Branded TV Like Gas Stations Have

Have you seen the TVs above the pump at your local gas station? Wonder how that unique quick-hitting network came to be?

Digital Signage at The Pump

Gas stations utilize custom TV software to deliver programming and digital signage to customers as they wait. Whether you have a gas station, retail store, restaurant, car dealership or office, you too can benefit from having a customized TV network in your business.

While most of the gas station tv networks are owned by closed groups and ad-supported, you can create your own TV network and generate additional revenue for your own business by using custom tv platforms like It’s Relevant TV.

Longer Short-Form Content

If your customers are in your business for more than a minute or two, you’re going to want content that’s longer than what you typically see on Gas Station TV Platforms. Most gas stations have content ranging from 10-30 seconds in length, and often repeat their content every few minutes. Businesses benefit more from displaying content that is longer, and that doesn’t repeat so often.

Create Your Own Ad Network

Once you have a custom TV network in place at your business you can take full advantage of it by forming your own ad network. TV networks, billboard companies, newspapers and more have made a fortune off of ads they’ve sold over the years. So why not you? You can use the same principles that television networks have used for years to generate additional revenue for your business regardless of what industry you are in. With something like It’s Relevant TV or Rele.TV you can make your own Ad Network and keep all of the profits!

Top Waiting Room Digital Signage Systems: Finding the Best

We all know that a good waiting experience can lead to a great visitor experience. And great visitor experience is the surefire way to get incredible online reviews. So, what are you doing to make the experience great?

The Best Customer Experience

Your visitors’ experiences begin in your waiting room, and what you have in the waiting room can influence patient/customer mindset for their entire visit. If you stumbled upon this article through an online search, you probably already had it in your mind to employ a digital signage system. Digital signage is exactly what it sounds like; a sign that displays on a digital screen instead of being a static print.

Digital signage systems use televisions to display your messages, text, images and even videos for your videos to see. But not all systems are created equal. In fact, most of them are known to create a repetitive experience that leaves a negative impression on your guests.

People enjoy watching TV. The vast majority of Americans spend multiple hours a week in front of their TVs, because they want to watch. But even though digital signage is seen on TV, it’s not TV. At least, not the TV people would look forward to watching.

When’s the last time you said, “I’m going to go sit down and watch a sign”?

Probably never.

So why would you force your visitors to watch a sign as they wait? Especially when they are forming their opinions about their experience from the moment they walk in.

“Oh, well our patients barely even wait, they are only there for a few minutes”
We’ve heard that one a lot. But even if everything goes perfectly and your patients are only waiting just a few minutes, why not give them the best experience possible? 3-minutes of enjoyment certainly beats 3-minutes of boredom.

This is why we recommend looking at Custom TV over Digital Signage. Custom TV can integrate all of the things you wanted to get out of Digital Signage, and more, while keeping TV on the TV.

Custom TV for Businesses, Offices, and Waiting Areas

The pioneers of Custom TV can be found at a company called It’s Relevant TV. Based just outside of New York City, It’s Relevant licensed top television programs and effortlessly combines them with your own messaging, images and videos. It gives your visitors the best of both worlds; the ability to see and understand what you want them to, while having a positive experience from the start with great programming they will enjoy. They even have self-install kits that make it easy to transform your TV without any advanced technical knowledge.

Retail Digital Signage: What Can You Do With The TV In Your Store?

As technology grows, more and more business owners are exploring their options when it comes to retail digital signage. Nowadays, it isn’t uncommon to see TVs in clothing stores, furniture outlets, and shopping centers; wherever people tend to gather, you can usually count on a TV screen being close by — that’s because TVs are eye-catching, and strangely comforting. Forward-thinking business owners using that to their advantage and building retail TV networks for their stores. This article takes a closer look at the technology that is taking retail digital signage to a whole new level.

Retail Digital Signage: How Effective is it?

