Texas State Technical College West Texas made waves in the digital signage industry last week when it announced that it would offer a degree and several certificates in Digital Signage Technology.

Located in Abilene, Texas, TSTC has a strong background in teaching digital media, and Patricia Golin, program specialist, said it was that experience that spawned the digital signage program.

“We have a talented digital media department, and we were looking for a degree that would include animation and bring in an element of mass communication and advertising,” Golin said. “When we started looking through what the industry was using, we began to see that this was called digital signage.”

The flagship degree in the program is an A.A.S. in Digital Signage Technology. The program is 60 credit hours and will take students four semesters to complete. Classes range from learning computer applications to digital signage specific courses such as Digital Signage Systems and Digital Signage Content Management. There are also advertising, internet marketing and mobile components to the program.

“The course load and descriptions seem pretty comprehensive and it looks like it would give an individual the basics,” said Chuck Gose of MediaTile. “But much like other careers, experience in the field will determine if it’s successful or not.”

TSTC is working to give students that experience through several capstone classes. In one class, students will create, install and manage a digital signage network in the online game Second Life. They will be given a budget, select hardware and software and program content. Another capstone class will require students to design and plan an advertising campaign to run on digital out-of-home screens.

“It is an interesting idea especially with regard to general concepts of content creation,” said Aaron Higley, director of Digital Operations at Titan Worldwide. “I think that more design/advertising programs should offer classes in digital content creation. As a media company, I am speaking daily with creative agencies to give them direction on how to create content. Many of them struggle, especially those who are used to static creative.”

Classes were set to begin in Fall 2009 but the launch date for the program has been pushed back to Spring 2010. Golin said that the school is still working with the Department of Education to secure financial aid, since most of its target students are in the low-income bracket.

The cost for the A.A.S. degree is about $5,000 for in-state students and $12,000 for those out-of-state, which Golin said is priced low due to the fact that the classes are all completely online and no textbooks are being required.

Who is teaching?

One of the biggest concerns from those in the industry has been who will be teaching these courses.

As Paul Flanigan writes in his Experiate blog:

“Who will teach the digital signage courses? Industry veterans who can provide the real-world background that makes a technical college a valuable place to learn? Or an expert in technology with no real background in the industry? I would feel much more comfortable if I knew that the educators are (or were) in the trenches.”

Golin assures that the exisiting faculty of TSTC who currently teach the Digital Imaging & Design curriculum are fully equipped to teach the courses.

“The program is also a partnership between TSTC and Western Texas College in Snyder, Texas,” she said. “WTC has some very talented people that have been teaching in the AV and television production department for a long time. They will be the ones handling the courses on resolution, viewing distance and other elements. They also have really great advertising department and will be handling the capstone classes.”

The job market
It is yet to be determined if the digital signage is ready or looking for graduates with content development and management skills, although according to research from TSTC, the average predicted growth for these fields is 27 percent. There are a total of 29,650 projected positions in Texas by 2016, reflecting an absolute change of 5,350 new positions in Texas in the next five years with an average hourly wage of $20.27.

in Digital Signage Today

Digital Signage Expo (DSE), the world’s largest international tradeshow and conference dedicated to digital signage, interactive technology and out-of-home networks, has been named one of Tradeshow Week magazine’s 2009 Fastest 50.

This award recognizes the fifty fastest-growing trade and consumer shows in North America based on total net square footage and percentage growth between 2006 and 2008. DSE will be represented at Tradeshow Week’s award ceremony in Houston on November 15 to commemorate this impressive repeat accomplishment.

“We are honored to have again been selected as one of Tradeshow Week’s Fastest 50 shows,” said Angelo Varrone, CEO of Atlanta-based Exponation LLC, which produces Digital Signage Expo. “We won this award in 2007, which was the first year we were eligible. We are thrilled that our show has joined this select group of winning events for the second time in three years.”

“The show’s growth will continue to mirror the fast-paced expansion of the market DSE serves, which is enjoying rapid adoption across many industry categories,” added Chris Gibbs, president of Exponation LLC. “Our show is the leading event and conference in the market and is widely supported by exhibitors and attendees.”

Digital Signage Expo 2010, which includes the Interactive Technology Expo, Out-of-Home Network Show, Digital Content Show and Mobile Marketing Show, will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas on February 23-25, 2010.

