No matter the industry, lead generation remains a top challenge for companies looking to move customers down the sales funnel. The digital transformation has reshaped the marketing approach, moving most of the sales process online.
For B2B, this has redefined how businesses connect and how advertising teams approach content marketing. A change in buyer behavior towards more time spent web searching means the corporate website has taken a central role and become a key asset in the lead generation process. Moreover, static content is no longer as engaging as it used to be.
Today, websites need powerful landing pages and strong user experiences to increase dwell time, convert leads, and thus drive revenue growth. In online sales, you only have a few seconds to make a meaningful impression on potential customers.
Read on to learn more about how to effectively utilize interactive content for lead generation: what interactive content is, why it’s essential, top tips for creating effective interactive content, and 12 effective types of interactive content to pursue lead generation best practices.
What is interactive content?
Interactive content is any digital content requiring input or participation from your website visitor. Instead of being passive receivers, users are actively involved and take part in a personalized shopping experience.
Some particularly effective interactive marketing formats include polls, quizzes, surveys, eBooks, games, and videos. These work to engage customers, improve customer satisfaction while navigating your website, and therefore generate more leads.
In addition, potential customers provide valuable insights for companies by inputting information, signing up for email lists, and participating in surveys. These can help you implement preferences and will bring you more leads in the long term.
Why is interactive content important for lead generation?
Interactivity breaks through the noise with memorable experiences that attract consumers in a way that sets it apart from traditional static content marketing.
Incorporating social media integrations, gamification, and incentives can further enhance user engagement, prompting interactions and the sharing of content across various platforms. Social media statistics indicate that interactive content receives higher engagement rates and shares, amplifying brand visibility and lead generation efforts.
This content generates leads by being user-friendly and engaging while providing website users with added value and educating them about specific products/experiences.
User-friendly
The main selling point of interactive content is that it’s immersive and fun, easy to understand, and user-friendly. The best content will enjoyably communicate your message to your audience and retain their attention.
Interactive content can attract leads through its ease of use. It should have responsive and fast-loading features but can also use social media integrations, gamification, and incentives to encourage users to input their information and send new users to your site.
Engaging
One central objective of interactive content is to increase user engagement. This is crucial for leads because boosted engagement and more time spent on your website will likely convert browsers to customers.
A good example of interactive content-creating leads is in the beauty industry. Countless skincare companies use quizzes as an interactive component that guides customers towards products most suited to their needs.
B2B content can be just as engaging when incorporating interactive elements. You can use quizzes highlighting your industry expertise and engage suppliers by asking specialist questions to determine what they need from your services.
Additionally, incorporating features like texting notifications for updates or personalized messages can further enhance user engagement and prompt return visits to your website.
Adds value
With so many options to choose from online, you want your website to add value to distinguish your business from the competition. Interactive content has significantly more potential to do this than simple static words.
Features like demo videos, newsletters, and interactive calculators give your visitors more value than traditional landing pages.
Some interactive features even give customers a reason to visit your website frequently, even after they’ve made a purchase or order. Games and calculators keep users visiting and engaged with your brand. This means they’re more likely to notice and be interested in new products/services.
Educates
Writing a full paragraph about your product/service might convey your message but it only works if website visitors are engaged and read it!
Interactive content is better because it can educate buyers more passively through engaging content like branded games and videos.
When customers are visiting your website for the purpose of education, eBooks and other learning tools give them exactly what they’re looking for and, in return, they are more likely to provide you with their details and sign up for email updates or newsletters.
Top tips for effective interactive content creation
Before you start using interactive content on your corporate website, you should define your goals for lead generation and identify your target demographic. Here are a few tips to get you started.
Know your audience
The best interactive content is created with a target audience in mind. Whether it’s for B2B or B2C sales, you need to know what motivates your potential customers to act. Gain an understanding of demographics and their specific needs.
What encourages your ideal customer to make a purchase? Gamification might work better with younger audiences, while eBooks and whitepapers could engage professionals in your industry.
Keep data secure
When you’re asking users to input personal data into your website it’s crucial that they can trust that their information is secure. User security and privacy should be your first priority regarding interactive content.
Make sure to back up your data regularly and communicate your data privacy policies to customers. Leaks are less likely to happen if you ensure sensitive data is encrypted, keep your software updated, and back up all your data.
Personalize content
You should leverage your data collection and customer analysis materials to produce personalized interactive experiences for users based on their previous online behavior, feedback, and preferences.
This will mean you build stronger connections with your customers and in turn, increase your engagement and lead generation.
Make it shareable
Creating enjoyable and useful, eye-catching interactive content (beyond advertising your brand) can mean it has a much greater reach.
Audiences are likelier to share fun content with friends and in their wider networks.
Ensure your interactive content is compatible with and looks good on all the latest devices. Consider brainstorming social media post ideas that accompany your interactive content, as audiences are more likely to share fun and engaging content with their friends and wider networks, thereby promoting lead generation and increasing brand awareness.
Free to use image sourced from Pexels
Provide value
Interactive content should go one step further by providing value for your users. Think about your target customer’s pain points and how to solve these. Answer questions and help guide them toward informed purchasing decisions.
