Interactivity in Digital Marketing

Web and app technologies provide lots of marketing opportunities that are not available in traditional forms of media, such as print and broadcast video and audio. The web allows marketers to take their marketing efforts further with interactivity. This interactivity encourages users to engage with the brand and share their experiences with others. In this post, we’ll explore interactivity in digital marketing to help you expand your marketing efforts and take advantage of interactive marketing.

Interactive marketing is different from passive marketing. Interactivity requires web technology to provide interactive elements, such as buttons and fields. It’s things that users can click or touch. With passive marketing, the user just sees the information. They’re passive observers. Let’s look a little closer at both types of marketing.

Passive Marketing

In passive marketing, communication is one-way. The brand would create an ad for several types of media for the consumer to view. This includes print such as a magazine or catalogue, or broadcast such as radio and TV. The consumer could see or hear the ad, but they can’t communicate with the brand. The conversation only goes in one direction.

Ads in these types of media are passive. To respond to the ads, users must leave the media and go do something else such as make a phone call, send an email, wait until they see the product in a store, etc. They can’t interact with the ad itself. A purchase or conversion is made outside of the ad.

Interactive Marketing

With interactive marketing, communication is a two-way street. It goes both ways between the brand and the consumer. Audiences can interact with the ad and engage with the brand. They can click a link or have a conversation. Interactive marketing is made possible with digital devices such as smartphones, tablets, computers, e-readers, smart watches, TVs, smart speakers, and more.

Interactivity in digital marketing is a marketing technique that emphasizes interaction between a brand and the consumer. It gets the consumer to respond and have conversations or interactions with the brand. It can be considered trigger-based marketing.

Interactions are handled through various social media platforms and other types of posts including videos, images, blog posts, games, and lots more. Interactions can include polls, comments, sharing buttons, shopping cart buttons, links to see more information, and lots more.

The goal of the media is to drive interactions with the audience. It allows brands to get creative and engage with their audience in new and fun ways. This lowers marketing costs and increases conversions.

Interactivity in digital marketing creates an experience. It provides triggers for users to interact with. It works on many platforms, but some of those platforms offer different opportunities, or different types of triggers, than others. They allow for different types of interactivities that can work in different places within the sales funnel.

Interactive content is sharable. One of the most important goals is to have others share your content. Sharing is free advertising.

There are lots of examples of platforms and methods for interactivity in digital marketing. We’ll look at the most popular and see the types of interactivities they offer. All of these examples can be embedded into other platforms to expand their reach and interactivity.

There are several types of interactive digital marketing. Here’s a look at the most common types and their advantages.

Conversations

Encouraging users to leave comments is one of the most popular and effective forms of interactive marketing. Conversations are held through comments on all types of media. They’re usually public, but users can also communicate with the brand through chat boxes. Social media, videos, and blog posts are the most popular types of platforms for interactive conversations with brands.

Hashtags

Hashtags are an interesting tool that you can create for your posts. You can use as many as you want or will fit if you have limited space for your post. They help describe your content with a few words and they’re interactive. They allow anyone who uses the hashtag to create content that others can find by clicking the hashtag. Clicking then makes it easy to find other posts with that hashtag.

Polls

Polls allow users to vote on something. Visitors like to take part in polls to see how their opinions, tastes, etc., compare to others. Polls invite them to return often. They can return to the poll and see how the vote is progressing, and they can see the results once the poll closes. Polls are easy to share, so users are encouraged to share them with their friends and audiences. They can bring attention to the brand.

The poll can focus on anything you want, but it’s best if they’re brand-focused. The more passionate your visitors are about the topic, the more likely they are to take part in the poll, share with their friends, and return to see the progress.

Quizzes

Quizzes are a fun interactive way for the user to interact with the brand. Users get an answer as soon as they’ve completed the quiz, which they find satisfying. Users often enjoy sharing their results with others, which draws attention to the quiz and increases your traffic.

The quiz can be about anything, but it’s best if it’s based on the brand and marketing goals. Many users like quizzes that are just for fun, which can be great for increasing traffic, which is a good goal for almost any website.

Calculators

Calculators can provide visitors with information to help them make a decision. Users can choose options and see different prices. Calculators have lots of uses. They’re great for travel companies, and real estate agencies, comparing multiple services, choosing between products, etc. Ultimately, calculators can help users decide to choose your company for their needs.

Contests and Giveaways

Contests are excellent for interactive digital marketing. The possibility of winning entices users to interact with your brand. There are lots of options for running contests. Users can gain more entries by sharing your giveaway on their platforms, writing blog posts, returning every day to enter again, following your brand on social media platforms, subscribing to your email newsletter, and lots more.

