Research showed that LED walls are 2.5 times more effective at attracting the attention of prospects as compared to regular billboards. This efficiency comes with knowing how to take full advantage of LED video wall features. One way to do this is by creating captivating content. In this article, you will learn how to create effective content that attracts and converts.
Tips for creating content for your LED video wall
Content creation is a process. It is a long and tedious process that requires a lot of deliberation for you to experience any benefits from it. The good news is that when done right, it has the potential to generate qualified leads, and traffic, and achieve other marketing goals.
Whether you are outsourcing content creation for your LED video walls or doing it in-house, there are some best practices you need to follow. Let us discuss some of these tips and how you can incorporate them into your content creation strategy.
1. Use short and precise content
Content, regardless of its format, can achieve many objectives. Some of the common reasons why people create content include;
- Marketing and advertisment
- Creating brand awareness
- Entertainment
- Education
These reasons are all valid and they can apply to content displayed on a video wall. Ensuring that the content is precise is an effective strategy to ensure that it achieves the intended purpose. Some psychological studies have shown that humans love short content. The justification for this is that short content is easily consumable on the go, attention-grabbing, and engaging.
2. Consider the aspect ratio
LED video walls are set up in different aspect ratios. An aspect ratio is the proportion of the width and height measurement of a display. Common aspect ratios include 16:9, 4:3, and 16:10. These aspect ratios determine the size and shape of the LED video wall.
The reason why you should consider the aspect ratio of the display when creating content is that the LED displays output content in the format it was encoded. In other words, content is also formatted in specific aspect ratios. Therefore, the aspect ratio of the content needs to match that of the display for it to be displayed properly.
Another reason is that the aspect ratio of the LED video wall will dictate the type of content you need to create. For instance, if it has a 16:9 aspect ratio, you need to create landscape videos for widescreen. This helps maintain consistency, compatibility, and visual appeal.
3. Avoid a lot of text content
The main goal of text in video content is to add context. Text makes a video more accessible to larger audiences, particularly those with hearing impairments. However, adding text to a video needs to be done in moderation.
These benefits of text can only be achieved in moderation. That means using the right amount of text. To do that, you need to ensure that every text placed in a video has a purpose. Also, you need to liaise with a copywriter to help you choose the right words.
Apart from quantity, other important aspects of the text in the video include;
- Duration
- Position
- Font size
- Color
- Animation
All these aspects have an effect on how the text will look on the video. Unless the video is for entertainment purposes, most of these aspects need to be moderated. Too much color, animation, or font size will be distracting to the viewer. Subsequently, this will lower the engagement level of the content.
4. Use more colors and animation
Color is said to evoke a certain set of emotions in humans. For instance, the yellow color can make people happy. Therefore, you need to select the colors that correspond to the message contained in the video.
On the other hand, animations are captivating. Particularly, dramatic animations have the effect of attracting attention. Animations can turn boring and dull video content into a fun and visually pleasing piece of art. Choose the type of animation that works for you according to your brand guidelines and content strategy.
5. Follow the principles of design
Designers follow specific principles that guide them to create content that is relatable, suitable, performant, and functional.
Some of these principles include;
- Contrast
- Balance
- Hierarchy
- Proportion
- Emphasis
- Pattern
These principles have many benefits for you and your audience. Think of it like a template that you need to create content that will receive a positive reception from your audience. Failing to follow these principles can render your efforts at content creation futile.
6. Maintain consistent branding
Your business has an established brand voice, identity, values, and promise. Every piece of content that you put out there needs to be guided by these elements. Doing this will ensure that there is consistent branding across the media outlets.
One way to follow these brand elements is to ensure that there is a clear guideline that content creators follow. This includes a set of instructions and a review process before content is published or displayed on the video wall. Failing to observe these practices will eventually create inconsistent content that will harm your brand’s reputation.
7. Optimize content for high-resolution
The resolution of content is a factor that determines how well it will perform. Low-resolution content is not captivating and this can lower the engagement level. On the other hand, content that is high-resolution is quite appealing.
The resolution of content depends on its formatting and also on the resolution of the display. LED videos are primarily known to have high pixel densities. This makes them have peak-resolution display screens.
When creating content, optimization techniques such as editing ensure that content will look good on a high-resolution display. But if that is not an option, some LED video walls have advanced methods to improve the native quality of content and adapt it to appear in high resolution. This approach can make old content look new and modern.
8. Test content on an LED video wall
Before displaying content for a large audience, you need to test it in a controlled environment to see how it looks. Testing achieves many reasons, including;
- Checking for editing errors
- Identifying room for improvement
- Ticking the content checklist
- Checking compatibility
It is only through testing that you will be able to ensure that everything works as intended. Tests can be performed on a separate video wall or the main one. Either way, the test content should be displayed briefly and also when traffic is limited. If you want to take it a step further, you can perform A/B tests.
