In the modern world, the internet is packed full of content and virtual experiences. So, how can interactivity contribute towards brand success, and set the content apart from the rest? Let’s take a look.
What Is Interactive Content?
Interactive content often provides users with a virtual alternative to traditional in-person experiences. Through the format of the chosen media, users can interact with the content, which directly changes, influences, or affects the on-screen view.
Take something like scratch cards – one way to create virtual scratch cards would be to simply display the results immediately as a static graphic. However, this does not replicate the interactive ‘scratch’ element. Instead, online scratch cards such as Yahtzee, Cash Pong, and Crack The Code have an Instant Tap feature, which allows players to interact with the virtual scratch card in order to display the results. This means players will not know if they have won or not until they have revealed the symbols below, ensuring that the interactivity of the experience is as authentic and immersive as possible.
Elsewhere, interactive content could take the form of quizzes, interactive videos, infographics, or polls, which could be embedded on websites, in marketing emails, or in presentations. This type of content encourages users to participate with the brand or topic, better capturing the audience or consumer’s attention.
Benefits to the User
According to statistics collected by Forbes, 81% of marketers believe that interactive content is much more effective for catching the attention of users than static content. Not only this, but it generates 52.6% more engagement than static content, which means users spend more time looking at, interacting with, and sharing content that has interactive elements. This is because it is specially designed to create an immersive experience, and goes beyond the expectations of passive consumption.
Encouraging users to interact and engage with the content can generate benefits for the consumer. The mere presence of interactivity lends itself to tailored experiences, as each response or interaction will generate a different outcome, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach. With this in mind, this also opens the door for more personalization opportunities. Data collected through the interactive content can provide brands with useful insights that can help to improve and personalize customer experience.
Benefits to Brands
From a brand’s perspective, using interactive elements can show consumers that you are committed to solving their pain points, resolving queries, highlighting recommended products, or providing them with accurate information in a way that is fast and accessible. In turn, this will boost brand authority, improving retention and loyalty.
And, if a consumer trusts your brand, they’ll want to tell their friends. Today, word of mouth marketing still outperforms many advertising methods – 92% of people trust recommendations from family and friends over anything else when making a purchasing decision. Ultimately, this can increase traffic to the media, and improve conversion rates, whilst continuing to foster a strong loyalty towards the brand.
As you can see, there are many benefits to using interactive content in a wide range of applications for users, brands, and marketers alike. With this in mind, interactivity is a key element to any kind of content or media development strategy, as it can help to set brands apart from their competitors.