For more information about running giveaways on your website, see the article How to Run a Giveaway Without Getting in Trouble.

Targeted Ads

Targeted ads use cookies to place ads on platforms the user visits. When a visitor sees your content or offer, such as a course or product, and then visits a platform where you’re running the ads, they’ll see an ad for your course or product on that platform.

This is why you’ll see ads on Facebook for something you looked at on another platform, such as Amazon. They’re a great reminder of the content they’ve seen on your website and increase the chances they’ll make the purchase.

Search Engine Marketing

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is the practice of purchasing ads with search engines. When someone searches for something related to your keywords, your ad will display. SEM also includes improving your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) so potential visitors can find you in their search results.

For more information about using ads, see the article How to Advertise With Google Ads. For more information about SEO for business, see the article 16 SEO Tips for Small Businesses.

There are several ways interactive digital marketing can be implemented. Here’s a look at the most common options.

Social Media Posts

Social media posts are great for comments and sharing. Posts are easy to share across the platform and on other platforms. Hashtags make them easy to find. Many platforms allow for sales buttons and interactive ads.

For more information about marketing with social media, see the articles Social Media Marketing in the 2020s and How To Create an eCommerce Social Media Strategy.

Blog Posts

Blog posts work similarly to social media posts, but you have more options for the types of posts you create, and you can add media within the post. Post types include text, audio, video, etc. You can place links within the content as buttons, on the text, and the images. It’s a great way to lead the user through your content into your sales funnel.

Blog posts include a comments section where users can interact with the brand and other users. You can also include social sharing links, encouraging users to share your posts with their audiences. Blog posts also allow for ads in the posts, ads in the sidebars and headers, popups, etc.

For more information about blogging, see the articles How to Write a Good Blog Post, How Many Blogs Should You Post a Week, and How to Host a Blog.

Videos

Videos are excellent for informing the viewer about the company or products and services in a way that can be entertaining. They can capture the viewer’s attention and build a following even if the focus is not on a product or service. You can upload your videos to popular platforms and embed them or upload them to your website.

Videos include lots of interactive elements that are built into the platform. They include comments, subscription buttons, like buttons, sharing features, and CTA buttons. Videos also include descriptions, which can provide links and offers.

For information about placing your videos into a video section, see the article Video Section Website Design.

Audio

Audio provides several possibilities for interactive marketing. This is popular because it allows listeners to listen to audio on the go, at their desks, during workouts, and lots more.

Depending on the platform, podcast players can include a comments section, sharing buttons, and a description with a CTA. Smart speakers and related apps open up new possibilities for interactive marketing including vocally. Listeners can easily add a product to their shopping carts, ask for more information, ask for a reminder, etc.

Livestreams

Livestreams are a type of video, but they’re more unique in that they’re live. This allows viewers to interact with the brand through video, and the brand can interact with them in the video. Live videos on video platforms such as YouTube or Twitch are a popular method of livestreaming. You can also do webinars through apps such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

Livestreams allow for two-way Q&A sessions, comments on the feed, interactive buttons, links in descriptions, and more. With comments in the feed, viewers can interact with both the brand and other live viewers.

For more information, see the article How to Build a Webinar.

Email

Email is one of the most popular marketing options on the web. Practically everyone who accesses the web has an email address. When visitors sign up for your email newsletter, they’re allowing you to contact them with your marketing efforts.

Email platforms can display HTML. This opens the possibilities of interactive marketing. Options include links, forms, feedback requests, quizzes, polls, live shopping carts, games, and more. Even emails that provide recent news can include a call to action.

For more information about marketing with email, see the articles 10 Reasons Why You Need to Build an Email List and WordPress Email Plugins.

Your Website’s Pages

The pages of your website are great for implementing interactive digital marketing techniques. Place ads, polls, quizzes, and more within your home page, landing page, sidebars, and more. It’s important to have a high-quality website with great hosting.

For more information about starting a WordPress website see the articles How to Start a Blog on WordPress and Top 10 Online Courses for WordPress to Build a Website.

For information about finding the perfect hosting plan for you, see What Is Web Hosting? and Hosting Requirements for WordPress.

That’s our look at interactivity in digital marketing. Interactive marketing encourages users to interact with the brand and provides the audience with a satisfying experience they want to share with others. Many of these methods can be implemented on your WordPress website, favorite social platforms, email, and more. There are many other ways that interactive digital marketing can be used in your marketing strategies, but the options on this list are great places to start.

We want to hear from you. Do you use any of these interactive digital marketing strategies? let us know about your experience in the comments.