In business, regardless of industry, one of the biggest challenges is keeping an audience’s attention. This is especially true when it comes to promotional efforts by online marketing companies, including social media engagement and email campaigns. Generally speaking, marketing is a passive experience for the user. In other words, they simply read or view what they’re being presented. Even if the content is well-made, there is a possibility that the individual’s attention will wane. Fortunately, there exist multiple possibilities to better engage audiences.
This is where interactive marketing can prove useful. Interactive marketing is a practice that places emphasis on user behaviors, actions, and predilections. What this does is allow for direct communication between users and companies. Interactive marketing ensures that users aren’t speaking into the void. Rather, they’re directly interacting with the brands they either view favorably or are interested in learning more about.
Like any promotional effort, interactive marketing can be done in multiple ways. There are various forms of content to consider, ranging from blog posts to images to video. Such categories can be tailor-made for interactivity, provided they’re crafted well. Content creation is another area where Long Island SEO and digital marketing agencies shine. With this said, for a better understanding of how interactive marketing can be done, consider the following examples.
Quizzes – On the surface, what better way to know an audience than to quiz them? Online quizzes are nothing new; they’ve been prevalent across interests such as entertainment and technology for years. However, it can’t be denied just how useful they are for interactive marketing purposes. For example, a travel website may help potential clients organize trips by offering suggestions. This can be done in a quiz format, asking them when they plan to travel, specific types of attractions they have in mind, among other travel-related details. This may appear to be a simple form of interactive marketing, but it can provide substantial information to assist in future promotional efforts.
Polls – From Twitter to Instagram and beyond, online polls are incredibly useful for spurring engagement. Interactive marketing experts will agree, as all a user has to do is click on an option that they prefer. The user doesn’t have to sift through blocks of text or navigate multiple pages to complete the action. Additionally, polls may allow users to have a direct impact on how companies conduct their business. Users can vote on new branding, products to be released in the future, and the like. Seeing as how polls are easy to set up, not only on social media but websites in general, they’re a worthwhile option for those looking to boost their interactive marketing efforts.
Contests – Another common form of interactive marketing is contests. It’s easy to see why businesses rely on them to this day. First, they’re inherently engaging. Contests spur competition, which influences people to vie for certain prizes. Second, they’re generally easy to sign up for. Oftentimes, all a user has to provide is their name, email address, and phone number. Third, contests provide businesses with additional business, depending on how well they’re conducted. Contests may not apply to all businesses, but for those that specialize in physical products, they’re a no-brainer.
Graphics – Did you know that graphics can be designed with interactive marketing in mind? Sharp, colorful graphics catch the eye. Just as importantly, they may also encourage user engagement. To frame this, a website may ask, via images, a series of questions to a user. These questions should be relatively simple, allowing the user to respond with “yes” or “no.” From there, the website will compile the information before providing the user with a solution tailored to their responses. This speaks volumes about the importance of graphic design and the possibilities that interactive marketing may yield.
Virtual Reality – This is perhaps the most recent form of interactive marketing. While still a work in progress, virtual reality provides users with in-depth experiences that make them feel they’re in completely different worlds. To say that this form of interactive marketing has potential would be an understatement. A real estate agency may use it to help buyers better understand the homes they’re interested in. This is just one example, but the technology can’t be denied, especially now as the world continues to evolve during COVID-19. Not only is virtual reality cutting-edge, from a technology standpoint, but it can provide a substantial level of safety to boot.
About fishbat: fishbat is a full-service Long Island website design and marketing agency. Utilizing the latest technologies and forward-thinking strategies, fishbat is able to create marketing plans that are tailor-made for specific needs and goals. The services that fishbat provides include, but aren’t limited to, social media management, search engine optimization, content marketing, email marketing, and branding. With these, businesses will be able to market directly to their audiences, increasing traffic, engagement, and ultimately, revenue.
