With every piece of the internet fighting for attention, having recurring web traffic is a luxury. Of those who enjoy a large number of daily website visitors, fewer see them converting into sales. You can bore someone once, only to never see them again. And content, being the first point of contact, must not be boring. It has to be exciting and informative! Interactive content presents information in a very palpable way. This engages the reader a lot more than the good-old text. It’s nothing less than an art disguised as an article. In short, it paves the way for a strong connection between the consumer and the author/brand. This is usually done by deploying images, quizzes, calculators, infographics, videos, polls, etc., to help a blog come out of a monologue. Let us check out this video before proceeding:
What is Interactive (and Engaging) Content?
First, how do you feel? I could’ve explained in simple words what Sony is doing in interactive content space. Would that have sufficed? No. So, in addition to giving you a taste of interactive content, I have included that video to refresh you so that you’ll come back and continue reading. There it is, the primary objective of any web content, Engagement. So is Sony using those giant screens just to lighten up its workspace? Certainly not. Promoting its products must be sitting high on its agenda. In a nutshell, using interactive tools is an intelligent way of engaging an audience to boost conversion. So, how does this differ from a traditional blog post?
Normal vs. Interactive Blog Post
While a normal blog post can be informative and well-written, it sometimes becomes more like a rant. Most blogs get scrolled down without a proper read. Because often, it lacks the WOW factor to hook the readers up till the end. It feels like a digital version of a newspaper that only makes our eyes miserable. So ultimately, in order to give the reader something more than just eye strain, content marketers invented interactive content. Content with interactive elements appears more lively, gives more information in less, and provides a necessary break from the plain text. It assists in taking the reader into the loop and engages them in two-way communication. And most importantly, it’s the need of the hour. Content marketers are already jumping into it left and right. So better know it inside-out and don’t be left behind in making your content rewarding. This section will further discuss some of the tools/utilities to make your content appealing.
Calculators
Calculators are a smart way to put your customers into your sales funnel. Numerous brands offer such interactive calculation tools backed by their product to convert their prospects.
#1. Digital Ocean
Generally, calculations are backed by a prominent call-to-action button to make the most of every customer interaction.
#2. Bank of America
Bank of America uses this auto-loan calculator, which has a call-to-action, enticing the user to apply for the loan by immediately sharing their contact information. Additionally, these calculators can be used as a tool to differentiate your services.
#3. VSP Vision Care
VSP Vision Care, a multi-national health insurance company in vision care, uses interactive tools to educate users about its insurance plans. This tool helped the customers to avoid confusion and choose a plan best for their specific situation.
Surveys and Polls
Feedback is important. No brand can take its customers for granted. Surveys and Polls are simple tools to gauge public sentiment before or after a product launch. Brands use it to take feedback about their services as well. Previously, surveys included decades-old techniques like a telephonic survey or a postcard survey. But due to the non-intrusive nature of an online survey, presently, it’s the go-to method to take consumer thoughts. For this very reason, Mercedes Benz uses SmartSurvey to increase the response rate and to make their survey results more accurate. Similarly, it can also be used to tell the audience about a new service launch. You can use tools such as Hotjar to create surveys.
Quizzes
Do you know a simple quiz helped Zenni Optical generate more than USD 1 million in revenue, 29,410 lead conversions, and 9,655% ROI in 6 months? It was just a nine-question quiz created to help customers select eyeglasses. Similarly, Zenni Optical has this interactive quiz to expand their sales funnel: You can use Interact to create outstanding quizzes. If using WordPress, you may try Thrive Quiz Builder.
Interactive Ebooks
An interactive ebook is a long-form content with many interactive elements like audio, video, links, infographics–everything in one. Interactive ebooks can boost your marketing campaigns. They can inform your customers about products and services in detail. Creating interactive content is a norm in the online education industry. Various tools to create interactive ebooks to broaden a user base like Teachable, Thinkific, etc. One such example of an excellent interactive ebook is here.
Interactive Videos
Videos are far ahead of text and images in capturing attention. But interactive videos are one step further. Click here to see “the other side.” Just press-hold R or left-click while the video is playing to change the visuals and the entire storyline. While this was just an introductory interactive video, this technique can have more serious use cases than just playing an alternate storyline. For instance, interactive videos have clickable parts that aid in user engagement and conversion. This, in turn, prevents distraction and makes sure that the video is seen till the end. A similar strategy used by Wirewax for NBC Universal linked in-video content directly to the shopping cart. This saw a 30% higher conversion rate than the industry average. A 360-degree interactive video is also a great way to attract the audience, like this virtual tour by Harvard College: Source: Click here to take the virtual tour. It has a commentary for each section with clickable elements. Additionally, it has an Apply Online link at the top to convert prospects straight away.
Infographics
A picture is worth a thousand words. Add some information, and voila, you have an informative visual–infographics–that will be shared much more than its counterparts. For instance, I can write a few paragraphs about this website you’re reading this article on, Geekflare, or this can do: Like other interesting tools, infographics are a refreshing way to create engaging content. It presents vital information in eye-catching visuals. Some content marketers also use infographics to display complex information to their clients. That’s how Pete Dziedzic, General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer at Life Insurance Strategies Group, used infographics to 2x their revenue. A step up from the infographics is interactive infographics. The Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors, UK, has created an interactive infographic on how to stay healthy while working from home. Click here to interact with the original infographic. You can use Canva or Visme to create your first infographic.
Explainers
This is generally a whiteboard animation style to make your explanations look real-time. Take a look: Again, the main purpose of this strategy is to capture and hold the viewer’s attention for the entirety. This tool can also be used in the education industry. It tries to replicate the feeling of being in a physical classroom. You can try services such as VideoScribe, Animatron for creating whiteboard animation videos.
Audio Articles
A more recent trend in the content marketing space is audio articles. It can convert your articles into podcasts. The advantage of podcasts is they don’t strain your eyes. In addition, they can be listened to while driving or cooking. These tools are text-to-speech converters with a PLAY button in their basic form.
Text-to-Video
Assume this is an upgrade over audio articles. It uses a text-to-video approach using artificial intelligence. Using this feature, you can convert your text into a video. It’s the latest addition to creating engaging content. While this is no match for creative YouTubers, it still presents a fascinating way to present plain text. At present, it sits in a very nascent stage. So hopefully, after going through some development cycles, it’ll be more convincing. You can use Synthesia to convert any text into AI videos. You can convert articles or newsletters into audiovisual content. It can also be used in addition to the text, similar to the audio commentary feature. In addition to the above, there are a few more methods to create exciting content. For instance, Assessment or Diagnostic Tools can be used in the form of a questionnaire. They capture valuable information about the user and suggest products/services accordingly. Ultimately, anything with some out-of-the-box ideas that can better hook a user can be a technique worth trying.
Conclusion
Content marketing is an evergreen strategy for developing a robust sales funnel. And with inventive marketers, it will only get more dominant. So it’s time to step up the content game because you got to do something extraordinary to stand out. Conclusively, create interactive and engaging content to help your content connect easily to the most powerful entity of any business: the customer.