The average adult is believed to watch about 4 hours of TV a day. That’s a lot of screen time. But because of that, human beings are naturally drawn to colorful, moving, or otherwise animated displays. Often when we see a TV, our guard is lowered — if only for the sake of seeing what’s on, and choosing whether or not to keep watching. Unlike banners or traditional paper signage, digital signage is bold and inviting. People notice it more, for obvious reasons, and all it takes is a properly-placed TV to host it.

How do you Get Customers to Engage with What’s on Your TV?

Getting customers to notice the TV and watch the TV are two very different things. That brief window of opportunity when they notice the TV and are choosing whether or not to keep watching is the golden moment. What determines their choice usually relies on a few factors:

1.) What’s on the TV? Obviously, this is the most important part. “Digital signage” users tend to just show ads that showcase sales, or reminders for customers to sign up for X or become a member of Y. This is smart, and it’s a great way to utilize the TV, but if all you’re showing is JUST marketing messages, your customers will see it as “just another ad” and tune it out. However, the solution to this is easy; instead of using digital signage, create a custom TV network. A custom TV network will mix in fun and entertaining videos with your marketing messages and your customers will be MUCH more receptive to your ads.

2.) Where is the TV on display? Second to what’s on the TV is where you choose to put it. Is it hanging on a crossroads pillar between sections? Is it part of a living room set acting as the TV? Or is it above the checkout for customers to see while waiting in line? All of these are great. You want it to be in a place that customers can consume what they are watching for more than a few seconds before feeling they are obligated to move.

3.) How are your customers feeling? This one is slightly more difficult to account for, but what’s going on inside a customer’s head plays a big part in whether or not they’re receptive to your messaging. Are they upset? Annoyed? Or bored? A captive audience doesn’t mean that they’re appreciative of your ads. Echoing point #1, mixing in content that might uplift a customer’s mood or alleviate their boredom can go a long way towards improving visitor experience, which improves your chance of making an extra sale.

The Best way to Utilize Retail Digital Signage

You might have gathered that the best way to use retail digital signage is by combining your marketing messages with content that your customers will enjoy watching. Not just any content; you want content that is fun, interesting, and not-necessarily related to your brand, but will put your visitors in a purchasing mindset. Ideally, you also want that content to be on the short-side, since your customers are mostly lingering and waiting. You want videos that anyone can start/stop watching at any time, and are short enough that people are more likely to see something that interests them.

Shorter Videos = More Variety.

Accomplishing this through retail digital signage alone is nearly impossible, that’s where a retail TV network comes in handy. A retail TV network combines the best aspects of digital signage + television; bringing them together in a unique and effective way. Imagine your digital signage board being part ad, and part TV; with occasional ads playing in between or next to engaging videos. That’s how It’s Relevant TV approaches retail TV networks.

The Best Retail TV Network is It’s Relevant TV

It’s Relevant TV licenses over half-a-million short-form videos spread across 40+ customer-favorite categories. As a store owner, you don’t need to being anything to the table except for your own goals and aspirations. It’s Relevant TV allows you to easily create marketing messages — which you can upload into the system and have play alongside countless entertaining videos. The technology is fully-automated, meaning that you can set-it and forget-it knowing that your TVs are delivering a mix of ads + interesting content. Additionally, It’s Relevant can be used to promote your social media, or barter ad space to other local businesses in order to generate even more revenue.

IRTV is the most feature-rich custom TV network on the market. Chat with the television experts at itsrelevant.com and get an online Zoom demo to learn more.

Free Waiting Room TV Service | Businesses & Medical Offices

Looking for free waiting room TV service for your business or medical office? Cutting cable in favor of waiting room TV software is a step in the right direction; but settling on one of the self-proclaimed “free” TV services is just as bad, if not worse, than what you just got rid of. If you take anything away from this article, let it be not to fall for “free.” You always get what you pay for. Certain waiting room TV services, like this one, are as close to free as you’ll get; with features that make it worthwhile, and tools to even offset the cost.

