Interactive content is content that encourages active participation from users (as opposed to limiting the experience to passive consumption). Interactive content is not exclusive to online media, but the internet (as well as a wide range of no-code tools) have made it easier than ever to create content that\u2019s not unilateral, but functions like a normal, human-to-human interaction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Interactive content can be an integral part of solid content marketing strategies in a number of industries and it can help you drive more engagement, leads, and loyalty from your audience and customers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about interactive content \u2014 so read on and find out more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “Interactive content makes digital marketing feel more like a conversation, rather than a monologue. When the communication doesn’t solely happen on one side, you create a sense of natural human interaction — which is, in fact, what marketing is all about. A simple quiz or an ROI calculator helps your customers envision how their life will be with your product by their side — and thus, creates interest in your brand, helps you collect leads in an ethical way, and, eventually, helps you convert more visitors into actual buyers.”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u2014 Monica Panait, Marketing Lead @123FormBuilder<\/span><\/p>\n The history of content marketing goes far behind, way before the internet or even computers were invented. For a long time, John\u2019 Deere\u2019s magazine, <\/span>The Furrow<\/span><\/i>, was considered to be the<\/span> first evidence of using content to market a business<\/span><\/a>. However, it is now more widely accepted that Benjamin Franklin\u2019s <\/span>Poor Richard Almanack<\/span><\/i>, used to promote his printing business, is one of the first records of content marketing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ever since its beginnings, and well into modern times, content marketing has faced a very important challenge: the need to account for and measure signals that come from the users.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For instance, if I write an article for a paper magazine, the only signals I can measure are the ones given by reviews other writers or readers may leave about my content.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If I write an article for an online medium, I can also see real-time interactions between my content and readers through comments, reactions, and shares.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Even so, the entire paradigm of content marketing is mostly based on consumption, rather than interaction. In itself, this is not necessarily wrong. The content marketing systems we\u2019ve created are not broken.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, interactive content can level up your content marketing game by introducing elements that allow you and your readers\/ users to interact with each other.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Here are the benefits of doing this:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In a world where the average person is bombarded with up to 10,000<\/span> brand messages per day<\/span><\/a>, it\u2019s becoming increasingly difficult to break through the noise and get people\u2019s attention.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Interactive content can help you do just that by offering potential customers an engaging experience that will make them want to learn more about your expertise and your product.<\/span><\/p>\n Interactive content is also easy to share \u2014 mostly because people are simply more likely to want to share something that they\u2019ve personally interacted with and enjoyed.<\/span><\/p>\n Because interactive content is so “catchy” and because it’s more likely for it to be shared, it can also help increase brand exposure and loyalty. People are more likely to remember your brand if they\u2019ve had a positive experience with it, and they\u2019re also more likely to have a good experience with your brand if they can actually interact with it.<\/span><\/p>\n When you offer users a chance to interact with your content, you’re also offering them a better user experience (UX). This is because you’re giving them a chance to actually engage with your brand, rather than just passively consume it. Thus, the relationship you build with your audience online feels a bit more like real-life interaction.<\/span><\/p>\n Human behavior is sometimes described as “hyper-social.” This means that, as a species, we’re wired to interact with each other. So when you create interactive content, you’re tapping right into a natural human behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n Because people are more likely to interact with such content, you will also be able to collect better quality data for every stage of the funnel. From awareness to purchase, you can use data gathered from interactive content experiences to improve your marketing lifecycle strategy and, ultimately, your bottom line.<\/span><\/p>\n Interactive content is also a great way to combine content marketing with customer experience (CX). This is because this type of content helps you create a more engaging and memorable experience for your users.<\/span><\/p>\n The benefits of interactive content don’t stop there. Engagement and time on site are also increased when users are given a chance to interact with your content. <\/span>Multiple studies<\/span><\/a> point to the fact that 81% of marketers have noticed interactive content to be more engaging than other types of content.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Because it’s so shareable and because it offers such a great UX, interactive content is also <\/span>more likely to help you generate and nurture leads.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n There\u2019s an interactive content option for virtually every type of content. However, not all interactive pieces are created alike, and they\u2019re not all meant for <\/span>all<\/span><\/i> businesses, use cases, or buyer journey stages.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Here are some of the most common types of content, as well as some interactive content types to inspire you:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe target is content that is interactive – but lazily so. You don’t want customers to have to work to participate. As humans, we love convenience and being asked questions about ourselves, so this is how we try to inspire interactivity in our content.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n We also love to use humor and GIFs, and feel this has done wonders for our <\/span><\/i>engagement.<\/span><\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u2014 Harrison Hosking, Marketing Manager @<\/span>KEAK<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Interactive content should probably not be the <\/span>only<\/span><\/i> type of content you produce. Nor should it be your go-to content type for every single campaign or initiative.<\/span><\/p>\n However, it can be a great way to break up the monotony, attract more people to your website\/ content, and help them move down the funnel\/ journey to eventually make a purchase (or perform a specific action on your website.)<\/span><\/p>\n There are many ways you can use interactive content as part of your overarching content marketing strategy. However, using the buyer’s journey basics to sprinkle your content with interactive pieces might just be the smartest way to:<\/span><\/p>\n There are three main stages of the buyer’s journey: awareness, consideration, and decision.<\/span><\/p>\n At the <\/span>awareness stage<\/b>, you will want to feed your audience with content that attracts them, makes them aware of an issue or your brand, or simply educates them in a direction of their choosing.<\/span><\/p>\n This is why some of the best interactive pieces for the awareness stage are usually comprised of <\/span>quizzes<\/span><\/a>, polls, and calculators. They’re easy, they’re attractive, and they offer instant gratification.