Connecting With Audiences in a New Way INTERACTIVE MARKETING
In marketing, we find two forms of content: passive and interactive. Passive content is a form of advertising that does not require anything of the viewer, like a sign, an ad, or a television commercial — many traditional forms of marketing are decidedly passive. Interactive content, however, demands something of the viewer and, in turn, draws further engagement from them. If you want to learn more about this type of marketing, then read on about what interactive marketing is and how you can use it to strengthen your brand. Components of Interactive Content If your marketing efforts included polls, contests, assessments, quizzes, games, or interactive eBooks, they were interactive. While most marketing revolves around one-way communication with the viewing audience, interactive content requires some reciprocation. Not only does this content increase engagement, but you can also leverage it to gather valuable data about
your customer base and increase brand engagement simultaneously. The Interactive Impetus Interactive content is becoming more prevalent, especially among larger corporations. An astounding 87% of marketers agree that it increases engagement compared to passive content. As of this year, 62.3% of companies are utilizing some form of interactive content in their marketing campaigns, an increase of more than 16%. Serious Engagement According to a study by the Content Marketing Institute, 60% of content marketers listed “producing engaging content” as a top challenge. That problem has an answer: interactive content. With the high numbers of people who use their cellphones daily, interactive marketing is more accessible and prolific than ever before. A survey by Inc. com rates interactive content as 93% effective as opposed to static content, which ranks at
70%. More than just a tool for advertisement, interactive content can also educate potential customers about your product or service. And those who engage with your content are more likely to appreciate its message, which improves your brand’s strength. Creating interactive content can help reshape your engagement levels and give you a stronger brand and a more loyal audience.
TAKING THE PULSE
SOCIAL LISTENING SUPERCHARGES MARKETING SUCCESS
Monitoring what people say about your products and services on social media, known as “social listening,” can be a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal. Deciding how to use it, however, is a high- risk, high-reward proposition. According to the Digital Marketing Institute, a training and certification company, social listening has huge potential rewards if done well. These include burnishing your brand’s reputation, understanding your customers more deeply, and gathering valuable intelligence on your competitors. However, if you decide not to bother with social listening or do it poorly, you miss out on the world’s largest source of customer insights at your peril. For example, if a new marketing campaign touches on negative commentary on social media, a tuned-in business can quickly retool the campaign. A company that doesn’t use social listening is likely to be blindsided. Companies can also analyze conversations to determine what customers like and don’t like about, for example, a new hamburger menu item or a meal-delivery service, and understand the underlying emotions.
Various social listening tools, including Hootsuite, Google Alerts, Brandwatch, SparkToro, and Mention, can assist you. The first step in working out a social listening strategy is to research your buyer personae, or the fictional profiles of your prototypical customers, to help you decide what to listen for online and on what platforms. Then, figure out what you want to accomplish. Most businesses use social listening to learn how people feel about their brand, monitor industry trends, and identify high- impact keywords and hashtags. Casting a wide social-listening net will undoubtedly capture some negative reviews. Rather than avoiding unpleasant feedback, use it as an opportunity to shine. If a customer complains, reach out as quickly as possible and describe what you’re doing to solve the problem. Log, organize, analyze, and study your data for trends and insights. Over time, understanding where, how, and why your business is mentioned online will empower you to stay ahead of customer tastes and industry trends.
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