What is interactive content and why should you be using it?

Interactive content - the use of tools on your social media pages that invite and encourage your audience to participate and engage is a relatively easy, yet highly effective way of jazzing up your marketing efforts and creating meaningful interactions with your target market.

Unlike traditional, static content, interactive content calls on the audience to click, drag, scroll, type, or otherwise engage with elements on the screen. This engagement creates a more dynamic and personalised experience for the user, often leading to increased user satisfaction and better information retention.

It can also boost your business in a big way. According to marketing firm Rock Content , the average landing page has a conversion rate of 2.35%. However, landing pages with interactive content have an incredible 55% conversion rate.

The most common use of interactive content includes quizzes and polls which allow users to answer questions and see immediate feedback or results. These are often used for educational purposes, gathering opinions, or enhancing user engagement. This tool was used very well by music streaming service Spotify , when in line with their tagline ‘Music for every mood’, they launched a mood quiz that users could complete to get a customised playlist to suit their mood.

Another popular form of interactive content is calculators and configurators which allow users to input data and receive calculated results or to customise products/services according to their preferences.?

Nigerian mobile company MTN, posted a data calculator to show users how much data they consume on their cell phones per day. According to Rock Content , the data calculator went viral and it’s been shared 65 300 times!

Interactive webinars and live streams are also popular ways of engaging with an audience in real time during these online events. Zippia.com reports that 73% of B2B companies say webinars are the best way to generate high-quality leads, while nearly three-quarters of survey respondents said they think webinars are the most effective way to generate high-quality B2B leads.

Examples of other creative strategies include making interactive infographics where users can hover over elements for more details or interactive videos which include clickable elements, allowing viewers to make choices that influence the direction of the video's storyline or access additional information. Interactive maps, where users can zoom in, zoom out, and click on specific locations to get more information or details can also be helpful.?

WWF-Canada made use of an interactive infographic on Priority Threat Management , to explain the framework they use to make conservation decisions. Their graphic is a great example of how a story can be told by using both vertical and horizontal scrolling on a graphic to change up the user experience and increase engagement. The graphic included videos,? photographs, animated number counters, coloured text boxes pull quotes to boost readability.

MarketSplash shares that Interactive infographics form an integral part of the strategy for 85% of B2B marketers, whether now or in future plans.

The rise of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies has allowed for even more highly interactive experiences by overlaying digital elements onto the real world (AR) or creating entirely immersive virtual environments (VR).

A great campaign was launched by IKEA which used augmented reality (AR) technology to allow users to place and visualise IKEA furniture in their homes virtually. By using their smartphones, customers could select furniture from the IKEA catalogue and see how it would look and fit in their space. This allowed shoppers to engage with the brand, enhancing the overall shopping experience and building a stronger connection with the company’s products.

Gamified content is on the rise as well, where game elements such as challenges, rewards and competition are added to make the experience more engaging.

Drum Magazine shared about a Danish watch retailer, Ditur, who designed a Tour de France drop game where players could win a special Tour de France watch. In this visually appealing playable campaign, participants played cyclists attempting to catch green watches while avoiding red ones. The company showcased the game in an interactive story on Instagram, among other places, to generate results. At the end of the story, they revealed the prize and included a call to action inviting users to play the game.

The benefits of interactive content include longer engagement times, increased brand awareness, improved learning outcomes, and a higher likelihood of users sharing the content with others.

Other benefits include being able to gather valuable data about your audience's preferences, opinions, and behaviours. This data can inform future marketing strategies and content creation. Interactive content often requires users to provide their contact information or engage in actions (such as signing up for newsletters) before accessing the content. This can help marketers capture leads and build their email lists.

If you need any further convincing, stats show that interactive content boasts double the conversion rates compared to passive content and that 51% of B2B buyers find interactive content more useful in addressing business challenges.

Furthermore, interactive content can be tailored to different segments of the audience, thereby improving relevance and engagement; it sets a brand apart from its competitors by offering a unique and innovative experience; it enables marketers to tell stories in creative and interactive ways; and it allows brands to meet the expectations of consumers who increasingly expect content to be interactive and engaging.?

If you have not yet played around with interactive content in your marketing strategy, it is never too late to start. The benefits are just around the corner waiting to be uncovered.