9. Incorporate eye-catching visuals
There are many video elements that you can incorporate into your LED video wall content to make it eye-catching. The idea of eye-catching implies that the viewer will be prompted to watch and pay attention to the content easily.
Eye-catching visuals have a high retention time. This means that the viewer will be absorbed for extended periods because the content is relatable to them.
Knowing your audience is the first step to creating eye-catching content. There are elements that will be relatable to teenagers, while some won’t be. If you have a diverse audience, you need to strike a balance and ensure that the elements used in the video cover a wide variety of elements that will be engaging for a wide range of people.
10. Minimize clutter and distractions
This point goes hand in hand with the third one. In other words, too much text can be considered clutter or distractions. However, distractions go beyond text elements.
Other elements of video content include excessive graphics, distracting animations, too many sound effects, and a lack of white space. If anything, distracting content is content that does not follow the principles of design.
Clean and clutter-free content has the benefit of keeping the message clear and concise. This is achieved by reducing strain, and unprofessionalism, and improving user experience.
11. Use high-quality imagery and video
There are many benefits of using high-quality images and video. For one, your audience will appreciate your dedication to quality content. Secondly, high-quality content is easy to reuse across platforms due to its quality. More importantly, it helps you stand out in the competitive business world.
Here are some tips on having high-quality content;
- Hire experienced content creators
- Use premium stock images and videos
- Use the best content creation tools like Adobe Creative Suite
If you treat the content creation process like an investment, it will most definitely have high returns on investment. The best place to start is by ramping up the quality of images and videos.
12. Plan for dynamic content updates
Most content creators fail to perform one crucial task with their content — updates. Updating content involves editing, deleting, and refreshing existing content to ensure its relevance. These tasks are necessary, especially for dynamic content.
For instance, content that was meant for a specific period such as the festive season should not be displayed in the middle of the year. This type of content would be irrelevant at that time. Also, if the content has outdated information, it needs to be edited and updated accordingly.
Planning is key here. This means that you should have a strategy for doing these updates. Your strategy could include a content calendar, workflow, asset management, themes, and performance tracking, among other things. Just think of it as a concrete plan that ensures your content is relevant all year round.
13. Incorporate interactive elements
These days, there are many interactive features incorporated in LED displays. Features like gesture recognition, motion tracking, and touchscreen capabilities can elevate content and make it more engaging for the audience.
It will require more effort and resources to incorporate interactivity into LED video wall content, but the investment will be worthwhile. If your competitors are already doing it, it means that they are miles ahead of you. Therefore, identify what interactive elements work specifically according to your business and use them.
14. Prioritize storytelling in your content
Humans love and relate to stories. As such, using storytelling in your content ensures that your audience is attentive and interested in the content.
Still, using stories in content can be daunting. This is because some content types, especially live broadcasts, and unscripted content, would be difficult to introduce story elements into. However, for other videos, you can take enough time to create a relevant anecdotal story that fits the theme of the content.
15.0Be guided by viewing distance
The installation and placement of an LED video wall typically consider factors like the viewing distance and angle of the public. This consideration is accounted for, especially for outdoor LED video displays.
Similar considerations need to be made for the content being displayed. This is done by ensuring that the aspect ratio is right, the content is of high resolution, and elements like text and other graphics are large in size.
Tools used to create content for an LED wall
Now that you have learned how to create content for LED walls, you need to know which tools will support your content creation journey. The following are some of the main tools used for content creation.
Graphics design software
Your tools arcade should not miss performant graphics design software. This software should be capable of creating, editing, and manipulating existing graphics.
The best part about graphics design software is that they are categorized. There are software that are simple to use while others require advanced design skills to operate. When you have a high bar of quality, it is recommended to use advanced design software for best results.
Some of the best graphics design software include Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Blender, Figma, and Autodesk Maya, among others.
Video editing software
There are plenty of video editing tools available. These tools will help you shorten, lengthen, add, remove, and manipulate videos without limits.
Similarly to graphics design software, there are basic and advanced video editing software. Each category has tools that can achieve something. With advanced software, you will be open to a world of opportunities when it comes to video manipulation options.
Common video editing software includes Adobe Premier Pro, Final Cut Pro, Davinci Resolve, and others. Pick what works for you based on your skill level.
Content management system (CMS)
When talking about content updates, we mentioned having a strategy for deleting and updating content. With a content management system, you can achieve even more. These systems can schedule, manage, and distribute content more effectively.
CMS systems for LED displays are customized to handle the uniqueness of these platforms. There are companies that specialize in CMS systems for LED video walls. To use these tools, you will need to obtain an installation license or subscription.
Digital signage platforms
These platforms act as the operating system or network signal that enables the display of content on LED displays. They are optimized for these LED displays.