When it comes to sales, tried and true rules have been tested and proven. Below is a list of the top five mistakes I see salespeople across industries and professions commonly make. By addressing these issues with your sales force, you can dramatically improve your sales, in ATMs and anything else.

No. 1: Not listening

Salespeople often talk themselves right out of a sale because they are talking and not listening. Salespeople should spend a short amount of time talking about themselves, your company and the solution that your product provides. In fact, a salesperson should talk no more than 40 percent of the time when working with a prospect. The prospect, on the other hand, should talk more than 60 percent of the time about his business, his customers and his challenges.

The salesperson must ask questions that demonstrate she really cares about the potential client’s specific needs. If your salesperson is actively engaged in listening, she will have a much higher understanding of the prospect and the prospect’s needs.

To be actively listening, your salesperson has to listen to the words, as well as the physical gestures, the voice tone and context. Salespeople with excellent listening skills are able to easily identify a client’s real needs and the solutions to fill those needs. The best salespeople are great listeners. When we think of a terrible salesperson, we often think of the stereotypical used-car salesman, who just can’t stop talking. So, suggest to your salespeople that they stop talking and start listening.

No. 2: Failing to prospect for new customers

Many salespeople underestimate the importance of prospecting. They need to know that constant prospecting will produce a consistent flow of customers to your business. Even when business is great, salespeople need to prospect for new customers. Inconsistent prospecting is one of the most common mistakes salespeople make. Salespeople must devote a certain percentage of their work week to prospecting for new, qualified customers.

The best way to find new customers is by scheduling a specific portion of your calendar to prospecting only. If done right, the pipeline will be full of new prospects, and thus reduce the common peaks and valleys that occur in sales.

No. 3: Not asking for the order

People want to work with people (and businesses) who genuinely want their business. The easiest way to demonstrate that your company wants the prospect’s business is to just ask for it.

A salesperson’s presentation should be designed to get a commitment from the client. After investing time, qualifying the customer, explaining and demonstrating how your company’s product or service will solve the prospect’s problem, it’s time to ask the prospect to make a purchase. The salesperson’s job is not done until he has confidently asked for, and earned, the order.

I’m surprised at how often a salesperson will do everything well in her presentation and then sheepishly ask for the order. And some salespeople never ask for the order at all.

An “ask” can be the nudge your customer or potential customer needs to make the final positive buying decision. Your salesperson has an obligation to ask for business. The salesperson does not have to be pushy, but should respectfully and with great confidence ask for an order.

Not asking for a buy shows some lack of confidence. The customer won’t know if the salesperson is apprehensive about the price, the product, the service or her company. Your salesperson has to ask for the order at the end of his presentation to earn the client’s confidence.

No. 4: Failing to follow up

Just because a prospect decides not to buy today does not mean he won’t be a buyer in the future. If the prospect is an interested, qualified, potential customer, then someone will sell that prospect, eventually. Your salesperson has done the work, so it should be your salesperson that earns the business, when it comes.

Your company and salesperson have to be the supplier this customer thinks of when he’s ready to invest. The way you earn this business is to have a consistent and persistent follow-up program. Most salespeople don’t consistently follow up. But following up is a critical step in the selling process.

Your salesperson already has a relationship with this potential customer; build on that relationship. Only the salesperson can convert this missed opportunity into a future sale. Following up should be an integral part of all of our corporate-sales strategies. Customers and prospects are already interested, why would we let them go? The chances of closing a warmed-up lead is much higher than chasing down a new or cold lead. Timely follow up will lead to more sales with fewer leads.

No. 5: Wasting time

Salespeople often waste time in three ways. First, they often chase down non-producing prospects. Some prospects will never buy or invest. To earn any money, some prospects will dissect every one of your profit centers and drain whatever profit you deserve and keep the profit as their own. These “profit parasites,” as I call them, need to be encouraged to take their business to your competitor. These non-productive prospects will be happy to take your profit and waste your time.

The second time waster: Not walking away from the “wrong” client. Some potential clients are the extremely high maintenance with very low profit potential. Sales professionals know the “wrong clients” will add a lot of stress on support staff and co-workers. This added stress from these clients can have a negative effect on future sales. The “wrong clients” tie up phone lines, fill up mailboxes and slow down progress.

