Definition

Interactive content is any digital content that allows users to engage and interact with it rather than passively consuming it.

Description

If digital content is not interactive, it risks becoming boring and unengaging for users.

Passive content, such as static text and images, can quickly lose the attention of users accustomed to the dynamic and personalised experiences offered by modern digital technologies.

Without interaction, users may gain interest in the content and move on to other sources of information or entertainment. This can lead to lower engagement rates, reduced website traffic, and decreased business conversions.

On the contrary, interactive content provides users with an engaging and personalised experience that encourages them to spend more time interacting with the content and ultimately builds a stronger connection between the user and the brand.

Interactive content can take many forms, including quizzes, polls, games, assessments, surveys, calculators, and interactive videos. Interactive content aims to increase engagement and create a more immersive and personalised experience for the user.

It can be used for various purposes, such as educating and informing users, generating leads, driving conversions, and building brand awareness.

How to generate interactive content?

Generating interactive content can seem daunting, but with the right tools and approach, it can effectively engage your audience and achieve your marketing goals. Here are some steps to follow when generating interactive content:

1. Define your goals: Defining your objectives is essential before creating your interactive content. Are you trying to increase engagement, educate your audience, or generate leads? Knowing your goals will help you determine the type of content to create and how to measure success.
2. Choose the right format: There are many types of interactive content, including quizzes, polls, surveys, games, and interactive videos. Consider your goals and audience when choosing the format that will be most effective for your message.
3. Plan your content: Once you’ve chosen your format, it’s time to plan it. Consider what information you want to convey, the questions you want to ask, and the level of interactivity you want to offer. Consider incorporating multimedia elements such as images, videos, and animations.
4. Use interactive content creation tools: Many tools can help you create interactive content, even if you need more technical expertise. For example, Quizlet, Typeform, and Playbuzz offer easy-to-use templates for creating quizzes, polls, and games.
5. Promote your content: Once your interactive content is created, it’s essential to promote it through social media, email marketing, and other channels. This will help you reach a wider audience and achieve your marketing goals.

Future Strategy for Interactive Content

The future of interactive content is bright as audiences increasingly demand more engaging and interactive experiences online. Here are some strategies for creating effective interactive content in the future:

1. Personalization: Personalization will continue to be an important trend in interactive content, as audiences expect content tailored to their specific interests and preferences. This could include personalised quizzes, interactive product recommendations, and video content.
2. Immersive experiences: As technology continues to advance, interactive content will become even more immersive with the use of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and other emerging technologies. This could include immersive games, virtual tours, and interactive product demos.
3. User-generated content: User-generated content is another significant trend in interactive content, as audiences increasingly want to be part of the conversation. This could include interactive social media campaigns, user-generated quizzes and polls, and collaborative content creation.
4. Interactive storytelling: Interactive storytelling is a powerful way to engage audiences and create memorable experiences. This could include interactive videos, choose-your-own-adventure-style content, and interactive e-books.
5. Data-driven insights: Businesses can create more targeted and compelling interactive content as they collect more data on their audiences. This could include using data to personalise content, segment audiences, and track engagement.

Benefits of creating an interactive content

There are numerous benefits to creating interactive content, including:

1. Increased engagement: Interactive content encourages active participation from audiences, which leads to higher engagement rates than traditional, passive content. This can result in longer dwell times on a website, increased sharing and virality, and heightened brand awareness and advocacy levels.
2. Better learning: Interactive content can help audiences learn more effectively by providing a more engaging and immersive experience. For example, interactive videos can help audiences understand complex concepts by allowing them to interact with the content meaningfully.
3. Valuable data insights: Interactive content can also provide valuable business data and insights. Polls and surveys can help businesses better understand their audience and preferences, while games and quizzes can provide insights into user behaviour and preferences.
4. Increased brand awareness: Interactive content can help businesses improve their brand awareness by creating a more memorable and engaging user experience. This can lead to increased brand loyalty and advocacy.
5. Increased conversions: Interactive content can help drive conversions by encouraging audiences to take specific actions, such as filling out a form or purchasing. This can lead to increased sales and revenue for businesses.

Example

One brand example of interactive content is the “Share a Coke” campaign from Coca-Cola. The brand created personalised Coke bottles with customers’ names in this campaign.

In addition, customers were encouraged to share photos of their customised bottles on social media using the hashtag #ShareACoke.

This campaign was successful partly because it was interactive and engaged customers in a fun and personal way. Customers could share their personalised Coke bottles with friends and family on social media, and the campaign went viral.

Coca-Cola also created a website where customers could create virtual Coke bottles with custom messages and share them on social media.

The “Share a Coke” campaign was successful because it incorporated interactive elements that encouraged customers to engage with the brand more personally and meaningfully.

By creating personalised Coke bottles and encouraging customers to share them on social media, Coca-Cola created a more engaging and practical user experience that resonated with customers and helped increase brand loyalty and advocacy.

FAQ

What is interactive content?

Interactive content engages the audience and encourages them to participate in some way. It can take many forms, including quizzes, games, videos, polls, surveys, etc.

Why is interactive content important?

Interactive content is important because it helps to increase engagement with audiences, educates them more effectively, provides valuable data insights, and ultimately drives business results.

What are some examples of interactive content?

Some examples of interactive content include quizzes, videos, games, polls and surveys, and infographics.

How can businesses create interactive content?

Businesses can create interactive content by using interactive content platforms or by hiring content creators with experience in creating interactive content. They can also use interactive content tools and software to create interactive content in-house.

How can businesses measure the effectiveness of interactive content?

Businesses can measure the effectiveness of interactive content by tracking engagement metrics such as clicks, time on page, shares, and conversions. They can also use analytics tools to gather user behaviour and preferences insights.

What are some best practices for creating interactive content?

Some best practices for creating interactive content include keeping it relevant and engaging, providing clear instructions and feedback, making it visually appealing, and optimising it for mobile devices.

What are some trends in interactive content?

Some trends in interactive content include personalization, immersive experiences, user-generated content, interactive storytelling, and data-driven insights.