Almost half of marketers are now using interactive content, and 79 per cent are planning to increase their spend on quizzes, assessments, games, contests and other similar experiences to drive engagement, according to new research published by the Content Marketing Institute (CMI).
The Symphony of Connected Interactive Content Marketing white paper presents the results from a survey conducted earlier this year by CMI. It found that marketers are turning to interactive formats in increasing numbers and are doing so primarily to increase engagement (the top reason listed by respondents), create brand awareness, educate and inform an audience and improve lead generation.
This is the second study of its kind published by CMI, and the latest research shows an influx of marketers using interactive content for the first time. The majority of respondents (55 per cent) said that they have been using interactive formats for less than three years, which is an uptick on the 47 per cent figure from last year, and they said that these formats comprise 13 per cent of all the content that they create.
Marketers with a mature strategy are more likely to produce interactive content, as those with three years’ experience or more said that it comprises almost a quarter of their content output. However, 79 per cent of all marketers said that they anticipate an increase in the use of interactive formats this year, which is an improvement on the 75 per cent who said so last year.
Interactive infographics are the most popular content type, with 52 per cent of marketers now using them in campaigns, while contests (47 per cent), calculators (46 per cent), quizzes (46 per cent) and assessments (46 per cent) round out the top five.
In terms of pushing consumers along the sales funnel, games are rated best for awareness and discovery of products and services, interactive e-books are most effective for mid-stage consideration and configurators and wizards are best for late-stage decision making.
“It was interesting to note that marketers found ‘lighter’ interactive content experiences, such as games and contests, almost as effective – if not more effective – than more intensive experiences, such as assessments and lookbooks,” CMI Chief Strategy Adviser Robert Rose added. “This suggests that if marketers spend time connecting a more holistic platform rather than producing one-off or ‘big-bang’ projects, they will see more success.”
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