The growing importance of interactive content, will it become mainstream?

We know ‘Content is King’ for brands today, and it’s here to stay. But how do you stand out when the audience is inundated with information and it’s harder to get people’s attention? People no longer read everything they come across, but rather just skim through information. Getting a brand’s audience to engage, is one of the toughest challenges of content marketing. So, what do you use to get more attention – Interactive Content.
Interactive Content takes the game of branded content to a whole new level. It gives brands an edge to interact with content, thus capturing a more engaged user. With digital, we know consumers are no longer passive but active, rather than just scrolling and passing, or just simply reading or watching, but it is more about involving consumers and creating strong relationships and brand recall value.

Look around you the next time when you are on your phone, scrolling through your feed on any social platform – brands are already interacting with you, be it simple things like surveys, polls, giveaways, contests, tests, assessments, more interactive elements like AR brand filters, virtual reality, or even humble calculators.

And why are brands investing more in Interactive Content? Interactive Content gains two times more engagement than static content. As per a survey by Demand Gen Report, 34% of marketers say at least 10% of their content is interactive. Its more than 4 years, that around 80% of marketers started accepting that new and interactive content brings in "reusable" value, resulting in repeat visitors and multiple exposures. These are some stats that a quick Google Search reveals, there are plenty out there to prove how worthwhile it is to actually invest in branded interactive content.

And why is it here to stay? Because, not only do marketers achieve great results when audiences consume content, but here they get engagement. The use of phone calls, coupons, freebies, etc. is fading away, but the engagement rate with campaigns is key to the success in increasing sales. And here are some more important reasons:

Engaging Consumers

From a consumer perspective, the audience feels more involved with the brand. For example, you will see brands taking opinions via polls on social media platforms often on their new product launches, feedback on their products and services, and even crowdsourcing ideas. All this gives the consumer a sense of importance whenever they interact with branded content.

Increasing Social Media Sharing

Interactive content can help you get more followers and create brand awareness. It has the power to convert passive audiences into customers. If the interactive content is relevant and relatable then users will share in their network, thus making users a part of your brand, advocates of your brand. When you get the right type of engagement, you’ll be able to achieve your business goals.

Building Advocates

And in case if it didn’t cross your mind, what this ultimately does is, it builds customer loyalty, and building loyalty in today’s time isn’t easy! But by using interactive content and by giving consumers a  good brand experience, brands are creating more loyal customers.

Improving SEO and Web Metrics

Usage of Interactive Content also plays a major role in improving brand visibility across the web – search engine rankings, driving relevant traffic to your website, reduction in bounce rate, which ultimately results in more quality time being spent on the website.

An overall increase in Revenue

Through Interactive Content, brands can create value for customers and understand them better. You will see more traffic coming in and brands can get more relevant leads. As an overall result, you will see an increase in revenue.

The Real Content King – Interactive Content

Profoundly good content will always remain an important part of any marketers’ strategy and Interactive content is the next in line in the evolution of content marketing. It makes people work with brands and their content actively. People put in information and interact with different elements. They get personalized information that truly helps them.

Thus, it is of no surprise that increased inclusion of Interactive Content will become mainstream in the coming time and will need to be adopted by brands.