The Beginner’s Guide to Interactive Content
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Give ‘Em What They Want
In this age of digital overload, consumers are looking for something that stands out from the crowd. Over half are looking for short, sweet, engaging content that won’t cut into their busy day, but will stick with them long after they’ve logged off. They want tweetable, snap-able, shareable content that excites their friends and coworkers. Fortunately for you, all of this can be found in one tool: interactive content.
So What Is Interactive Content, Anyway?
Yesterday, your co-worker sent you a link to a Buzzfeed quiz with the title “Which Sex and the City Character Are You?”. Earlier today, you used an online calculator to determine if you should refinance your mortgage. Tomorrow, your fantasy football league will update their clickable bracket with the latest stats. All of these are examples of interactive content! Interactive content is simple: it is anything, whether fun, humorous, or informative, that engages with the viewer by requiring them to take some action to uncover information. Anything that is clickable or watchable is interactive (bonus points if it’s both!).
What’s In It For Me?
Simply put, interactive content increases engagement, which in turn increases loyalty.
81% of marketers agree that interactive content is more effective in grabbing attention, and 79% of that same group believe that combining it with traditional content strengthens their marketing efforts. Visual content has a much higher likelihood of being viewed and shared, and interactive content can engage users’ attention for longer than the typical static ad, whitepaper, or blog. Interactive content also differentiates you from your competition, and cuts through content fatigue.
And What’s In it For My Recipients?
Consumers want to be entertained, not aggressively sold to. Interactive content stands out, whether it’s delivered to your customers in their email inbox, their social feed or on their mobile device. Even better, interactive content is inherently shareable, which means it provides your customers value in the form of a social post to push to their friends, coworkers or family. The conjunction of these two qualities makes interactive content an amazing tool for increasing brand awareness and customer loyalty.
How Do I Get Started?
There are many forms that interactive content can take. Below are a few examples, but remember, this is not an exhaustive list. The only limits here are your creativity and technology!
Gifs
Quizzes
Infographics
Video
Reveal Marketing
(Click to Peel)
Also, Other Things Like:
Wrap It Up For Me!
Scott Brinker, from ion interactive, put it best when he said,
“By its very nature, interactive content engages participants in an activity: answering questions, making choices, exploring scenarios. It’s a great way to capture attention right from the start. Individuals have to think and respond; they can’t just snooze through it.” [Click to Tweet] (From a guest post on Copyblogger.)
In short, interactive marketing can increase engagement, conversion, and dwell time on your content. More than that, it’s one of the most effective tools for increasing brand awareness and growing customer loyalty, as requiring them the interact with your content increases their perceived value of your communications. All of these benefits add up to more and better leads, and ultimately more sales for you!
Have you used interactive marketing before? Let us know in the comments!
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