Interactive Content — New Era of Content Marketing
How often do you read the entire content of the websites that you visit every day?
No doubt every marketer would agree to the phrase that “content is king”, however, today, in the age of social media, technology convergence, and the ever-growing social user base, it is evident that the plain, conventional content is simply no longer enough.
Introducing interactive content, a vital piece of marketing tool in the future, thanks to its impressive, visible features that encourage interaction from whoever consumes the content. Interactive content facilitates a better interaction between content creators and their audience.
“Content that requires the participants’ active engagement, more than simply reading or watching. In return for that engagement, participants receive real-time, hyper-relevant results they care about.” — SnapApp
But why interactive content?
It’s no secret that people in search of information navigate across several websites daily, but unfortunately, they give their full attention to only a few sites. Digital users’ attention spans are extremely limited, which gives marketers mere seconds to hook their potential prospects. That is why interactive content marketing has a better chance to help businesses to get distinction in the market, especially among their competitors.
Reasons to Use Interactive Content
Interactive content is a crucial element of marketing in the future because it outlines the user experience and has the power to turn engagement into the actual conversations.
One of the best benefits of interactive content is its ability to capture the attention of online audiences almost instantaneously. Creative CTA texts/buttons combined with interactive content have a higher probability to persuade users to make quick decisions that are beneficial to your business. Moreover, if the interactive content published on your site is useful and informative, it can easily drive traffic and enhance your online presence.
Furthermore, interactive content puts a strong emphasis on user experience. With the number of content released out there on the internet, content marketing is becoming less about the words you put on a page, but more about the experiences you create for the consumers. Interactive content can boost higher engagement because it gives people more value and better experience and therefore, they are more inclined to share the experience online.
Lastly, interactive content gives you a better chance to boost your brand credibility. Unlike ordinary content, interactive content has a greater chance of being liked and shared by consumers. Thus, it helps to develop brand loyalty because people will see you as an expert in your particular niche.
Examples of Interactive Content
Now that you understand why you need interactive content, let’s take a look at some of the different types of interactive content.
1. Product Recommender
Product recommender is one of the most effective interactive content to help you engage with your customers and boost conversions, especially if you’re an e-commerce brand.
When users are asked a series of questions based on their responses that lead them to the best suitable product or service for their needs, they are directly involved in the process, making it a highly personalized and engaging experience.
2. Interactive Video
With the increase of video content today, it’s only rational for businesses to start transforming passive videos into a more interactive one. Interactive videos usually involved engaging people in the video, either with questions, polls, or clickable tags or hotspots. They are highly beneficial for understanding your audience better, segmenting and personalizing the customer experience and presenting multiple CTA options without overwhelming your viewers.
Take a look at The Guardian’s 7 Digital Deadly Sins video that totally elevates the concept of interactive video to a whole new level.
3. Interactive Infographics
Did you know that infographics are among the most shareable content?Interactive infographics are beautifully designed and can induce actions from users. If executed well, interactive infographics can bring massive traffic, backlinks and user engagement.
Check out the interactive maps by Nat Geo that creatively combines amazing and interactive visualization with storytelling.
4. Calculators
Online calculator is on the rise! Calculators are another form of interactive content that looks simple but can easily generate leads and sales. Calculators take users’ input and based on a certain formula, create an answer. No long and winding words, just pure data. The key is to leverage a trending topic while delivering high-value content.
Hubspot’s Website Grader is one of the most well-known calculators among marketers that you can check out.
5. Interactive Emails
Unlike other types of content, emails are often considered the most intimate because they are on a one-on-one basis. Adding interactive items, i.e. animation or games, to the traditional emails will only transform them further into a highly effective marketing tool to nurture the relationship with your clients.
Check out Taco Bell’s “How Fast Can You Meet Your Friends Board Game” email that smartly combined animation and gamification in one email!
Bottom Line
Interactive content is highly effective to make your content stand out from your competitors, generate revenue for your business, and recycle old information in a new way. Still, people don’t want to see yet another beautiful image online. Be creative and make your interactive content valuable and practical. Two things you have to remember are to make the content relevant to your audience and to always appeal to their emotions!
So, what other interactive content can you think of?
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