Gone are the days when just publishing static content was enough. The adage ‘Content is king’ has changed to ‘Interactive Content is King’ in the last few years. 

Industry trends suggest that interactive content is garnering 94% more views than its static counterpart. It not only gives you a competitive edge but also bequeaths you with various other benefits. And with the audience getting tech-savvy, users are leaning more toward this unique form of content.

Research also shows that interactive content is 5X more effective. Content marketers from across the globe are busy leveraging its power for better brand positioning and engagement. In this blog, we discuss the benefits of interactive content, its different forms, and how you can optimize its impact for maximum benefit. 

Benefits of Using Interactive Content 

Since interactive content is engaging and entertaining, users jump on the chance to participate and share their views. This enthusiastic participation provides an opportunity for the brands to peek into the minds of their target audience. 

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There are several benefits of interactive content, but let’s look at the most crucial ones here:

Improved Engagement

One-way communication is a thing of the past. Not only is it boring and unimpressive, but it also fails to hold your audience’s attention. On the other hand, interactive content is all about sharing reviews, experiences, and opinions which automatically results in your customers spending more time on your page. This kind of two-way participation also makes the audience feel heard and valued.

Higher CTR

By incorporating captivating elements, interactive content taps into the innate human qualities of curiosity and inquisitiveness and compels the user to explore deeper. The user is further enticed into the web by other people’s reactions and his urge to contribute actively to the ongoing discussion increases, thus building a sense of community. 

Needless to say, positive experiences like these are more likely to be shared by the user, enhancing your content’s reach and, at the same time, increasing the chances of a repeat visit in the future. Ergo, your page now has higher Click-Through Rates. 

Improved SEO performance: 

It is a known fact that dwell time is taken into consideration by search engines for ranking websites. So, while your audience is busy answering the polls and quizzes or sharing their opinions, this extended stay sends positive signals to the search engines. 

Also, the very nature of interactive content, i.e. the sharing of opinions and answering quizzes or polls, leads to more user-generated content, another crucial aspect measured by search engines for SERP. 

Related Read: Free tools to check your website’s SEO health

Data Collection and Lead Generation:

Interactive content, such as quizzes, polls, and surveys, is not only engaging for your audience but also a powerful tool for gathering insights about their preferences, interests, and behaviors. When designed strategically, these elements can deepen audience involvement by seamlessly incorporating calls-to-action for newsletter sign-ups, product demos, or feedback mechanisms. This approach fosters a mutually beneficial relationship with your audience, turning engagement into valuable customer data.

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Higher Conversions:

Using the insights gained from analyzing the data, you can adjust your marketing strategies, provide personalized product recommendations, give time-specific discounts, or make data-driven decisions to improve your product line. 70% of marketers say that adopting such a personalized approach results in higher conversions for their marketing campaigns. 

Related Read: Effective strategies for managing your small business

Heightened Brand Recall:

Content enhancement provides an immersive experience to your users, making it unique and memorable for them. Users are more likely to forge a connection with your brand and are more likely to remember you with the positive experience they had with your content. Such recall also sets your brand apart from your competitors. 

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Wider Reach: 

The lasting impression created by interacting with your content encourages your target audience to share it within their network, compounding the reach of your content and possibly making it go viral. At the same time, you also end up with a deeper pool of audience who might be interested in your products or services. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Find out how to create a great digital marketing strategy for your business

Popular Interactive Content Types

Not all content types work for all campaigns. Depending upon your goal, you need to carefully choose the right interactive content to optimize engagement and meet your goals. Here  are some popular forms of interactive content to help you choose the right one for your business goals: 

Quizzes: 

With a conversion rate of 40.1%,  quizzes are best for lead generation and are the most popular form of interactive content. They blend entertainment and information effortlessly and tap into your audience’s natural inclination to test their knowledge, share their results, and compete with their friends. 

For instance, a lifestyle brand could create a “Where Will You Travel to Next?” quiz to understand user preferences and use it to provide personalized recommendations for their products.

