According to Backlinko research, 4.48 billion people across the globe use social media. And 56.8 percent of the total population are active on social media irrespective of their age or web access.

To keep up with the digital generation, marketers in 2021 have reached a point where they feel that unfocused marketing campaigns do not make the cut.

What customers want now is hyper-active digital campaigns that allow them to directly connect with the brand. And the best part is even brands can now connect with their target user groups with customized messages through a new-age strategy called Interactive Marketing.

And believe it or not, 88 percent of the marketers say interactive content strategies differentiate them from their competitors.

Let’s take a closer look at interactive marketing and its various facets.

What is Interactive Marketing?

Interactive marketing, also known as trigger-based marketing, is a two-sided approach that majorly focuses on the different interactions and collaborations with the brand. The approach has been utilized in digital marketing for over a decade, however, it has grown increasingly common now that customization has gained the main focus.

Technology advancements, rising internet usage, and the prevalence of social media channels have shifted the attention towards interactive marketing dramatically.

Interactive marketing can also be considered one of the most important aspects of today’s modern communication, as it provides a wealth of concepts that nicely fit into traditional marketing.

Usually, marketers follow a straight route to create an ad, send it across the world, and finally wait for a reply from the intended audience. Traditional ways are being substituted by more efficient processes of two-way interactions, thanks to the broad data availability and the usage of numerous technologies.

It’s all well and worthwhile to know what interactive marketing is and why it’s beneficial, but how can you put it into action?

Well, if you are interested in learning about interactive marketing step-by-step, then you can go through Whisbi’s interactive marketing guide, which has beautifully elaborated all the essentials.

To outline the thought in somewhat more detail, we will investigate different types of interactive advertising and see how they work in 2021. Below listed are a few types of interactive marketing campaigns:

a) Content-based interactive storytelling

When we talk of engagement through interactions, storytelling tops the list. The best part is that type of content works well in diverse scenarios.

The idea is quite simple here. You get the data by providing the content to your users and in return, they get the solutions to their problems. Further, interactive storytelling helps to create varied experiences in multiple senses.

You can use interactive storytelling in a multitude of ways. You can create a microsite or an advanced listicle, and even make a personalized pitch or a visual message. For example, the best use of a microsite was the ‘Elf Yourself’ campaign, which was termed as the ‘greatest holi’.

b) Two-way interactions

day execution ever’. It helped in promoting a community feeling by engaging people in a shared experience.

You should be able to start a discussion with the content you publish in the public forums. It’s what distinguishes interactive marketing from other forms of marketing. The objective of these initiatives is for consumers to actively participate.

Marketers must maintain open lines of contact with their customers in order to make their material engaging. They may use a variety of interactive technologies to add interactivity to the content. The following are a handful of the tools listed:

• Quizzes — Back in 2015, 90% of the posts shared on Facebook were quizzes. As a student, you might have hated these quizzes, but organizations sure do know how to keep that fun element alive in these quizzes. The best part about this type of content is that it is highly shareable. Based on the results, you can also suggest products that suit your target audience the most.
• Surveys and tests — Draw in with your clients by giving them quick input as results. The justification for why individuals complete a survey or test is because they need to realize what score they got, for sure, others replied. This is how they check whether their perspective lines up with the remainder of individuals. The advantage of a survey is that clients will find their solutions sooner since it’s simpler to finish, and they don’t need to explore through numerous means to discover the outcome.
• Emails — It is also one of the most convenient ways of interactive marketing as it allows you to send email messages. This lets your customer know about your triggered appreciation and why you are considering them for your business and providing them with all the useful information to make a sale.
• Customized content — Only if a firm has insight into customer behavior, tastes, needs, or expectations can personalized content be generated. This means the firm will require a plethora of info about the customer to make educated guesses about their preferences.

Interactive Marketing: examples and best practices

Let’s look at some key interactive marketing examples that you need to be familiar with:

a) Infographics

According to a study by the Content Marketing Institute (CMI). 63% of the content marketers are using more infographics and images than ever before.

Visualizations are a great way to create interesting material. When a firm posts well-designed infographics on its website, people might share them on their own websites resulting in more backlinks, and ultimately, the company receives better organic traffic.

Infographics are effective tools for Pay per click (PPC) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firms to improve site relevancy, user engagement, and link attraction.

b) Puzzles

Have you heard about Cicada 3301?  If you haven’t, you’re not alone. This isn’t, however, a case of poor marketing, but  99.99% of the population on the globe is not the target audience. They wanted to find the best candidates.

To do so, they created a puzzle that can only be played by the most competent individuals. It was an internet puzzle with a lot of hints. You get a new clue every time you solve one.

c) User-generated content

User-generated content (UGC) is one of the wonderful examples of interactive marketing. One way to employ interactive content is to invite people to offer their own content. This technique, which is typically accompanied by a hashtag, performs effectively on social media. It’s a great way of highlighting your company’s target population and helping prospects and consumers to watch themselves depicted.

For example, a few years back GoPro worked its way to become the pioneer of UGC by incorporating the content of its users into its marketing strategy. Back in 2013, almost 6000 videos were uploaded on their YouTube channel every day. And today, their YouTube channel has more than 500,000 subscribers.

d)   Gamification

Gamification is the process of incorporating ‘game-like features into the real world.  It’s all about motivating human behavior by starting with intrinsic motivation, or motivation that comes from within.

Is it difficult to comprehend? Watch the video here to understand it in a better way.

Interesting, isn’t it?

e) Social Networking

It’s probable that you’ve encountered it more often. Advertisements on social media sites are unquestionably beneficial. Because you have been chosen to select certain specific products that are relevant to your interests.

Why does Interactive Marketing work in 2021?

77% of marketers consider interactive marketing highly effective and reusable. But the most important question here is what makes interactive marketing work in 2021?

Interactive marketing can assist businesses in 2021 by tracking the new features offered by the social media networks, coming up with creative ways to attract consumers, and boosting or marketing content in a way that appeals to the primary audience.

It is highly inspiring to discuss the breadth of interactive marketing for organizations. Businesses can now start directing their marketing efforts to the appropriate individuals through the appropriate channels thanks to interactive marketing.

This enables efficient resource utilization and improved conversion rates making it an essential component of all types of organizations today.

If you are using different types of marketing tools that will help you reach out to your targeted clients, you must devote your time and resources to interactive marketing. This will help you turn out as a form of marketing that has a wide range of advantages.

You must track and assess your performance whenever you begin an interactive marketing campaign. Consider the following questions:

• How does it compare to other approaches?
• Do you have a preference for one form of interactive marketing over another?
• Is this method providing you with any useful information about user preferences?

You can utilize the data to enhance and change your strategy in the future.

The best part about this marketing approach is that it helps you grab the attention of customers in a short period. However, sometimes they may need help to choose the right product or might be facing a hurdle due to their experience. Interactive marketing will help you showcase your targeted content to the customer and help them understand their needs and interest, which will brilliantly build trust.

Conclusion

Organizations that employ interactive marketing have a better opportunity of satisfying consumer demands as customers have already expressed interest in getting their problems resolved and marketers can respond to them through their valuable insights or actions.

Let us know in the Comments section below how effective you find interactive marketing campaigns in generating more leads for your business.

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