Engage Your Audience With Interactive Content

The moon is 238,900 miles from the earth. If you read that in a white paper, you’d gloss over the impact of how far that distance is. However, if an interactive graphic visualized that distance, you’d walk away impressed. Before we dive into what interactive content is and how it can drive business revenue, let’s first define what interactive content is. According to ion interactive, it’s content where the audience participates actively instead of passively. This active participation is critical to engaging your users and creating assets that can convert.

eMarketer reports that 60% of marketers create at least one piece of content per day, and it’s no surprise that content is on the rise. The fact of the matter is people online crave good content. If your target audience can be actively engaged in quality content, then the likelihood they’ll convert rises. LinkedIn reports that interactive content results in 4–5x more pageviews than static content. These pageviews create more leads at the top of the funnel, which can help drive sales.

Choose the right content

Interactive content can be presented in a variety of formats and layouts. These include, but are not limited to:

• Quizzes
• Assessments
• Calculators
• E-books
• Infographics
• Landing pages

With quizzes and assessments, you can ask your user base specific questions to qualify them for a personalized nurture track, landing page, or offer. With interactive e-books and infographics, you have a chance to tell a story and educate the reader about what you’re offering them and how your offer differs from the competition. Interactive assets also expand your brand. By using your organization’s fonts, colors, and design aesthetic, you can create an exemplary asset that will only serve to strengthen your brand as you promote it online.

Guide the story

The great thing about interactive content over passive content is it allows the user to guide the story being told. Consequently, the user has a deeper connection with the content, and their feedback becomes an invaluable resource that you can use to better inform your messaging and strategy.

Generally speaking, people have short attention spans. You need content that will catch the eye and educate the reader quickly. Assessments and calculators are great ways to pace the reader and guide them to an answer while also educating them about your company. They can also help you gather data. According to Inc., knowing demographic data alone doesn’t get business results. However, by collecting psychographic data with an interactive asset, you get information straight from the user’s fingertips. You don’t have to make guesses or infer information about them. Then armed with this data about your users, you can create a more personalized marketing approach.

Interactive content also allows you to extend the life of your existing content. If you’ve sunk a great deal of time and investment into building white papers or e-books, turning them into active online experiences will breathe new life into those assets and allow you to recycle your static content in new and exciting ways.

Make a lasting impression

According to the same Inc. article, when users are engaged, they’re “4x more likely to appreciate branded messaging and 7x more likely to claim offers from a brand.” Ion interactive also states that 88% of marketers believe their interactive content helps them differentiate themselves. With stats like this, it’s not hard to say that interactive content works. With platforms like ion interactive and SnapApp offering quick start tools and templates, an organization can get an interactive campaign up and running in days, not weeks. And you don’t have to break the bank to do it.

Related Articles:

• Write Copy That Actually Connects With Your Audience
• Why Storytelling Is a Must in Marketing
• How to Get the Most Value From Your Key Marketing Assets