The Importance of Interactive Content
First of all, what is Interactive Content? Interactive Content is any kind of content that requires active engagement from the consumers as supposed to content that is passively consumed.
Digital marketers swear by it to create engagement with on-going customers and potential buyers, as it is much more effective than static content. Any kind of Interactive Content, even the most basic forms, will receive many more reactions than written content.
With so much information being thrown at consumers daily, it is hard to get their attention. Humans have an attention span of eight seconds – however, if they can engage with whatever you put in front of them, the attention span extends to a longer period.
The Benefits of Interactive Content
Active Engagement
Measuring the success of your marketing campaigns on the basis of website visits, time on the website or clicks is outdated. Today’s marketers use engagement as the ultimate measurement tool.
Active engagement is nothing more than the word already explains: consumers engaging with your content. And how can a consumer engage with content? If it is interactive.
Users engaging with your brand is much more important than how much time they spent on your website. Engagement means that they get involved with your brand.
Collection of Data
Even though we know, we do not like to assume it – brands collect our data. Every step you take online is registered somewhere and used for marketing purposes. The importance of data will not slow down anytime soon.
With most Interactive Content, you can collect data from the users that are engaging with the post. For example, if they participate in polls and quizzes they will give out information about themselves, maybe even their email. This is a very effective way of collecting data compared to tracing online movements. In addition, users are aware that they are giving out data.
But, why is it so important for marketers to have so much data?
The answer is easy: knowledge. In a marketing dictionary, data’s definition would simply be “knowledge”. All this information will enable you to create precise and effective marketing campaigns. Knowing what consumers want and expect from your brand gives you the ability to respond to their demands with your offers. Personalized services will satisfy more of their needs than standard services, which results in higher customer satisfaction.
Brand Loyalty
Photography and video content require minimal participation from users. This leads to a superficial relationship between consumer and brand. On the other hand, when consumers engage with your Interactive Content, they get involved with your brand, generating a deeper relationship as they feel like they are part of the process.
Interactive Content offers an immersive experience to consumers. If a consumer has a unique experience with a brand, they will leave with a positive sensation, which will most likely result in them coming back to your brand, becoming a loyal customer.
Examples for Interactive Content
Interactive Infographics
Infographics are graphic visual presentations of information or data, with the intention of displaying the results to others in a simple and clear way.
You can make your infographic interactive by adding different elements to the design. The elements can be functions like scrolling, unfolding, zooming or clicking.
Take as an example the interactive infographic of the New York skyline, made by National Geographic.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/new-york-city-skyline-tallest-midtown-manhattan/
Surveys and Polls
The difference between a survey and a poll is, that a survey has multiple questions and a poll consists of only one multiple-choice question.
Both methods can provide the brand with valuable information aka data, just like feedback on their offers, audience insights (personal data) and purchasing preferences.
Loads of brands try to make customers fill out surveys after they made a purchase or visited their website. Unfortunately, the minority takes the time to fill them out, unless it is entertaining to do so. Luckily, social media platforms offer a variety of tools to use in your posts as surveys and polls.
Do not forget, that at the end what you are trying to achieve with the Interactive Content is to create sympathy for your brand and leave a positive impression. Not all of your surveys and polls have to be about collecting data – be creative and make some fun polls.
Take Cheesecake Factory as an example. This survey on Twitter did not help their business nor their marketing strategy at all. Yet, it was funny and made loads of people engage with the brand.
Calculators
Interactive calculators are a great and simple way of providing the perfect solution or information to an enquiry.
Using an online calculator requires little effort from the user, which will make anyone happy. Making a user’s journey as easy and quick as possible is the ultimate goal.
For example, Single Grain offers a marketing impact calculator. After a couple of questions, you can find out how much money you will make with marketing:
https://www.singlegrain.com/marketing-impact-calculator/
Interactive Video
Every marketer knows the importance and effectiveness of video content. It is the easiest way to grab a consumer’s attention, as they only have to lean back and watch. Compared to images and texts, marketers have much more freedom and possibilities to transmit a message through videos.
So why not upgrade it even a bit more and make it interactive?
There are many ways on how to integrate interactive elements in a video. For example, 360° videos are very popular among nature channels. The viewer can explore every corner of the landscape from the comfort of their home. Also, some artists have been using interactive elements in their latest music videos.
If you have missed them all, we recommend you watch Major Lazer’s music video to his song “Know No Better”. You can view the video from two different perspectives: reality or dream. Just click on the video and keep switching!
https://eko.com/v/major-lazer?autoplay=true
Interactive Emails
Wild guess here: you probably delete all marketing emails you receive, don’t you? Well, that is probably because they are boring, include long texts you do not want to read and you do not feel like you are experiencing a unique interaction with the brand.
But, there is a way of making email marketing fun for the receiver: you guessed it, interactive emails.
Including interactive elements in your emails such as videos, polls, charts, scrolling, rollovers etc. will increase the click-to-open rate.
Nike has found an amazing way of adding interactive elements to their emails. Their marketing newsletter does not include much text instead, they add a picture displaying the products they are trying to promote. However, if you rollover the features on the image you receive more information about the products.
Conclusion
The marketing world is constantly evolving and adding new features to their strategies. In this fast-paced industry, it is crucial to keep up with the trends so you do not fall behind competitors. But, do not worry, traditional marketing and regular digital marketing still have its place.
However, customers appreciate interactions with brands more than unceasing information. That is why this new form of content creation can be very useful to attract and tie consumers to your brand.
Keep in mind that not all the tools will make sense for your business, but there is surely one, you can implement in your marketing strategy.
How Snob Monkey can help you…
Snob Monkey specialises in all things digital. Not only can we optimise your online social presence, but we can create high class websites using WordPress and incorporate our SEO services to boost your site in Google’s ranking. As a London digital marketing agency, Snob Monkey is at the centre of innovation, creativity and technology. From social media management to accelerate your social growth and web development to improve your organic site traffic, we can provide a wide range of services to suit your marketing desires and budget.
Written by Sandra Dominguez, Digital Marketing Intern