The third time waster is ineffective time management. A salesperson’s main asset is time. When salespeople measure every minute as a profit or a loss, they will see new opportunities. We need to stop spending our time on non-profit-producing activities. The wildly successful and the poorest salespeople have exactly the same amount of time; obviously only one is using her time effectively.

Have your salespeople invest in one of the many time-management programs and use it properly. When salespeople really see how much of their work time is needlessly spent on non-profit-driven activities, they can adjust their schedules and sell much more.

In conclusion, we can teach our salespeople time management and listening skills. Our sales team members also can learn to look out for and steer clear of “profit parasites” and the “wrong customers.” Salespeople who can’t or won’t confidently ask for the order may need to be retrained, remotivated or removed.

Profitable customers think they buy logically, but most of them actually buy emotionally, and a sale is a transfer of emotion. Your salespeople need confidence to seamlessly transfer that emotion to customers so customers can confidently buy products.

Damien Fitzgerald from DTD Marketing

A year or two ago it would have seemed meager, but today it feels like reason for celebration: Consumer spending went up in July, the second straight month of growth after a nearly yearlong series of dips.

Deloitte’s Consumer Spending Index shows an increase in consumer spending of just over 2 percent in July, an increase of 1.85 percent over June.

More spending is on the way, according to Deloitte vice chairman Stacy Janiak, in an interview with Progressive Grocer:

“Retailers should be strategizing to more quickly adapt to changes in consumer buying patterns,” she added. “In particular, use of advanced analytics to manage inventories and create pricing and promotion scenario plans could be an important catalyst in capturing greater market share and improving profitability this holiday season.”

The three primary channels of direct digital marketing — email, the Web (e.g. eCommerce and onsite targeting technology), and mobile — are extremely effective for communicating with customers and providing them with relevant content designed to help them make a purchase. Traditionally, each channel is treated separately within its own silo, with marketing resources and personnel aligned accordingly. In other words, the email team runs the email marketing, the website team runs the website, and the mobile team is responsible for mobile marketing.

Overlap between the channels is rare for marketing organizations (thus the burgeoning cottage industry of attribution modeling). However, frequent channel overlap is a standard practice for consumers, who bounce from an email offer to the Web for some research to mobile for instant alerts and other time sensitive information. Using the pillars of direct digital marketing — specifically onsite targeting and email marketing — in a complementary way more aligned with how consumers behave promises substantial new segmentation opportunities and plenty of low hanging fruit for marketers. Creating marketing campaigns around those new segments improves customer engagement, increases conversions, and positively affects other important metrics for e-retailers like RPV (revenue per visitor).

Before looking at examples of how onsite targeting and email marketing work together it is important to fully understand what onsite targeting is. Onsite targeting, already a complement to eCommerce solutions, is conceptually simple. Rather than a homepage or landing page prominently displaying a single message, onsite targeting plugs into any existing webpage’s framework and transforms the formerly static space into a “live zone” that rotates dynamic, personalized, and relevant content designed to appeal to all of a brand’s diverse customer audience. Statistics show that the likelihood of a consumer making a purchase increases dramatically when the content they are viewing is relevant to their demonstrated needs.

Here are a couple of examples of direct digital marketing programs that use onsite targeting and email marketing together.

An online premium tea retailer used onsite targeting to discover it was possible to increase sales on a new product by 25 percent. They designed a simple program that used the most basic email data point — email opens — to determine what content would be displayed on their homepage while launching a new product. If an email subscriber opened an email, the new product content was displayed on the homepage the next time that subscriber visited, reinforcing the offer and images. Synchronizing simple, accessible data points — like email opens with homepage content — is one of a thousand different segmentation possibilities. For this premium tea retailer a simple but well coordinated multi-channel program uncovered a potential 25 percent increase in sales — and that was only the first multi-channel effort the retailer conceived.

Traditional online marketing practice dictates that a company sends an email containing an offer to a subscriber, and that subscriber then clicks on a link in the email and visits a landing page where they are given an opportunity to make a purchase. However, if that email subscriber hits the landing page but does not immediately convert — or leaves the page to “up periscope” to the homepage — most marketers lose track of that prospect and the opportunity for the sale is gone. Because onsite targeting technology tracks the prospect’s behavior throughout an entire website, marketers are able to display relevant content on the homepage to direct that prospect back to the landing page and the conversion point.