If you’re paying $0/month for waiting room television, it shouldn’t be because it’s costing you $0/month. It should be because it’s generating enough revenue to cover the monthly cost.

Why is a Free Waiting Room TV Service a Bad Idea?

When something is advertised as “free,” it generally means that it isn’t costing you any money. However, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t costing you something else. Free is good when that free thing is complimentary, or a bonus; a thank-you for choosing X, Y or Z, with the hopes of leaving a good first impression. When that free thing is a TV service, or a brand-new television; or both, chances are that provider is taking advantage of you in some way.

How can you tell if you’re being taken advantage of?

If something is too good to be true, more often than not that’s usually the case. A free TV + content that you pay 0$/month for? It might seem like a win-win, but beneath the surface there’s something disingenuous going on. There’s no two ways of looking at it — whether you’re a restaurant, a gym, salon, dentist, or even a hospital, you have something these service providers want; a captivated audience.

Day-in and day-out, you’ve got visitors coming in and waiting — sometimes for 10, 15, or even 30 minutes. That’s a long time, and that’s precisely what these providers are looking for; to turn your TV into an electronic billboard. For who? Themselves, and their happy advertisers. They might throw you a bone and give you the ability to upload your own ads on the side, but not without your messages competing for the spotlight.

If you thought commercials were bad…

Try endless looping commercials for drugs, treatments, or nonsense-conditions that you or your doctors don’t endorse; it’s on your TV, visitors will associate it with your brand, and nothing short of turning it off will stop to it.

Recommended Read: “Top 5 Reasons a Free TV Service is Bad for Medical Offices

An Alternative to Free Waiting Room TV Software that’s still Free, and 100% Safe

One of the downsides of a free waiting room TV service, as described above, is that fact that someone else is reaping all of the benefits while you’re stuck with their ads playing on your TV. But what if that “someone else” was someone you chose to instead? Someone you trust, or a non-competing brand that your business supports.

It’s Relevant TV, a company that provides custom TV networks to businesses, is unique in that it offers shoppers a $0/month Sponsor-Supported package in which you choose a trusted company, organization, or fellow business owner to cover the cost of your monthly subscription. In exchange, they get to feature their brand and messaging on your TV in a way that is mutual, non-intrusive, and most-importantly; safe for your business.

Check to see if there are any local businesses that you can partner with!

Choosing a brand that pairs well with your business, who has your best interests at heart, is a lot better than letting someone you don’t know; who you’ve never heard of, profit off of your business’ TV. Partnerships are, and always will be, a great marketing strategy.

A Safer Way to Shop for Waiting Room TV Software

The best way make sure that you’re getting a TV system that’s built to serve your brand is to consult with someone in the industry itself. The TV experts at ItsRelevant.com are there answer any questions you might have about what to look for when it comes to waiting room TV technology. Schedule a call with them, or ask to arrange a demo if you’re serious about a custom TV network.

If anyone should be making money off of the TV in your business or medical office, it’s you, or a partnered brand. Your TV, your space, and your visitors are extraordinarily valuble to these advertising companies; so much so that these “free TV services” are able to deal out free TVs and iPads like playing cards. The cost of that technology is nothing compared to what they’re making off of you.

The Best Digital Signage App For Your Business | It’s Relevant TV

Looking for a dynamic way of communicating with your visitors? Look no further than your TV! The market is FULL of digital signage apps, promising so many things that it can get a bit overwhelming! Most often for “FREE” — don’t fall for it! This article is about pushing all of those options aside and presenting you with the best digital signage software on the market. The solution that’s the best is the best because it’s not just digital signage. It’s called It’s Relevant TV, and we’re going to delve into why it’s the best business TV service.

What makes the Best Digital Signage App the “Best?”

