The technological development that has been taking place in recent years brings daily innovations to our routine.
Today, the digitalization of processes occurs on all fronts, whether in sales efforts or buying journeys.
With such a demand for technological solutions, companies’ current relevance in the sector should not surprise anyone. While this means good opportunities for entrepreneurs, it also represents challenges. After all, it is necessary to overcome the competition to reach the consumer.
But how does one do this? For a long time, Content Marketing has been proving to be one of the main allies of companies that want to reach and delight their buyer persona.
However, success demands more. It is necessary to create an interactive environment.
Want to know how interactive content is improving tech companies’ content and leading them to better results? In this text, you will find out:
What type of interactive content is more effective?
Well, the efficiency of your interactive content depends on several factors.
Therefore, before defining which type is most relevant to you, you must consider things such as your strategy, budget, channels you will use, and, above all, your persona’s characteristics.
Based on these factors, you can start thinking about different interactive tools to maximize your audience engagement. Engaging them, as a matter of fact, is not the only function of interactive content.
The strategy’s complexity can also be used to collect data, increase brand reach, find out what phase of the funnel the lead is currently in, enable sales, etc.
To help you make the best possible use of these features, we will list below the main interactive content formats and detail their benefits and ways of application. Check it out!
1. Calculators
In a benchmark study released by Demand Metric, 90% of participating professionals said they consider interactive content an efficient lead education element. Only 65% stated the same about static content.
It’s easy to understand. When interacting with their own experience, the consumer feels part of the buying journey. They feel motivated and are more open to learning new things.
This is largely due to the ludic and attractive nature of the interactive materials.
However, this ability to teach also has a lot to do with the greater ability to present information from an approach focused on data visualization.
In the case of interactive calculators, customers can perform calculations themselves to understand the benefits that a solution can bring to their business. Can you think of a more persuasive approach than this?
2. Quizzes
Quizzes carry with them some of the fun found in games, which refers to the concept of gamification.
However, this type of content does much more than simply capture the consumer’s attention. It is a very strong tool for leads and marketers to learn and evolve.
Just imagine: you sell a digital solution that is considered advanced, so it makes no sense to offer it to people who do not fit the product’s specific buyer persona.
So, you insert an interactive quiz on your website, testing the users’ knowledge.
For visitors, it’s an interesting experience to test themselves and also to find the answer to the questions they miss. For you, it is a golden opportunity to discover how deep the persona’s knowledge is, which can indicate whether or not she is prepared to convert.
3. Infographics
The importance of visual resources in a good Digital Marketing strategy can never be overestimated.
Infographics are examples of resources that bring impactful results since, by nature, they are extremely engaging and efficient in holding the user’s attention.
The idea behind an infographic is simple and direct: to mix written and visual information in order to create a complete and satisfactory experience for the user. But you probably already know that, right? The question is: how can an infographic be interactive?
To begin with, the creative freedom of an infographic allows you to insert other elements that increase the possibilities of interaction. For example, you can insert a small quiz along with this type of content, adding even more value to it.
Interactivity can also come in other ways. As an example, take a look at the piece below, created for Symantec.
You can see that certain elements are only revealed when the reader scrolls down the page, requiring them to perform an action to access the information.
In addition, this example features quizzes and questions of true or false, which make it much more attractive than a common infographic.
4. Videos
The use of videos has long been a trend in the world of marketing. Much more engaging than other types of content, videos allow many approaches and become even more efficient when interactive.
Who doesn’t remember, for instance, the Honda Civic launch ad, entitled “The other side”.
In it, the user can navigate between different dimensions just by clicking on a button on the keyboard. The idea was to show how versatile the car is and how it fits into different lifestyles.
Of course, not every interactive video needs to be so elaborate, especially because this type of production involves a large financial outlay. Investing in an animation is the option that attracts most marketing professionals.
5. Ebooks
The production of an ebook is not simple. It is necessary to accurately determine the target audience, find the most relevant topics, and write authentic and informative material.
Even if you can do all this, it is not always easy to take the content to the consumer.
To make better use of this format, many companies are repurposing their ebooks and making them interactive.
To do this, you just have to make the material available on a page, using more or less the same concept that we presented when we talked about the infographics.
When interactive, ebooks become even more powerful educational tools.
Besides, because of the experience optimization, this kind of effort also helps the brand to build authority in the market and the consumer.
Which tech companies are using interactive content?
So far, we have talked about the growth of interactive marketing, presented the main interactive content formats, and pointed out its many functions.
However, there is nothing better for you to go even deeper into the subject than to observe the strategy implemented in practice.
Thinking about it, we have separated some examples of tech companies that are using interactive content and generating positive impacts on their results. Stay with us!
