Interactive Content is the future of marketing. Either take advantage of it now, or get surpassed by those who do. Interactive Content can be defined as any user experience that has an interactive element and allows people to participate in the content. At Just Media, we believe that it’s a more efficient way to deliver content to people – on their terms. It will help your readers stay longer, remember your brand, and continue to come back for more. With marketers being tasked to deliver even more content, despite all the content that already exists, we need to be asking ourselves – how will content affect our bottom line?
Our main objective as content marketers is to reach people who care about what we have to say. Once we earn someone’s attention, we owe it to them to deliver an unforgettable experience. That means going beyond simply knowing your audience and creating content that is helpful and applicable, but also making it a compelling and desirable way for them to interact with you – in real time. As such, Interactive Content bridges the gap between helping us truly understand what our readers care about and delivering a dynamic and intriguing experience that drives your business forward.
By focusing on delivering exceptional customer experiences, brands are rewarded with data that can be leveraged to drive sales. Take a tourism company like Orbitz, for example. Embedding a quiz on a landing page provides the marketer with insight into the user’s travel habits and specifically where they’re likely to travel next based on the their “answers.” Marketers then have the opportunity to retarget users with messaging that’s aligned with their current interests.
While developing interactive content can be intensive and requires content creators to become content marketers, the ROI can be huge. Let’s walk through a few reasons why interactive content is “worth it” for b2b marketers:
- You get to know your audience inside and out
Instead of delivering content to your audience and hoping they will engage by commenting or sharing on their social channels, interactive content provides an opportunity for you to pick your audience’s brain in real time. It allows consumers to choose the content they are most interested in, which provides an opportunity for you to know which content your audience cares most about. Let’s get away from the traditional one-way street with content marketing.
- Interact with your audience and get results
We can no longer just rely on wit. Even the snappiest ad copy can be overlooked while scrolling through a highly populated newsfeed. Interactive blog posts help ensure that your reader is not only engaging but participating in your overall experience. The biggest advantage of visual content is that it sends a message that can be comprehended by the audience in less than 8 seconds – the average human attention span.
- Applying analytics to overall content strategy
What does your lead conversion rate look like on a landing page? While we are consistently analyzing concrete insights into our overall digital marketing strategy, interactive content engages the viewer, which helps us gain insight into what’s actually resonating with our audience. Applying analytics will require discipline, a secondary focus on conversion rate, and will empower marketers to engage, convert and profile higher quality leads.
- Spark new ways to deliver your content
Let’s be honest, sometimes it can get a bit repetitive and bland when we are regurgitating our ideas and products over and over again to our audience. Interactive content allows us to reimagine our brands story and provides the creative freedom that can help us discover new ways to connect with our readers. New stories will spark that will help us effectively communicate and achieve our objectives in real time.
From quizzes, eBooks and whitepapers to landing pages, assessments and infographics – Here are a few examples of how you can spice up your content:
(photo credit: Orbitz for Business via Ion Interactive)
(photo credit: Northstar Travel via Ion Interactive)
(Photo credit: Sears via Ion Interactive)
Interactive content is on the rise in 2016 and, at Just Media, we love it. 81% of people agree that interactive content grabs attention more effectively than static content, 79% agree that interactive content enhances retention of brand messaging and 79% agree that interactive content results in repeat visitors and multiple exposures. As the content marketing trend continues, new and creative ways of reaching your audience is required. Your readers will begin to expect more creative and special experiences, not just well written articles. As marketers it is our duty to stay ahead of the game and provide our audiences with the newest and easiest experiences. After spending years inundating people with content for content’s sake, we owe them more. The next evolution in brand communication will be a shift toward interactive marketing. It’s time to humanize our brands, and explore the power of dynamic storytelling.
Have you tried interactive content? Tell us your experience in the comments.
J A N A Y L A M P K I N
Social Content Manager
Sources:
http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2016/07/interactive-content-research/
http://www.business2community.com/digital-marketing/4-digital-marketing-trends-every-b2b-enterprise-watch-01575151#We0GZuIbsUrvFG54.97
https://www.ceros.com/blog/interactive-content-5-key-benefits-for-b2b-marketing/
http://www.snapapp.com/blog/3-surprising-benefits-interactive-content