The features. The measure of a good signage app is what it brings to the table; specifically what it does for your visitors, and what it does for your business as a whole. It’s Relevant TV is the best because of how closely it resembles cable TV, and how it doubles as an effective marketing tool.

In short? It’s TV designed specifically for businesses.

It comes with none of the things you hate about cable. Viewers feels like they’re watching real-live television when they watch It’s Relevant TV. Pairing your messaging with entertaining content ensures that your message is not only noticed, but it has a higher chance of being well-received.

Content is key. A digital “sign” or “message board” isn’t enough if you’re really going for results; which is all that a lot of these “free digital signage apps” are offering.

FACT: People are more receptive towards marketing messages when they’re in a good mood.

Nothing puts people in a good mood quite like entertaining videos. It’s Relevant TV’s media library contains over half-a-million videos, which are organized into about 50 categories you can pick and choose from; you won’t find a business TV service with more diverse, and entertaining content.

How does a Digital Signage App Improve your Business Itself?

The most basic way is by empowering you to deliver important messaging to your visitors via the TV. That’s where most of these free digital signage apps stop — but it’s like you just read; that messaging just isn’t effective unless it’s paired with something that gets your audience to look at the TV in the first place. In the case of It’s Relevant, the service comes with features designed to do more than just communicate with your visitors.

It’s has features designed to encourage engagement, and help move your business forward.

Features like real-time social media integration,  allows you to display your most recent Facebook Twitter, or Instagram posts directly on the TV by connecting your accounts to the system. The technology is 100% safe, with visitors only seeing posts made by you or your staff. When it comes to generating more followers on social media, you couldn’t ask for a better marketing tool from a business TV service.

TV services should offer more, not just the bare minimum.

Finding the Best Digital Signage App for your Business

There is no all-around “best” TV software for businesses; there’s only your business, and your business’ specific needs. If you’re serious about finding the signage app that’s right for you, it’s important to do your research. Too many business owners get locked into long contracts before realizing the TV software they chose isn’t what they thought it was, or that it came with a catch.

Schedule a demo, request a call, or chat with representatives before making a decision.

The mark of a good service provider is one who’s happy to accommodate all of the above. You want to pick a provider that is there to work with you. You want someone who is available to chat with, answer questions, and set up meetings to show you the technology firsthand. Digital signage apps can really help grow your business if you partner with the right provider.

Best Waiting Room TV Software for Medical Offices

Looking for the best waiting room TV software for your medical office? The trick isn’t finding the self-proclaimed “best” TV software that’s out there; it’s creating an experience that is truly the best fit for you, your patients, and your medical office. This article will outline the most important features you should be looking for in your medical office TV and signage.

What Makes the Best Waiting Room TV Software, the “Best?”

The most effective waiting room TV software is one that is tailored to your own unique waiting room environment. How do you know if the TV software you’re currently looking at is the best for you? First, you have to identify what you’re No-Stale-Contenthoping to get out of it. But generally speaking, you want something that is entertaining and engaging. You want your waiting room television to be aesthetically pleasing and brand-tailored – with the ability to upload your own personal videos and messaging. Equally as important is a TV solution that is cost-effective, and easy-to-manage. These are the top 5 things to keep in mind when looking for the best TV display software for your medical office.

However, knowing what to look for is only half the battle; finding all of these features in one single TV package is next. Which, actually, isn’t that difficult – because one solution: It’s Relevant TV, has all of the features listed above, and more.

It’s Relevant TV Features Entertaining & Engaging Content

It’s Relevant TV features the world’s largest library of licensed content, giving users access to over half-a-million videos for visitors to enjoy. Each piece of content is screened by live human beings to ensure that everything is family-friendly, and nothing unsettling or inappropriate ever plays on your TV.

It’s Relevant is not a playlist.