Whether using website browsing data to drive email tactics or email data to drive website tactics, integrating the email and Web channels provides a more complete picture of the customer and better opportunities for the marketer to get conversions. Further, a brand that is able to demonstrate an understanding of their customer is able to build loyalty and improve the overall customer experience.

Multi-channel strategies and programs provide valuable opportunities for a business to grow, but they are only as good as the data supporting them. It is important to remember that operating well coordinated, successful multi-channel direct digital marketing strategies requires a smart data approach. Housing “actionable” marketing data points — pieces of data that can be used to provide relevant, targeted information and offers to customers and prospects — in a specifically designated marketing data mart is the most common solution. Connecting the data dots transforms increasingly commoditized direct digital marketing channels into newly effective tools for customer engagement.

These tactics and strategies do not place undue emphasis on launching new, expensive initiatives. Good multi-channel direct digital marketing finds effective ways to leverage information the marketer already has at their disposal. The two brief examples outlined here represent the tip of the iceberg for multi-channel strategies, demonstrating the value of going beyond the expected conversion to capture new and previously unattainable sales.

by Brian Deagan, co-founder and CEO of Knotice, source: rce

The way consumers respond to in-store promotional messages and media is changing, with traditional media not necessarily as effective as it once was, according to the results of a new poll that surveyed 999 shoppers shortly after completing a shopping trip.

The effectiveness of promotional messages depends on the age and gender of the shopper, the message vehicle and whether or not the message is found inside the store or outside the store, the survey revealed.

“Convenience retail has a huge opportunity, because most c-store purchases are spontaneous, optional, sometimes planned and sometimes unplanned,” said Curt Johnson, senior vice president, consumer industries for Miller Zell Inc., the firm that conducted the study. “New promotional technologies will help boost the ring. But how can convenience retailers best market to the young adult male coming in for an afternoon snack now? How do they convince him to purchase just one more item?”

In the survey, more shoppers (32 percent) rated in-store signage as “very effective” than they did out-of-store advertising, including television ads, billboards and other media (27 percent). Compared to older shoppers, though, Generation Y consumers (born between 1982 and 2003) were more likely regard both indoor and outdoor advertising as “very effective.”

While the recession has two-thirds of consumers making shopping lists before they go to the store, Miller Zell found shoppers are making brand decisions 60 percent of the time after entering the store. More shoppers (70 percent) say they are engaged by end-of-aisle signage than by merchandising displays (62 percent), department signage (58 percent), shelf strips (55 percent) or shelf blades (50 percent).

How well different types of messages—product information, price discounts, etc.—are received depends on the age and gender of the customer. While nearly half of the consumers said they want product-comparison information, Generations X (born between 1961 and 1981) and Gen Y place more importance on that in-store trigger. Product quality information is more important to men than women—and more important to middle-income earners than folks in other income brackets.

No surprise, price tops the list of important factors when making a purchase decision: 70 percent of the consumers said price reduction influenced a planned purchase; 47 percent said they were influenced by an everyday-low-price message.

“People aren’t noticing everyday low pricing messages as much in today’s shopping environment,” Johnson said. “But we are cautioning our retail clients to be careful of the precedent they set. If their shoppers are trained to expect those discounts, there will be dissatisfaction on the back end when the economy gets better, and the cents-off or dollars-off or percentage-off deals go away.”

Source: Convenience Store News, Barbara Grondin Francella

Approximately 155 million (67 percent of) U.S. residents aged 18 or older have seen a digital out-of-home (OOH) video display in the past month, at one or more of 17 types of public venues, according to a new study by Arbitron Inc. The Arbitron Out-of-Home Digital Video Display Study 2009 shows that the general audience for OOH digital video displays represents a cross-section of American consumers, and closely mirrors the average U.S. population.

Seventy-six percent of those who recall seeing digital video displays in the past month noticed seeing them at multiple venues. Digital video screens in retail locations alone (including grocery stores, large retailer/department stores, drug stores, shopping malls or convenience stores) reach more than 123 million (53 percent of) American adults in an average month.