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Online Surveys and Polls: 

Online surveys and polls are a direct way of communicating with your target audience. They offer quick and easy insights about your audience’s likes and preferences. You can use them to collect product reviews, involve your target audience in an important decision-making process, or generate awareness about your product. 

For instance, a cosmetic brand can create a poll on “Which lipstick shade is your favorite for beach holidays?” Once the users have completed the poll, they can be nudged into buying their favorite shade by offering personalized coupons. 

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Interactive Infographics:

Interactive infographics have taken the marketing world by storm and are the best way to explain complex or intricate product systems. These interactive infographics have animations that respond to user actions, adding a highly personalized touch and making it more engaging.

For instance, a hotel and resort company can put up an interactive infographic detailing various places to explore while enjoying their stay. 

Source: Click here to see how the infographic works

Games and Contests

From the simplest ones like photo contests, scratch cards, and puzzles to virtual treasure hunts; games and contests inject an element of competition and excitement among the users. They are an excellent way to differentiate yourself from your competitors, entertain your target audience, and can later be repurposed and reused for brand development. Plus, the thrill of participation and the possibility of winning prizes motivate the users to engage with the content. 

For instance, a clothing brand could organize a ‘Style Challenge’ where users can submit pictures of creative outfits featuring your products, producing more user-generated content and building a sense of community around the brand. 

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Tips for Creating Effective Interactive Content to Boost Your Content Marketing Efforts

Not all interactive content hits the mark as it is supposed to. Creating effective interactive content requires: 

• an in-depth understanding of your target audience, 
• needs to be planned strategically for different platforms, and 
• has to have attention-catching visuals. 

Some pointers that you can keep in mind before diving into the interactive content creation process are: 

• Understand Your Audience: Perform an in-depth analysis of your target audience. Find out their age groups, demographics, preferences, interests, inclinations, requirements, and pain points, and tailor your content based on this information. 

• Set Clear Goals: Creating interactive content is not enough; setting clear goals and objectives about what you want to achieve through the interactive content is crucial. Whether you aim to increase your email sign-ups, position your brand as a thought leader, enhance engagement, or contribute to sales, defining these objectives is crucial. 

• Choose the correct format and platform: Interactive content comes in various forms. Depending upon your goals, choose the best one to reach your audience. Choosing the right platform is equally important. While polls and quizzes work well on one platform, your audience may prefer surveys on the other.

• Incorporate Visuals: Less text and more visuals are the most appealing factors of interactive content. It is always a good idea to incorporate catchy images, animations, and videos with bold colors to grab instant attention.

• Keep it Simple: With interactive content, it’s best to follow the principle of ‘Less is more’. Do not confuse your audience with too many choices or overwhelm them with a long list of questions. Keep your content short, simple, easily accessible, and optimized for both web and mobile uses.  

• Reward Participation and Feedback: Reward the audience for their participation and feedback to create a positive and memorable experience. Remember, these positive experiences will encourage them to share your content with their community. 

• Analyse and Double-down: Create a feedback mechanism to check and analyze which content form is playing well with your audience. Use the analytics to improve or double down on the content that is generating maximum engagement. . 

Wrapping Up

Interactive content can be utilized in multiple ways, from engaging your audience to improving SEO performance, creating brand awareness, positioning your brand, collecting valuable data, converting prospects into clients, and much more. 

Implementing thoughtful and targeted interactive content strategies can not only help brands meet the evolving expectations of their audience but also give them the needed edge to stay ahead of their competition.

And with 93% of marketers attesting to interactive content as more effective in engaging and educating the target audience, it is safe to conclude that interactive marketing with user-centric experiences is not just a trend but a necessity for brands aiming to capture and retain their audience. 

Author’s Bio:

Shikha is a content marketing specialist with experience in creating compelling and effective content for SaaS businesses. With 5 years of experience, she has a proven track record of developing content strategies that resonate with target audiences, drive website traffic, and generate leads.