No-Repeating-ContentOther digital TV software providers will try to pass off things like a 10-minute, 30-minute, 1-hour, 3-hour, or 5-hour loop of videos as “premium TV content” – It’s Relevant TV doesn’t loop. It streams new videos every hour from a list of 40+ categories you pick and choose from. Categories like Cooking, Sports, Automotive, News, and even Trivia. Additionally, the whole system is fully customizable, with the ability to upload your own personal messaging on the side, during, or in between content.

It’s Relevant TV is Easy-to-Watch

A number of waiting room TV software solutions try to cram too much onto the screen at once. As useful as the information you may be putting on the screen is, it doesn’t have to be visible 100% of the time. Having too much promotional or “educational” content in a row is actually a turn off to most visitors. It can also get out of hand fast and make the TV look like a gimmicky widget- almost as if you were showing a website instead of a TV channel. That might work for a menuboard at a restaurant that is only seen for a minute, but not a medical office where visitors are spending 3+ minutes.

No-WebsiteIt’s Relevant TV is not website for your TV, nor is it a collection of widgets.

IRTV is structured in such a way that it’s modest, nice-looking, and easy on the eyes. Most importantly, it’s designed so that visitors notice what matters; the messaging. Whether it’s videos that you upload, image-ads on the side, or text scrolling throughout, It’s Relevant is all about making your messaging effective. It delivers things like news headlines and the weather – but in a way that doesn’t overstimulate your viewers or give them a headache. Never forget that a little goes a long way.

It’s Relevant TV is Tailored to your Brand

It’s Relevant is a custom TV network that works for your brand. Your logo, your videos, and your messaging can all be uploaded into the system and featured on the TV. Whether you want the TV to play exclusively your branded-content, or you want a mix of personal + IRTV content; you’re the boss.

In the case of medical offices, when you mix medical content, personal videos, or educational segments with It’s Relevant’s fun and interesting content, visitors will stay tuned longer and be more receptive to your messaging.

It’s Relevant TV is Cost-Effective

FREE WAITING ROOM TV SOFTWARE!

There’s no red flag bigger than a waiting room TV service that’s advertised as free. Nothing’s free – except food samples at Costco (actually those aren’t free either as you have to pay a membership to get in). If you’re interested in a good reason as to why a free TV service is a bad idea, the following article will give you 5; Top 5 Reasons a Free TV Service is Bad for your Medical Practice.In short, you get what you pay for.

While It’s Relevant TV is not “free,” it often times costs less than cable and is designed to generate additional revenue for your practice. It’s designed to fit your marketing budget, and make those marketing dollars count. Whether you’re a hospital, urgent care, dentist office, or a medical specialist; every little bit helps, and It’s Relevant’s ROI helps offset the cost.

It’s Relevant TV is Easy-to-Manage

It’s Relevant TV couldn’t be easier to control. Users are able to adjust settings, upload videos, and manage all of their content from anywhere with virtually any internet-connected computer, tablet or smartphone. The It’s Relevant iOS app for iPhone and iPad provides a straightforward way to make changes to individual, or multiple TVs at once; across multiple locations. The convenience of being able to make changes from anywhere, at any time, with such ease, is a breath of fresh air for users who aren’t so tech-savvy.

If you still own a flip phone and don’t like interacting with technology yourself, It’s Relevant TV includes a Client Success Manager at no additional charge with every subscription plan. This person is available to make changes for you, and even help with graphic design and strategies for getting the most out of your TV.

It’s Relevant TV is the Best Fit for Waiting Rooms

It’s Relevant is a fully-customizable TV network which combines the best aspects of television and digital signage. It provides medical offices across the country with safe, family-friendly content that visitors actually enjoy watching, and mixes that content with your own branded videos and promotions.

Could It’s Relevant work for your waiting room? Visit itsrelevant.com or schedule a demo if you have questions or would like to know more.

 

iOS 11 Hidden Feature That Will Help Your Business (iPhone/iPad)

With Apple’s release of iOS 11 on Tuesday September 19, 2017 many new features have been introduced to the iPhone and iPad. Most of these features matter mostly to consumers, not to business owners. But there is one feature in particular that businesses should take advantage of.

