The real measure of any form of marketing is action. In older and traditional B2B channels, the actions we measured tended to include inbound phone calls, appointments, proposals, faxes, coupon redemptions, and sales. Today, with content marketing ruling the digital space, marketers often measure actions such as website traffic, clicks, and shares. Savvy marketers understand that the name of the game is engagement. When brands build connections with their customers and prospects, they nurture relationships, develop trust, generate leads and grow the business.

One way to engage an audience is through interactive content. Marketers succeed when their audience not only consumes content, but also enjoys and acts upon it. Understanding this principle, more and more content marketers are stepping-up their static content to create content customers can interact with. In fact, a recent survey reports that 88 percent of marketers say interactive content was somewhat or very effective versus passive content.

Types of interactive marketing content

Interactive content can range from simple to complex. The following are some examples of ways interactive content can be used to engage customers and drive leads:

1. Quizzes are very popular and ultra-magnetic. While many serve as a fun distraction, businesses can design quizzes for educational purposes or to gather more information about a prospect. Results can be useful for determining areas of interest and driving future communications.
2. Like quizzes, assessments are meaningful marketing tools often used to help people identify a need and compare their company to industry benchmarks.
3. White papers and e-books. Both forms of marketing content tend to be very information-heavy, which can make them less attractive to some readers. However, adding interactive content to white papers and e-books makes complex content more readable, understandable and engaging.
4. Interactive articles. While there are still benefits to being published in print, digital bylined articles offer a host of opportunities to include interactive elements including links, infographics, calculators and more.
5. Polls and surveys. These forms of interactive content fulfill a wide variety of needs for both the creator and user. The subject of the poll or survey gives users a glimpse into your areas of expertise and the results are helpful for lead generation and business development. Also, data from the poll or survey can be used to generate a white paper, infographic or other piece of marketing content.
6. Galleries. In addition to showcasing products, galleries can include portfolios, ideas, customer examples, event highlights, or anything visual.

Benefits of interactive marketing

Today’s consumers are bombarded with content from every channel, on every topic imaginable, whether or not they are interested. The challenge is to navigate the digital onslaught and connect with the people who care about what you have to say with content that will grab their attention and produce a desired action. Here are some ways interactive marketing accomplishes those goals:

• Get to know your customers. Most marketing content is a one-way street where a message is delivered to an invisible audience with the hope that a prospect will raise their hand after consuming it. Interactive content allows for a dynamic back-and-forth with a target audience that helps marketers know who they are talking to and what they care about.
• Increase engagement. Interactive content helps keep readers engaged longer by encouraging them to participate in the experience.
• Bring products and services to life. Corporate videos are great. But live demonstrations, video testimonials and interactive educational programs bring products and services to life in ways that aren’t possible with a brochure.
• Capitalize on human nature. People want to interact with each other and feel included. Interaction is also an essential part of learning.

What type of interactive marketer are you?

As marketplace competition continues to heat up, creating good content isn’t enough. Marketers need to present content in interesting ways in formats that differentiate their companies and make prospects and customers want to interact and act. From simple quizzes to research-heavy white papers, interactive content creates more engaging, personalized and flexible digital experiences for target audiences. To learn more about creating interactive content marketing that drives bottom-line results, contact Trade Press Services today.