7 Ways to Boost Lead Generation Through Interactive Content
Interactive content is useful in numerous ways. It helps boost time on page, reduces bounce rate, and improves engagement. It can certainly help you establish a more meaningful connection with your target audience.
Plus, it can be a great asset in lead generation and power up your data-gathering efforts. Here are seven ways to use interactive content for lead generation purposes.
a) Promote the Product Front and Center
A great way to use interactive content is to combine its lead generation and product demonstration aspects. By using it to show your audience what your solution does, what it’s capable of, and what they can expect, you can significantly boost conversion and signup rates.
There are several ways to implement an interactive product demonstration. You can provide leads with a free trial, which will give them backstage access to your entire product (or at least most of it). SEMRush does this, for example.
You can also provide limited free access to parts of your product. This is what Clockify does with their time tracking app, which is used to convert leads to paying customers.
You can also put the product front and center, which is what UnscrambleX does with their anagram solver. It’s the hero of all of their pages, and it instantly solves the leads’ problem. There is no need to convince a visitor to try it, as it’s literally the first thing they will do.
b) Prove Your Expertise
Interactive content is also a great way to demonstrate and prove your expertise and experience. If you build it based on industry insights, knowledge amassed, and situations personally faced, it can go a very long way in proving your authority and trustworthiness.
Depending on your industry, this content can come in the form of a calculator, a quiz, or an ebook. The key is in pinpointing an issue your audience needs help with — one that is directly tied to your brand — and providing an interactive solution.
As an example, take a look at MarketBeat’s dividend calculator. The tool allows users to calculate income from their dividend stock portfolios. Its complexity is evident. If the calculator process were easy, people wouldn’t need to search for a calculator — they could make their own educated estimates. The creation of it requires both the understanding of finance and current trends in the field.
Since the calculator is exceptionally helpful, it will elevate the brand in visitors’ eyes, and they are likely to return and become more qualified leads.
c) Tie a Solution to the Problem
Interactive content also allows you to promote your own solution for a particular problem. This does not mean you need to blatantly promote and sell your product or service. It just means that you should incorporate them in your final piece of content in an organic way.
Let’s look at an example to explain the point better. ATH has a protein calculator tool that is of great service to anyone who is just getting started on their fitness journey, as well as anyone who just wants to eat better and understand their protein intake needs.
Once the visitor is given a concrete number, they have the opportunity to immediately find a solution that will help them increase the amount of protein they consume: the ATH’s own protein powders.
Note how well they have incorporated the products on the page. They don’t tell you to “buy now;” they merely tell you how much protein is in their different products and offer helpful links to them.
d) Help Leads Make a Choice
Another take on the above example is providing a piece of interactive content that can help your visitors choose a particular item from your stock. This is especially useful if your product is something that requires a certain level of expertise or if it’s not something you buy every day.
This is a good example: Gili’s SUP board finder quiz helps leads choose a SUP board based on their skills and experience. It’s helpful and very quick to take, and you are ultimately given a specific product recommendation.
Even if a lead does not choose to make a purchase right away, they are likely to sign up to the brand’s newsletter, at least to get notified when the product they have been shown is on sale or when there are special offers available.
They are also likely to remember your brand longer and keep coming back to your website as they keep looking to make a purchase.
e) Teach Your Audience
Another great way to generate leads with your interactive content is to teach them something about your niche or industry. This piece may not be for everyone, and it will likely target a specific audience segment.
For instance, you can check out this interactive infographic on the acquisition strategies of tech giants. It’s not going to be something every business owner will be able to apply, but it is a very interesting insight into the comparison of different tactics and events that have shaped the modern tech landscape.
Incorporating conference photography can enhance these insights by providing visual documentation of these influential events, adding depth and context to your content.
This type of content is likely to get a lot of social shares, so make sure you make it easy from the page itself. It is also likely to generate lots of backlinks and help you reach an even wider audience.
f) Keep It Light and Fun
Interactive content can also be used for the purpose just mentioned: to generate links and shares and widen your reach. The best way to do this is by creating a fun, interesting piece of content that will appeal to a wide audience.
This interactive infographic on the creative routines of famous people is a good example. While nothing more than an interesting insight into how people who have made a mark on history have structured their day, it’s a great conversation starter on social media. And it’s also a great example of interactive content, which is how it has earned this mention.
Choose a topic that will appeal to your widest audience segment. You can also pinpoint a controversial subject that sees a lot of buzz online and add your two cents into the mix.
g) Don’t Insist on Personal Information
Finally, don’t forget that sometimes the best way to generate leads is to give them the option not to opt in. When you gate your interactive content and insist leads give you their personal information in exchange for a quiz result, for example, you will be alienating quite a bit of them.
Instead, ensure that your content is useful and that it provides specific value. Then often an optional opt-in, and let leads make the choice for themselves. A lot of them will be happy to hear from you again, but even those who won’t will remember you as a decent brand that cares about their leads’ choices.
A good example is this dog breed quiz by DogsPlanet. It will not only help you choose a dog but also offer you to get additional helpful content delivered to your inbox. As a soon-to-be dog owner, you are less likely to refuse, having just been given some useful information.
Wrapping Up
Consider which of these tactics makes the most sense for your audience before you begin the process of content creation. While you may end up utilizing all of them, start with the one that will have the most impact.