5 steps to set up visual storytelling in your digital signage

Understanding visual storytelling: definitions and challenges

The concept of visual storytelling is based on using visuals to tell a story : videos, images, illustrations, photographs, graphics, graphics...

The goals? Attracting attention, and conveying emotion and a message at first sight, through a story that is easily understandable by everyone.

For a brand specializing in dairy products, visual storytelling may simply be based on the image or video of a producer milking a cow by hand in a green meadow. The message is clear for everyone: this brand offers quality products, with respect for tradition and a direct link with nature, and is sensitive to animal welfare.

Also called visual storytelling, visual narration can be broadcast on various communication media: online advertising, in the press or on television, traditional or dynamic signage, etc.

Step 1: Choose your targets and goals

All storytelling pursues a given objective. Before you start thinking about your visuals, you need to identify your targets and set specific goals.

For example, content distributed using dynamic signage in a network of stores is aimed at potential customers and can:

• Attract attention and arouse the desire to enter the store, to increase the number of visitors to a point of sale;
• Generate sales in your points of sale;
• Inform your customers about news or commercial transactions;
• Attracting attention and arousing desire to increase the number of visitors to a point of sale;
• Communicate about a societal and ecological commitment;
• Promote the quality of products;
• Informing consumers about production processes;
• Etc.

In the context of internal communication, the content is aimed at your employees and is obviously different:

• Strengthen team cohesion or disseminate corporate culture;
• Recall preventive and safety actions at work;
• Explain organizational processes and issues;
• Promote the success of the company (certification, achievement of objectives, opening of a subsidiary, etc.);
• Highlight the plurality of skills and jobs within the company;
• Etc.

You can create personas to refine the understanding of your targets. Visual narration for a child is different from that for a senior!

Step 2: Think in terms of impact and emotions

Steve Denning, reference author, has identity three successive steps that contribute to the success of storytelling:

• Capture attention;

• Stimulate the desire for change;

• Win conviction.

These three elements can also be used as a support for aA visual narration in digital signage:

1. The screen attracts the attention of your audience, who devotes time to it to discover the image or video in more detail;
2. The emotion aroused by the visual elements shown on the screen stimulates the desire for change;
3. Objective arguments end up convincing the audience affected by the message, and invite them to take action directly.

A ready-to-wear brand that embraces visual storytelling on its digital signage can rely on visual storytelling to promote a more environmentally friendly line of clothing and accessories:

1. An impressive visual draws attention to the water consumption required to make a single pair of jeans;
2. A strong message stimulates the desire for change, stressing that everyone can act at their own level;
3. The savings in water and the retail price of eco-responsible jeans offered by the brand encourage customers to take action.

Step 3: Create unity in your visual storytelling

Unity in your visual narration allows you to build more impactful storytelling. You need to define a central theme that will guide your visual storytelling. It could be a concept, an idea, a metaphor, or even a main character. This theme will serve as a common thread throughout your story, and can be used in several stories.

Use visual elements such as color, typography, graphic style, and layout consistently to create visual unity. Ensure that the graphic elements used respect your brand identity, are in harmony with each other, and flow from one narrative unit to the next.

Recurring elements throughout your narration reinforce that sense of unity. This may include visual patterns, symbols, colors, or recurring characters.

Your visual storytelling should progress fluidly and logically. Sudden jumps or inconsistent transitions are to be avoided.

Step 4: Measure the performance of your visual storytelling

Your visual storytelling evolves based on the insights you gain from analysing your metrics. You will be in a position to rule out certain narrative structures, to change your founding themes and your recurring visual elements.

Digital signage offers you performance analysis solutions of great precision. You can obtain fine correlations between the distribution of your content and the evolution of certain indicators such as the number of visitors to your stores or the evolution of sales. Other indicators make it possible to measure objectives that are more complex to assess, such as working on reputation or the dissemination of strong values. The most advanced digital signage solutions rely on sensors and cameras to know the number of people in the broadcast area who pay particular attention to the content shown on the screens. Interactive terminals that allow customers to rate their in-store experience can help you measure the benefits of visual storytelling in a strategy to improve the shopping experience (advice, reducing the perception of waiting times, etc.).

Other metrics can be used to measure the performance of visual narration in the context of internal communication: reduction in work accidents, absenteeism, employee satisfaction barometer, etc.

Step 5: Rely on the best digital signage tools

Digital signage is a powerful tool that allows you to broadcast all types of content, and is at the service of your visual narration to reach a targeted audience.

Cenareo about youe a powerful digital signage solution, adapted to all types of visual narrations: images, videos, videos, infographics, presentation slides, you can multiply the formats to shake up the codes of storytelling and disseminate ever more powerful messages!

You can increase the effectiveness of your campaigns by automatically triggering broadcasts based on the audience in front of a screen thanks to facial detection, or by relying on weather data. You can also connect our solution to your CRM to adjust content according to your stocks. You gain in relevance... and in performance!

Our digital signage solution also allows fine management of your screen fleet and user rights, for both global and local communication. Templates make it possible to standardize visual elements, to create brand consistency and facilitate identification by your audience. Cenareo adapts to all formats, and offers a high availability rate with offline distribution to avoid the black screen!

Are you looking for a digital signage solution to broadcast visual storytelling? Get in touch with an advisor!