Gone are the days of statics and long videos to keep users hooked to your brands. If you want to grow and maintain solid consumer loyalty, we have two words for you –

INTERACTIVE CONTENT.

Remember the good old days, when there were adventure books and you could reach different conclusions based on your choices? Or the ever-famous online quizzes that revealed which Hogwarts house you belonged to which personality type you were?

Ever wondered why these fun quizzes kept users hooked? All because they were INTERACTIVE! Get your content to do the same. Statistics show that interactive content generates 2x as many conversions as passive content (source: Kapost). But this is just one of the many benefits that creating interactive content holds. More benefits of incorporating interactive content in your social media strategy are:

Engagement: With users facing a barrage of static posts and videos, users highly look forward to something that grabs their attention or something they can process in a different way. For example, digital flipbook about your products or services. If made creatively, these motivate people to read more, understand your brand better and even share it further. Another example is a questionnaire you can develop to make product recommendations to your consumers. Research says that 66% marketers observed a significant increase in audience engagement subsequent to their use of interactive content (Source – CMI). It’s time you be part of that number too!

Increased information retention: Interactive content allows the content to be remembered better since it involves participation rather than plain simple viewing. This enhances brand recall, piques interest and fosters customer loyalty.

Increased conversion: Interactive content like a questionnaire or quiz helps identify users’ pain points and match them with the right solution, thus driving them towards your desired action. This action could be the sharing of an email address or purchasing a product. A comprehensive study by DemandMetric pointed out that while interactive content boasted a conversion rate of 70%, its static counterpart lagged behind at 36%.

Increased shareability and virality: An article by Startups.com states that Visual content like online quizzes with images or GIFs are 40 times more likely to be shared on social networks. The fun factor of interactive content coupled with relatability makes it more likely to be shared by users across their networks thus enhancing the scope of its virality.

Data collection: When it comes to digital marketing, data is power. It helps you tailor your content and refine your strategy according to consumer type. Apart from contact information, your content can also help you discover user demographics, product preferences, buying tendencies, pain points, motivations as well as their needs and aspirations.

Apart from these benefits, it can also help educate users, nurture a cross channel brand experience, improve dwell time on your social media and website and allow for brand differentiation.

Keeping in mind these benefits, let’s explore the types of interactive content you can leverage for your brand.

Quizzes and surveys: These are the most commonly found interactive content types out there. Keep your quizzes and surveys fun, quick, engaging and challenging and you’re likely to go viral!

Calculators: Next to quizzes, interactive calculators are the second-best interactive content type that help with gathering data and allowing personalized recommendations to consumers. The most common forms are loan calculators and health and wellness calculators. A low-cost tool with a potential for high virality, it provides you qualified leads, helps you create personalized user experiences and can help you close a deal.

eBooks: eBooks are lead magnets that businesses offer in exchange of data. They have stood the test of time, but given shorter attention spans, long, drawling eBooks aren’t preferred by consumers anymore. Allowing users to jump sections, adding audio files or videos to it, and embedding quizzes and more, if done right, your eBook will be unforgettable and a delight to read.

Contests: Contests have been a marketing strategy predating the internet era, maintaining their popularity for various reasons. Contests driven by enticing prizes serve as effective incentives, especially those involving gamification, fostering participation and proving to be a valuable method for boosting brand visibility and social interaction.

Apart from these, interactive infographics, landing pages, interactive videos, etc. can be some types of interactive content you can incorporate in your digital marketing strategy.

Given this information, keep in mind some of these best practices to take the utmost advantage of your interactive content.

Repurpose your content: Analyze your content to see how much of it can be transformed into interactive content. It helps you gain more control over your old content, increases its lifespan, differentiates you from competitors, helps you gather data and fosters an improved user experience.

Create content for the funnel: Understand whom you are creating content for and if it fulfills its function in the sales cycle. A simple example – create an attractive lookbook or interactive website to attract a lead’s attention. To push a consumer who is already at the last stage of their buying journey with you, create something like a calculator that can help them take a decision.

Undertake cross-channel promotion – Promoting interactive content across multiple channels is essential for reaching a diverse audience and maximizing visibility. By doing so, you cater to varying audience preferences and engagement styles present on different platforms. This approach not only optimizes your marketing efforts by leveraging the strengths of each channel but also provides valuable insights through diverse analytics. Additionally, consistent cross-promotion enhances brand presence, creating a cohesive and impactful online strategy.

Make it visually appealing & responsive: Content that looks good captures attention and encourages increased dwell time. A responsive design guarantees that your interactive content functions seamlessly on various devices, accommodating the diverse ways people access content. This ensures a broader reach, enhances shareability and reinforces your brand image across various platforms.

Ensure you analyze and monitor this content and provide value through it.

In conclusion, interactive content is a powerful and effective tool to incorporate in your digital marketing strategy. Understanding its importance, benefits and types and by adhering to best practices, you can harness its full potential and achieve digital marketing success.