“Out-of-home digital video displays, in most cases, broadcast advertising and content that are created for public environments and are distinct from network or cable TV viewing away-from-home,” said Alton Adams, chief marketing officer, Arbitron. “This Arbitron study focuses on this expanding market and is designed to provide insight to help advertisers target certain consumer groups including affluent households, male adults, young adults and Hispanics using OOH digital video networks.”

According to the study:

• Nearly one in five (18 percent of) Americans aged 18 or older noticed a video screen in a place serving food or beverages in the past month; 21 percent of adults have seen video displays at a movie theater.

• Twenty-two percent of U.S. adults have viewed a video screen at a gas station in the past month; 19 percent have seen video displays at an airport during the same time period and seven percent have noticed video content while waiting for or riding mass transit.

• One in seven adults (14 percent) has noticed a video display in an office building or elevator in the past month.

• Nineteen percent of American adults have seen a video screen at a doctor’s office or hospital in the past month and 7 percent have viewed video content at a health club.

The study also shows that:

• A person watching video content in a bar is 53 percent more likely to be a young adult than the population at large.

• A person watching a video display in an elevator is 88 percent more likely to live in an affluent household.

• A person watching a video screen at a sporting event is 27 percent more likely to be a man than the population at large.

• A person watching a video display at a transit hub is twice as likely to be Hispanic compared to the population at large.

How the study was conducted

Arbitron and Edison Research interviewed a total of 1,666 people from Jan. 16, 2009 to Feb. 15, 2009. Telephone interviews were conducted with respondents aged 18 and older who were chosen at random from a national sample of Arbitron’s Fall 2008 survey diarykeepers. In certain geographic areas, a sample of Arbitron diarykeepers was not available for the survey and a supplemental sample was interviewed via random digit dialing (RDD). Diarykeepers represented 70 percent of the completed interviews and RDD sampled respondents represented 30 percent.

Un estudio online realizado por la consultora independiente AGB para Windows Mobile España, la división de Microsoft encargada de los teléfonos Windows, ha desvelado cuáles son los intereses de los españoles en el uso de servicios en el teléfono móvil y el PC.

Según los resultados arrojados por la encuesta, los servicios más utilizados a través del ordenador personal son las fotos, la conexión a internet y el correo electrónico. Atendiendo al sexo, los perfiles de utilización son similares para hombre y para mujer. Si evaluamos por edades, sin embargo, los parámetros cambian: desde los 14 a los 44 años los servicios más utilizados son las fotos y el acceso a internet. En cambio a partir de los 45, el correo electrónico se sitúa por delante del intercambio de fotos.

Pero lo más importante es: ¿Qué servicios les interesaría tener a los usuarios incluidos en su tarifa plana del móvil? A esta pregunta, los participantes han situado: el Messenger, fotos, navegación GPS, descarga de música, navegación internet, noticias y acceso Redes Sociales (Tuenty, Facebook). Otro de los datos que se destaca en la encuesta es que el 95.2% del total de participantes es usuario de Windows Live Hotmail en su ordenador.

El estudio, además, demuestra la intención de uso de los servicios más populares de Windows Live, como Hotmail o Messenger. El 72% de los encuestados utiliza Windows Live Hotmail todos los días y al 75% le gustaría tenerlo en el móvil. Teniendo en cuenta estos resultados, sabiendo que el 94% de los encuestados poseen móvil, y que a los usuarios les preocupan las tarifas de sus terminales a la hora de conectarse, el resultado es que la mayoría estaría dispuesto a cambiar de operador si este le ofreciera mejores servicios (79%) y precio (71.1%).

Juan Carlos Fernández, Director de la División de Consumo y Online de Microsoft afirma: ‘Intentamos facilitar los servicios más utilizados por los consumidores y por eso trabajamos en conjunto con las operadoras, para satisfacer esas necesidades. El objetivo es facilitar a los usuarios un conjunto de productos, tecnologías y servicios online integrados que les permitan compartir y organizar su vida digital, creando nuevas experiencias de uso, tanto desde el PC como desde el móvil’.

Windows traspasa la frontera del PC: Los usuarios lo quieren también en Internet y en su móvil

Al preguntarles por su sistema operativo preferido para acceder a Windows Live Hotmail, el 49% de los encuestados prefiere los teléfonos con Windows, un porcentaje que asciende al 60% en poblaciones de más de 1 millón de habitantes, seguido del 12,9% que prefiere Apple y el 10,6% que opta por Symbian, posicionando así la tecnología Windows como la predilecta para acceder al correo electrónico de Windows Live.