<\/span><\/p>\n Sure, you don’t have to take the BuzzFeed path and make it ALL about silly quizzes. But a well-placed calculator or quizz can help you get in front of your target audience and make a good impression.<\/span><\/p>\n For the <\/span>consideration stage,<\/b> you will want to provide content that helps your users compare and contrast their options, consider what they need, and make a decision about whether or not to move forward in the buying process.<\/span><\/p>\n This means that some of the best interactive pieces for this stage of the buyer journey will usually be more informative in nature, such as eBooks, webinars, and resource libraries. All of these can be created in an interactive format as well, which means that although you may not want to build <\/span>all<\/span><\/i> your consideration-stage pieces as interactive ones, you could at least consider making some of them interactive.<\/span><\/p>\n Finally, for the <\/span>decision stage<\/b>, you’ll want content that helps your users make the final call and actually purchase your product.<\/span><\/p>\n This type of content should be highly targeted, and it should be focused on getting the user to take a specific action. Specific solution finders, product recommendation generations, maps, or Augmented Reality work best in this scenario. They help your potential customers figure out what exactly they need and <\/span>visualize<\/span><\/i> themselves owning it.<\/span><\/p>\n Interactive content can be created anywhere on the internet. A lot of people will generally refer to social media interactive content as their main driver, but there are many easy ways you can bring the interactivity of an Instagram story or LinkedIn poll right on your website too.<\/span><\/p>\n In general, you will want to make sure that:<\/span><\/p>\n Online forms<\/span><\/a> with question branching, quizzes, and polls are among the easiest way to enter the world of interactive content for websites. They are easy to create, they are affordable, and you already have platforms that can handle the coding for you, so you can just drag, drop, and adapt.<\/span><\/p>\n Wink-wink, that’s 123FormBuilder for you.<\/span><\/p>\n\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\tExplore online forms with question branching<\/a>\r\n\t\t<\/strong>\r\n\t\n Interactive content isn’t rocket science, so there’s no actual complicated textbook as to how you can create it so it works for you. Like with everything marketing-related, producing the kind of interactive content that works for your business is a matter of trial and error.<\/span><\/p>\n Thankfully, that’s not that big of an issue when you have the right tools at your fingertips because you can easily adjust your interactive content on the go.<\/span><\/p>\n While we can’t give you a full-on textbook on how to create one-size-fits-all interactive content that works, we can do something even better: provide you with tips straight from the people who’ve already tried interactive content (and seen what works and what doesn’t).<\/span><\/p>\n We reached out to a handful of them to provide you with some of the best practices and tips that helped them make the most out of their interactive content. Here’s what they told us:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPeople go online to do something. They may not always know what it is, but their goals are the same: find interesting content. It’s your role to focus and guide their attention toward a conversion, such as signing up for your newsletter or making a purchase. This does not imply that your content must be a hard pitch, but it should include the option to convert a portion of it. After all, if you’ve worked hard to entice users and keep them interested, you’re already halfway there.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u2014 Rameez Usmani, Director of E-Commerce & Retail @<\/span>Selkirk<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cInteractive content is great, but to really make it shine, ensure that what underlies your interactivity is top-notch. Internal results like surveys or other data can really enhance your user’s understanding of a subject. The interactivity should be what keeps them engaged, not what draws them in initially. It’s a common misconception. If they think your interactive element is entertaining, they’ll play with it briefly and then move on. But if your informational aspect is solid, then the interactivity enhances their learning and makes you stand out with them long-term.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u2014 Shawn Plummer, CEO @<\/span>The Annuity Expert<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cQuizzes are good ways to get data from your audience and give them valuable feedback; it\u2019s a win-win situation. You can repurpose your existing content into quizzes by following these tips & tricks:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u2014 Joe Troyer, CEO & Growth Advisor @<\/span>Reviewgrower<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cInteractive content should be simple to use and engage with. Because people’s attention spans are short and their tolerance for difficulties is poor, keep your content direct, concise, and straightforward in most circumstances. The more a user can ‘do,’ such as clicking on a carousel arrow, digging into tabbed material, or jumping to the next text block, the more engaged they will be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014 Max Whiteside, SEO & Content Lead @<\/span>Breaking Muscle<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cTo enhance interactive material shares, it is necessary that the web content gives genuine value to your target market. Tests and also calculators have a distinct advantage over e-books, whitepapers, and blog sites as they provide prompt, personalized value. You can use this to your benefit. Address the obstacles your audience is facing while supplying them pointers based on the information they share.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n For instance, the calculator embedded below gives real, prompt worth by asking people regarding their organization details and then telling individuals the number of leads they can obtain from interactive content.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u2014 Robert Johnson, Director of Operations @<\/span>Mywoodrings\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nTop Benefits of Using Interactive Content\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
It\u2019s more appealing to potential customers<\/b><\/h3>\n
It\u2019s easy to share\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
It supports brand exposure and loyalty<\/b><\/h3>\n
It helps create a better UX\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
It taps into natural human behavior<\/b><\/h3>\n
It helps you collect better data for every stage of the funnel<\/b><\/h3>\n
It combines content marketing and customer experience<\/b><\/h3>\n
It increases engagement and time on site\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
It\u2019s more likely to generate & nurture leads\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
Types of Interactive Content<\/b><\/h2>\n
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How to Use Interactive Content\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Using Interactive Content for Every Stage of the Buyer\u2019s Journey<\/b><\/h3>\n
How to Create Interactive Content for Your Website\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Top Tips in Producing Interactive Content\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
Keep It Results-Oriented\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
Data Rules the World\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
Quizzes and Assessments\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Make It Easy to Interact With\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
Add Actual, Immediate Worth\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n