Why Interactive Content Leaves Static Content in the Dust
Interactive content outperforms static content because it offers an engaging experience.
There’s a lot of content out there. Today, 90% of B2B marketers use content as a marketing tool, and 60% plan to increase their content marketing budget over the next year, according to the Content Marketing Institute. That’s a whole lot of eBooks, white papers, infographics, case studies, webinars, videos, data sheets, demos, blog posts…you get the picture. The web is saturated with content. Pick any B2B topic and Google “tips” or “best practices” for it. You’ll see what we mean.
In order to achieve your content marketing objectives, your content needs to stand out by being as engaging as possible. Interactive content is better at this than static content. But what is interactive content? And how does it compare with static content?
Static vs. Interactive Content
Static content is one-way.
It doesn’t adapt to the user.
Examples include blog posts, web articles, white papers, podcasts, data sheets, case studies, etc.
Everyone who reads, watches, or listens gets the same experience.
Interactive content, on the other hand, is two-way.
It adjusts to the user’s behavior while providing a personalized experience.
Examples include quizzes, polls, surveys, assessments, and photo contests—anything that creates a dialogue between your company and the user.
Unlike static, interactive content holds the potential for truly imaginative and entertaining experiences. Pieces of static content simply can’t do this, no matter how well-crafted they are.
Because of this, interactive content does big things better than static content:
– It drives more clicks, conversions, and shares
– It tive content grabs more eyeballs, and for longer, because users don’t just get marketing—they enjoy an experience that’s worthwhile on its own merits.
They’re not just “talked at.” The numbers back this up. Interactive content dramatically outperforms static content. It typically achieves a:
· 50% click rate
· 55% conversion rate
· 80% completion rate
· 13% share rate
As well:
(1) It achieves 4-5x more pageviews than static content. More views and higher conversion rates means more leads at the top of the funnel.
(2) Let You Learn About Your Audience
(3) Interactive content enables you to learn about leads. Smart marketers are strategic in writing interactive assessments. The questions they pose get users to willingly provide valuable information that’s used to nurture them down the sales funnel.
(4) Static content lets users learn about you; interactive content lets you learn just as much about them.
(5) Enhances the Value of Existing Content. If you have long form pieces of content, like white papers and eBooks, you know what tremendous investments of time and resources they are.
(6) Interactive content works better than static content at increasing the value and shelf life of these assets. After a white paper or eBook is complete, there’s only so many times you can use email blasts, social media posts, and blog posts to encourage your audience to download. However, there’s enough info in those assets to create multiple interactive assessments (like quizzes and surveys). Each can be promoted while driving traffic to the original asset. Pieces of interactive content that survey or test knowledge can take dry info and data bring it to life in ways static content can’t.
The bottom line: Interactive content works better than static content because it listens to the user. It treats them like the individuals they are.