Shop.org, the online arm of the National Retail Federation, has shared recommendations with their audience in an "Open Letter to Retail CEOs." Their recommendations are on the subject of talent mix. Shop.org recommends that retailers hire/promote based on digital competencies and experience. With digital playing a large role in the future of retail, Shop.org recommends retailers give strong credence to digital talents and creating a digitally focused culture.

What does this have to do with the self service industry, digital signage, and kiosk technology? In-store opportunities to integrate digital technology, websites, and electronic advertisements abound when utilizing kiosks. If retailers hire the right "talent mix," retail marketers will find opportunities to leverage the work they are doing against both offline and online mediums. If retailers integrate, incorporate and leverage digital marketing team members by promoting and hiring for those competencies, digital signage, kiosks and self-service technologies will be a clear path to increase ROI and brand awareness by optimizing the value of a brick and mortar visit.

Here are some of the talent hiring tips outlined by Shop.org:

1. Promote from within, those with digital marketing talent and skills. Build Digital Marketing Advocates in each department.

2. Recruit digital talent from outside of the retail industry and teach them retail.

Self-service and digital signage in a digitally fluent organization

Additionally, Shop.org recommends that retailers create "a digitally fluent organization." Make this a priority. To that end, those of us who are "digitally fluent" and who know digital marketing should be offering training for the retail sector. While digital marketing is clearly not limited to digital signage, self-service technologies and kiosk deployments, it is integral to our industry.  We should provide retailers a clear map from brick and mortar to digital marketing applications by way of kiosks and digital signage.

What other industries could benefit from digital marketing training and education? Where can we best share our knowledge in a way that makes it clear that self-service technologies are the natural bridge between offline and online marketing efforts? We need to make sure that retailers are aware that the self-service industry is where website, social and mobile experiences meet print media and traditional brand messaging. Maximizing their ROI and their digital marketing efforts via kiosks and digital signage will be an obvious extension of marketing efforts, particularly to those that are investing in a culture and hiring practice that focuses on "digital."