Most of these platforms are multifunctional. This means they can handle diverse types of content without any strain. Whether you want to show static or dynamic content, the platforms will work perfectly. Check out these reviews of popular digital signage platforms.
Content formats supported by LED walls
Understanding the different content formats that can be supported by LED walls is necessary for the content creation process. Each format has specific features that are native to it and only supported by it. Let us look at some of these common content formats. Note that these are container formats and not formats in reference to types.
Video content formats
A video can be encoded in different formats. The processor in LED video walls cannot support all types of video content. The common ones that are supported are;
- MP4. These formats are also known as MPEG-4 Part 14. This format is quite common and compatible with many video decoders.
- AVI. Microsoft developed the AVI video format in 1992. It is a capable although older container format that can be decoded by most LED walls.
- MOV. This video file format was developed by Apple, Inc. It can be played by QuickTime player on a Windows-based OS.
Videos are the primary content types played on LED walls. This is because videos are much more engaging and interesting.
Images
An image is a construction made of tiny picture elements known as pixels. These picture elements need to be stored in recoverable containers. Learn more about picture elements and bit depth in this article.
The common and compatible image file formats for LED walls are;
- JPEG. This is the most common container format for images. It is a high-quality and low-size image format that works with most LED walls.
- PNG. This file format is preferred where lossless compression is needed. For that reason, it is used for high-quality images like Logos.
- BMP. This is a file format for uncompressed bitmap images. It is primarily used and accessible by Windows OS.
Container formats for images prioritize size and quality. Some formats ensure that the quality and size are preserved, while others focus on maintaining the quality. Whichever the case, the LED processor knows how to handle the three formats without losing quality.
Text and other documents
LED walls can also display content found in text and document formats. Text or Word and document files are mostly house words and some images. They are quite accessible and portable, making them ideal for LED walls. Common text document formats include;
- TXT. This file format contains plain text. It is human and machine-readable. TXT is perfect for simple information that needs to be displayed on an LED wall.
- PDF. These are also called portable documents. The design and layout of the content are meant to remain consistent across different processors unless changed electronically.
TXT and PDF are compatible with many LED walls. The processors and the player platforms have the necessary tools to display these files on command.
Factors to consider when creating content for an LED wall
We shared the best practices as a guideline for creating content for LED walls. On top of those guidelines, there are factors that need to be considered to ensure you achieve the goals you set out for. Some of these factors include;
Contrast and brightness
Readability and visual impact are essential to ensure content is visually appealing. These are attained by ensuring contrast and brightness are balanced properly.
Contrast is concerned with the difference between the light and dark regions of an image. This is controlled by the bit depth of the image. You have to ensure that the dark regions are clearly distinguishable from lighter ones. This leads to a legible overall image.
On the other hand, brightness dictates the level of illumination that the content has. Brightness is controlled by the display technology and colors used in an image. Luckily, LED displays are known to reach high brightness levels. What’s in for you is to ensure you are choosing bright colors for your content.
Animation and motion
Static content on an LED wall is not as effective. Therefore, if you are looking for high engagement, add motion and animation elements. This is irrespective of the type of content. If you are displaying images, add a transition to switch between images.
Animated content is striking. It evokes a sense of wonder and admiration. Do not limit animation to entertainment content. This means you can apply animation to the advertisement, among other types of content.
How to manage LED wall content
Like all business assets, you need to have a way to manage LED content. The management practice you adopt will depend on your content as well as structure. If you have a media department, it is supposed to be responsible for this management.
Managing content entails several things. Here are some of the common ways in which LED wall content can be managed.
Scheduling content
Day-parting is a common technique used to get the best out of digital billboards. It involves scheduling content to be shown depending on the time of day, week, or month. In other words, specific content will be displayed at a specific time.
This scheduling is a management technique that helps reduce the strain that comes with deciding what content to display. It also provides an efficient way of handling the different types of content that are available at your disposal. Without a schedule, you will struggle with a lot of things, including garnering engagement.
Updating content
Without planning on how often to make changes to content, you will lag behind. This kills the productivity of the content creators while also reducing engagement. Prospect and your audience in general want to see fresh content.
Updating content will ensure that the content tools, resources, and talent are utilized correctly for maximum productivity.
Content storage
Content that is ready for display or archiving needs to be stored properly. This means the storage storage has to be reliable, sufficient, and safe. You need to decide whether on-site or off-site storage works for your business.
Nowadays, cloud storage solutions are highly reliable and secure. There are companies offering subscription models for cloud storage. They include Amazon, Google, Dropbox, etc. You can opt for these storage solutions for these reasons.
Conclusion
Creating content for your LED wall does not have to be an intimidating task as demonstrated in this article. You just need to learn how to do it by following the right guidelines. With the right approach, you will be able to create content that helps you educate, inspire, entertain, and inform your target audience.