QR Code Scanning on the iPhone

Apple has made it easier than ever for consumers to scan QR codes while they are out and about. What are QR Codes? They are a lot like barcodes in that they are quick to scan from a compatible device but they are used in much more of an interactive way. QR codes have been used for about a decade now to bring users to web sites while out and about. They are really big in Asia, but never really took off here in the U.S.

What’s different now?

You used to need a dedicated app to scan a QR code on your iPhone. The problem has always been that once you saw a QR codeyou wanted to scan you had to fumble through your apps, find the QR scanning one, wait for it to load and then shoot the code. This long process made it hard to use QR codes in dynamic ways. Now Apple has built the technology into their standard Camera App. The Camera App remains one of the easiest to access apps on the phone, available right from the lock screen.

What are the opportunities for businesses?

Getting customers to access your websites while in your retail locations, or through ads in remote locations are a great way to grow your business. Once users access a link through a QR code, they can fill out a survey, join a loyalty club or even purchase a product that’s not available in the store.

iOS 11 QR Code Scanning App
QR Code Editing Tool inside of It’s Relevant TV

Make the most of this update with It’s Relevant TV

As you’ll see in the video below, It’s Relevant TV has a QR code generator built right into their free iPhone/iPad app. You can design, edit and upload interactive ads right from your phone to all of your business TVs using the service. IRTV puts these QR codes in a place that your customers can see and interact them. Customer awareness will be key to your success.

There is really no quicker way to easily build active links into your business signage. We hope that you’ll take advantage this great technology that is surely to gain usage in the months to come!

If you have questions or want to chat about ways to make this technology work for you, please reach out to us.

An Apple TV App for Businesses (tvOS)

Transforming the TV in Your Business

Up until now there have been very few options for using a TV in a business location.  Turning on cable TV results in a lot of doom and gloom news stories and unpredictable content.  Even worse for your business, cable TV delivers countless competitive ads that draw customers away.  Some businesses have tried using their televisions as digital signs. But plain old digital signage is BORING and often ignored. Some pre-programmed video packages are available also, but those bring a repetitive loop that can frustrate customers.  Finally, there is a solution! It’s Relevant TV takes a fresh approach to help you take control of your TV.

For a business, the true power of television is the combination of interesting content and well-placed advertisements, and It’s Relevant TV puts that power within reach of every business owner.  From local retailers, medical offices, restaurants, and salons to sports arenas, theaters, hotels and car dealerships, the custom channels work uniquely for each and every location.

Apple TV App (tvOS) Hand Remote
It’s Relevant for Apple TV (tvOS)

Apple TV (4th Generation)

It’s Relevant TV for tvOS brings the power of the company’s custom TV networks to any owner of a 4th generation Apple TV device. The service combines the best aspects of television, social media and digital promotions.  In addition, the service allows business owners to control them all from their computer, tablet, or smartphone.  It offers greater control than any other TV product available today.

Television Content, Social Media, Competitive Ad Block®

Businesses choose the types of content they want to display to their visitors from a vast library of licensed content.  They can also upload their own messaging, images, and videos to show.  In addition, they can decide which social media updates to display from their own accounts, and It’s Relevant TV does the rest.  It’s Relevant TV automatically delivers fresh video content throughout the day, updating the promotions and social media as each business makes changes in their account.  Businesses are also excited about what It’s Relevant TV blocks from the broadcast: competitive ads. With Competitive Ad Block® from It’s Relevant TV, all advertisements from competing businesses are blocked from reaching the screen.

Get Started

All you need is the free application from the iTunes TVOS store, and an access code from It’s Relevant TV.  Search “it’s relevant tv” on your Apple TV) to download the app.  If you don’t already have an access code please email support@itsrelevant.com to get one.

Today is the day you will make your TV worth something. We look forward to providing you with the tools to make it happen.