Marketing automation strategies like email newsletters should add value while promoting your brand. Email content can include how-to guides and helpful information for buyers in your industry. Alternatively, they can include relevant offers and company updates.
12 types of interactive content for lead generation
With the right strategy, interactive content can be a long-term lead magnet for your business. Consider these 12 types of content designed to supercharge lead generation.
1. Calculators
Online calculators grow engagement by helping customers understand potential savings and the benefits of your products/services. If your services involve a complex pricing structure or the need for calculations, online calculators/configurators will keep customers on your website, instead of clicking off to find one elsewhere.
They can therefore help differentiate you from competitors by allowing potential customers to evaluate your services as a solution to their pain points in real-time.
2. Interactive infographics
Interactive infographics improve on static images with dynamic visualizations that offer clickable content and downloadable materials. These can even offer personalized elements with incorporated quizzes that suggest different downloadable materials depending on results.
3. Quizzes and polls
Quizzes have a wider range of applications and can be used in different ways for companies in various industries. Tailor your questions to your audience and ask for user information at the end to send results.
You can also use quizzes and polls to gather feedback from your customers. With this information, you’ll be able to produce personalized and targeted campaigns that, in turn, generate more leads.
4. Chatbots
The role of artificial intelligence in customer experience is constantly growing. Use AI’s potential to your advantage by incorporating chatbots into your corporate website. Chatbots can be a great way to provide efficient customer service solutions in real-time and capture information from users.
5. Videos
Interactive videos allow users to add annotations, click elements, and save content. They are particularly useful for businesses promoting professional products and services. For example, annotations can be useful additions to instructional and how-to videos.
They are simple to produce. A YouTube video can become interactive content by turning on the annotations feature.
6. Product finders
Product finders are an interactive mechanism that asks users to answer a series of questions, allowing for a custom product recommendation to be generated.
These systems are particularly good for revenue generation alongside leads as they pinpoint exactly the right products to appeal to individual consumers.
A good use case example for product finders might be for party supply hire companies. Potential customers could input the number of guests and the type of equipment required, and your site could output products that are the closest match to that description.
Audient has a sleek product finder that allows you to find the right audio product for you.
7. Games
Games and gamification are great ways to hold user attention on your page for a long time. They’ll generate leads by asking for user information before booting the game or allowing users to enter their details and rank in a public leaderboard.
Although more commonly found on eCommerce sites for B2C retail, there are several gamification options for B2B services to increase brand awareness and drive leads. For example, marketing games that incorporate your company logo or mascot.
Alternatively, you can develop games that gamify the common business problems faced by your customers.
For example, Japanese KFC outlet store their newest line of shrimp food items via gamification. In collaboration with Nintendo, the game designers, KFC created “Shrimp Attack.”
8. Contests and giveaways
Contests and giveaways attract buyers right at the beginning of the sales funnel. They increase brand awareness and create instant leads by collecting user information as a prerequisite for entering.
Contests will require entries to win a prize based on skill and outdoing the competition. A giveaway, by contrast, picks a winner randomly and every entry has an equal chance of winning.
You’ll need to collect contact details to notify potential winners but you should also ask permission to follow up.
9. Interactive emails
According to marketers worldwide, emails are the most effective type of interactive content for lead generation. Offering subscriptions or signing up for newsletters is one of the most transparent ways you can generate leads and engage with consumers. They’re also a flexible tool that can be altered and amended based on your current business needs.
This form of email marketing allows recipients to interact with emails, without opening a separate browser. They can incorporate image carousels and videos that keep customers engaged and encourage purchases with add-to-cart functionalities.
10. eBooks
eBooks and whitepapers are most suitable for generating B2B business leads, rather than in B2C sales. These resources should be educational, incorporating valuable industry knowledge that entices users to enter their contact details in exchange for download.
Consider hiring writers who are well-known in your field to write the content or create high-quality articles yourself with detailed research and unique resources.
11. Webinars and events
Hosting your webinars and events will draw people to your site and generate leads with event registration forms. Ensure you advertise your event through email and social media to draw people to the registration landing page. Teaser videos can also encourage engagement and build excitement.
You can even use other forms of interactive content to engage leads when the event is over. Send a summary email, link to the webinar recording, and encourage people to sign up for the next event.
12. Free trials and demos
Finally, free trials and demos should be essential to any website selling downloadable materials and software. Ask users to sign up for free trials so that you can follow up after the free period has ended.
A free trial can also encourage users to get to know your product and, after a positive experience, introduce other customers to it. This is particularly useful when selling business products. A single user in an IT department could introduce an entire company to your product/service.
Boost your lead generation with interactive content
Interactive content should be a key component of your online marketing strategy. With such a wide range of applications, it can be personalized to your audience and your lead generation needs.
Experiment with different forms of content to work out which type is most suitable for your target demographic. You might find a combination of strategies works best or that your users engage with a particular type of interactive content more than any other.
Once you’ve generated leads, remember to nurture them! Thank customers for signing up, entering contests, participating in free trials, and playing games. You can even follow up with more interactive content to encourage continuous engagement and motivate current customers to share your brand within their networks.