‘Uno de los compromisos de Microsoft es facilitar un acceso fácil, divertido e intuitivo a la tecnología. El hecho de comunicarte con tus amigos, trabajar, jugar? en un mismo entorno Windows conocido, está derribando barreras y contribuyendo a que las personas puedan enriquecer su vida cotidiana disfrutando de los nuevos avances tecnológicos en productos y servicios de una manera sencilla’, comenta David Fernández, director de la división de teléfonos Windows en Microsoft Ibérica.

La era de las redes sociales ha llegado. Pese a tratarse de un fenómeno nuevo, estas nuevas herramientas de relación han llegado para quedarse. De ahí la importancia de aprender a utilizarlas correctamente, aprovechando el potencial que ofrecen. La red social especializada en ocio Dooplan ha analizado los mitos más comunes y propone sacar partido de las potencialidades de las redes sociales sin correr riesgos innecesarios:

Elija la red social que mejor se ajuste a sus necesidades
Hay muchas redes sociales, pero cada una ofrece cosas distintas. A pesar del éxito de las más populares, como Facebook o Tuenti, no todas las redes sociales cumplen con las necesidades de los usuarios, sea por una segmentación por edad, por la manera que el usuario quiere comunicarse con su entorno o bien, por los intereses comunes que la red social pretende potenciar.

Si su objetivo es lograr difusión en el entorno 2.0, una buena opción es apuntarse a Facebook. Si simplemente pretende informar sobre sus “movimientos” para que amigos y familiares le sigan al instante, será mejor Twitter, pero si prefiere relacionarse con personas con intereses comunes definidos en torno a una temática, entonces dooplan para el ocio o LinkedIn para asuntos profesionales ofrecen una amplia oferta.

Privacidad
Las redes sociales ofrecen la posibilidad de actualizar todos los campos que definen su perfil de usuario y hacerlo con criterios de privacidad muy específicos.

Es fundamental leer bien las condiciones y términos de participación, conocer exactamente todos los niveles de privacidad que ofrece la red social y seleccionar las opciones de bloqueo de aquello que no tenga interés en hacer público.

“Las empresas compran mis datos a las redes sociales para enviarme spam” Cada red social posee diferentes sistemas de gestión de su información. En algunos casos, las redes sociales sí que pueden facilitar esa información a terceras empresas pero ese derecho queda detallado claramente en las condiciones de uso de la red social. Por tanto, es básico leer cuidadosamente las condiciones de uso para estar bien informado de los derechos de usuario.

Internet, igual que el teléfono móvil, es una herramienta que ayuda a llevar una vida social más completa. “Una vida intensa y activa en las redes sociales no va relacionada con una vida pasiva fuera de este entorno”, afirman fuentes de Dooplan. “Son compatibles, incluso hoy por hoy podría decirse que es difícil llevar una vida social completa sin redes sociales ya que forman parte habitual en la vida de muchas personas”, añaden.

in La Vanguardia

El servicio de música Spotify, nacido en Suecia pero que se ha convertido ya en uno de los fenómenos de Internet en Europa y EE UU, está listo para asaltar el iPhone. Según un artículo de la web TechCrunch, los chicos de Spotify han elaborado un vídeo en el que muestran cómo funciona la nueva aplicación de esta web musical para el dispositivo de Apple. El programa podría estar listo en las próximas semanas.

Una de las atracciones del servicio es que funcionará incluso sin conexión; la aplicación guarda la cache (una serie de datos que quedan en el dispositivo después de entrar a una web) y permite disfrutar de las últimas canciones sin estar en Internet.

Apple ya ha permitido que un servicio de radio por Internet, Last.FM, tengo su propia aplicación para el dispositivo, pero Spotify actúa de forma diferente: reproduce las canciones que el usuario desea en cada momento, por lo que es muy parecido al servicio de iTunes de la compañía de la manzana.

Pero según señala TechCrunch Apple ya tiene suficientes ganancias con su tienda online, por lo que Spotify no sería ninguna amenaza real; además, el servicios de música por Internet requerirá una suscripción premium para poder disfrutar de ella desde dispositivos móviles.

in El País