Hubspot
One of the giants in the technology solutions market, Hubspot, is a strong user of content strategies. Today, the company’s approach includes, whenever possible, interactive elements. Here, we call attention to Hubspot’s Website Grader.
It’s a free application, easy to use, and of great value to the user. Hubspot has combined artificial intelligence with its enormous authority in the digital market to evaluate websites according to several criteria, such as responsiveness, mobile readiness, SEO, security, etc.
Participating is easy. Just enter the URL of your website and, of course, your email address.
Did you grasp the idea behind the content? Besides providing a qualified service to the user, improving its own reputation, Hubspot also created a powerful lead generator.
CoSchedule
If you’ve worked with content production for blogs, news sites, or even email marketing, you know that finding the ideal headline is not always the easiest task.
This is the problem that the content we separated from CoSchedule tries to solve.
The process is extremely simple: insert a headline in the demarcated space, and, in a few seconds, you will have access to a report. The application rates your headline according to several aspects, such as word balance and number of characters.
The interesting thing is that the platform uses visual resources, such as colored donut bars, to facilitate the understanding of the report.
However, to have access to these results, the user needs to leave behind some contact information, thus becoming a lead of the company.
Kapost
Sometimes it is difficult to make the consumer notice the value of your products and services. Kapost is not taking any chances.
To highlight the importance of joint use of marketing and technology, the company has created a truly interactive history lesson, focusing on the recent and rapid development of Digital Marketing.
Using storytelling elements and encouraging engagement, the resource is a faithful and comprehensive representation of marketing technologies’ timeline.
The exuberant design contrasts with the clear and direct language employed to facilitate the understanding of any reader.
Kapost hopes that, at the end of the experience, the lead has a full understanding of the importance of learning and following the development of marketing, in order to make accurate investments.
Martech
The best way to engage does not always involve the product or service in question.
Often, all the user wants is a simple and fun experience on a subject that interests them.
That’s where MarTech, a company focused on marketing and technology conferences, came up with the idea of creating a quiz.
It’s not very elaborate at all, but it’s certainly a material capable of holding the user’s attention and, above all, persuading them to share it on their social media. Thus, besides creating a positive relationship with the lead, the company is able to increase its organic reach.
How can I begin using interactive content in my strategy?
Now that you know the main types of interactive content and have seen examples of their practical application in tech companies, you are closer to implementing this approach in your organization.
That’s why we’ll dedicate the rest of the text to passing on tips for you to use this strategy in the best way possible.
#1: Define what you will produce
This seems like a simple step, but it involves a series of actions, depending on your digital strategy’s maturity.
If you don’t have a buyer persona yet, for example, it’s past time to create one. Your decisions must be based on the characteristics, needs, and desires of your ideal buyer.
After defining the persona that will be the focus of your content, it is easier to conduct the rest of the process.
The next question is: what format will you produce?
Besides considering the buyer persona to answer this question, you must also consider the phase of the funnel in which your target is located.
After all, some materials are more propitious to the top of the funnel, while others are more effective in the decision phase.
With all this information in hand, you can choose the type of content that will be produced with greater precision.
If the idea is to achieve leads in the conversion phase, an interactive calculator may be the solution. For dialogue with the leads in the discovery phase, a more fluid material, such as a video, may be more appropriate.
#2: Find the best channel
Still based on your persona, find the best channel to promote your content. It must circulate among the main social media to increase the chances of sharing.
On the other hand, if the main goal is to reach only a part of the funnel, the landing pages are ideal channels.
#3: Use Ion
Of course, you can produce your own material, but interactive content takes time, resources, and expertise.
Therefore, the best option is to have a team of experienced professionals ready to meet your demands.
Ion is a platform specialized in interactive content that presents all the necessary resources to produce the most appropriate material for your situation.
In only 60 minutes, you can put your first interactive material online, thanks to customizable templates.
If you have programming experience and want to create your material from scratch, no problem! You can also count on the support of professionals via live chat and even take courses to develop your skills.
Among the interactive content that can be created on the platform are:
- quizzes
- ebooks
- white papers
- lookbooks
- solution finders
- infographics
- landing pages
To ensure each material’s efficiency, it is possible to perform A/B tests, thanks to a functionality included in the platform.
As every successful strategy depends on continuous monitoring, this is another resource offered by Ion. The platform generates detailed reports about each user interaction with your content. These documents can be easily exported to undergo a more detailed analysis, facilitating your decision-making.
Wrap Up
The use of interactive content is a trend not only among tech companies.
Businesses of all sizes and sectors are producing this type of material, recognizing its enormous potential to reach and retain, teach, and convert the audience.
Want to explore all of Ion’s platform features and start creating your high-quality interactive content? Request a personal demo and enjoy our free trial!
Start creating interactive content with Ion and increase your marketing results!
Start creating interactive content with Ion and increase your marketing results!
