Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

For demand generation, value is a participatory process. Potential customers want to touch, feel, and test-drive things “on demand” while they continue to shop, compare, and research.

Because of this, interactive content (think calculators, assessments, polls, and trivia) is a perfect “taster” to whet the palate of a potential customer. This type of content can stand alone or act as part of a bigger, long-lasting conversation with customers as they move from lead to qualified prospect.

Now it’s time to turn your industry knowledge into interactive content that’s not only engaging, but also all about helping the customer enter the buyer’s journey with confidence. Here are five interactive content examples that have hit the sweet spot between encouraging customer engagement and improving customer satisfaction from the first click....

Quick confession: I am addicted to taking BuzzFeed-style online quizzes.

Yes, I know they are designed to artificially inflate the site’s page views and engagement metrics; and I fully realize that the results will likely be vague and unsatisfying. But somehow, I don’t care. In fact, any time a company offers me an opportunity to see a bit of myself reflected in its content, I find myself more drawn to that company, and more willing to explore what else they have to offer.

Isn’t that the exact result all marketers hope for when they create content?

The increased potential for engagement is a compelling reason why marketers should consider adding interactive content – quizzes, assessments, customization tools, games, and other participative features – to their marketing arsenal. But that’s certainly not the only advantage these tech-enhanced content formats can offer.

Let’s take a deeper look at interactive content, how it works, and how it can be used to help you achieve your marketing goals....