketing messages and your direct-response advertising in an engaging way.
This is way above the budget of the small business, I hear you cry!
No; it's not. Screen marketing solutions are becoming ever-more affordable and, more importantly, more cost-effective.
I would urge any small business to examine their marketing and advertising strategies and analyse what really works for them.
Just because your competitors advertise in the local paper does not mean that you have to follow suit. What response do you get from this traditional form of advertising? What about the Yellow Pages? Always the favourite of the small business, but can you categorically state the percentage of your enquiries that come from this medium? Have you analysed the price-per-lead from these sources?
The following came through from Chris Cardell (Cardell Media) the other day:
"Have you ever wondered what the difference is between an Entrepreneur worth £200 Million and a struggling business owner who can't pay their bills?
It's not talent, genius or hard work. It's not luck. And it's not the economy.
The difference between them is actually very small. Undetectable to the human eye. We've had Duncan Bannatyne (from BBC's Dragons' Den) as a guest at a couple of our events. With the greatest respect to Duncan, I'm sure he'd agree that the difference between him (he's worth £200 Million) and the struggling business owner is not brains (he's smart but so are many of the struggling ones) and it's certainly not education (Duncan left school with no qualifications.)
I'll tell you the difference. It's their ability to use their minds effectively and think RADICALLY differently to everyone else."
Digital Screen Marketing gives you the opportunity, as a small business, to do something different that will set you apart from your competitors. Don't spend more money; just divert some of the money you currently spend on your routine marketing activities and try something new. Something that will speak directly to prospective new customers. Something that will promote your business with dynamism and in a format that will engage with the viewers. Something that will generate a response from those people who could be about to spend money, and something that will encourage them to spend that money with you.
Argent Ram Media offer a wide range of digital screen marketing solutions aimed at both the small and large business. Local advertising opportunities exist in major UK garden and leisure retail outlets and prices compare with those of local newspaper advertising. For more information, please contact Argent Ram Media on 0845 009 5396 or email design@argentrammedia.com.
Saturday, 29 August 2009
Digital Screen Marketing - a cost-effective route to efficient customer service
One of the buzziest words in marketing these days is engagement; the need to engage with your customers or clients. This imperative, to build a relationship with potential clients, has never been more important in days when marketing messages can be out there in front of millions of people within minutes, circulating around the globe.
Twitter and Facebook and other forms of Social Media, are all about engagement. Your website should ensure that potential clients are invited to engage with you as soon as they hit the homepage. Emails, personalised with clients' names, should entice each recipient to maintain their relationship with you, encourage them into your world. If you like, the days of good old customer service have returned with a vengeance; the days of the grocer who dealt with every customer personally, collecting products for them off the shelves and knowing every customer by name.
But we are not returning to the yester-year of retail; we can't, simply because our customers expect to be served with ever increasing speed and efficiency.
However, the technology is available now for every business, no matter how small, to bring back the best aspects of the golden age of customer service, and those businesses that ignore this technology do so at their peril.
In previous articles, I have talked a lot about web and social media, and today I want to throw digital signage and digital screen marketing into the pot. Mention the word "digital" and many businesses will recoil in horror at the thought of yet another expense. However, let's look at a few examples:
Some years ago, one of my clients was a major private health insurance company. Whenever I visited them, I had to sit in their reception area to wait to be greeted. There were magazines on a coffee table, beautiful photographs on the wall, and Sky News playing on a screen. I could have been in any corporate headquarters anywhere in the world, as there was absolutely nothing that told me where I was, or what type of company I was dealing with. Was this complacency or arrogance? An assumption that the mere company name was enough to tell me all I needed to know.
Another national company had their foyer lined with press clippings of their Chairman greeting the Great and the Good; great for the Chairman's ego, but is this good for the company as a whole?
I thought then that what these companies needed was a television-quality presentation product that did a number of things:
If you have an area where customers wait for any length of time, think about a screen. I know that many of you have already got televisions in waiting areas or reception areas, and have a Freeview box so that customers can enjoy "Good Morning" or "Under the Hammer".
What a waste of an opportunity!
By all means, entertain waiting customers; it helps to pass the time. But use that time to tell people about your business; present your new products; show how successful you are as a company; tell that client how valuable they are to you. Above all, engage with that customer as they sit there waiting for you; it is a golden opportunity and one that is too valuable to miss.
If you would like more information on a range of cost-effective screen marketing solutions, please contact us at Argent Ram Media - www.argentrammedia.com. Email design@argentrammedia.com
"The average recall of a brand advertised on Wal-Mart television is 66%, compared with 24% for brands advertised on in-home television."
Twitter and Facebook and other forms of Social Media, are all about engagement. Your website should ensure that potential clients are invited to engage with you as soon as they hit the homepage. Emails, personalised with clients' names, should entice each recipient to maintain their relationship with you, encourage them into your world. If you like, the days of good old customer service have returned with a vengeance; the days of the grocer who dealt with every customer personally, collecting products for them off the shelves and knowing every customer by name.
But we are not returning to the yester-year of retail; we can't, simply because our customers expect to be served with ever increasing speed and efficiency.
However, the technology is available now for every business, no matter how small, to bring back the best aspects of the golden age of customer service, and those businesses that ignore this technology do so at their peril.
In previous articles, I have talked a lot about web and social media, and today I want to throw digital signage and digital screen marketing into the pot. Mention the word "digital" and many businesses will recoil in horror at the thought of yet another expense. However, let's look at a few examples:
Some years ago, one of my clients was a major private health insurance company. Whenever I visited them, I had to sit in their reception area to wait to be greeted. There were magazines on a coffee table, beautiful photographs on the wall, and Sky News playing on a screen. I could have been in any corporate headquarters anywhere in the world, as there was absolutely nothing that told me where I was, or what type of company I was dealing with. Was this complacency or arrogance? An assumption that the mere company name was enough to tell me all I needed to know.
Another national company had their foyer lined with press clippings of their Chairman greeting the Great and the Good; great for the Chairman's ego, but is this good for the company as a whole?
I thought then that what these companies needed was a television-quality presentation product that did a number of things:
- Entertain waiting clients (in the same way that a magazine on a coffee table might);
- Inform clients, but without the heavy and relentless news content of Sky News or CNN;
- Tell clients about company products and services, without expecting them to read through books of press clippings or corporate brochures;
If you have an area where customers wait for any length of time, think about a screen. I know that many of you have already got televisions in waiting areas or reception areas, and have a Freeview box so that customers can enjoy "Good Morning" or "Under the Hammer".
What a waste of an opportunity!
By all means, entertain waiting customers; it helps to pass the time. But use that time to tell people about your business; present your new products; show how successful you are as a company; tell that client how valuable they are to you. Above all, engage with that customer as they sit there waiting for you; it is a golden opportunity and one that is too valuable to miss.
If you would like more information on a range of cost-effective screen marketing solutions, please contact us at Argent Ram Media - www.argentrammedia.com. Email design@argentrammedia.com
"The average recall of a brand advertised on Wal-Mart television is 66%, compared with 24% for brands advertised on in-home television."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
