5 Interactive Content Types Social Media Marketers Must Use in 2018 (and Beyond)

The overload of content on the web and social media has desensitized users, and to some extent, has intimidated them too. In fact, in 2017, creating engaging content was the biggest challenge for 60% of marketers. Thankfully, we now have interactive content that has caught the attention of social media marketers worldwide. With its many benefits, it is likely to make waves in 2018.

Wait! What’s Interactive Content?

Interactive content can be referred to as any user experience that packs in an interactive element which allows audiences to participate in the content in order to find out an exciting outcome, useful answers, or results. In short, interactive content is a type of content that allows your social audience to get involved, ensures that your audiences remain entertained and engaged, without feeling targeted.

The craze of interactive content actually started with The New York Times’ quiz ‘How Y’all, Youse and You Guys Talk.’ Published in 2013, this quiz is still among the most shared quizzes on social media. Yet another quiz, BuzzFeed’s ‘Which State Do You Actually Belong In,’ overawed the marketing world. The quiz garnered an astounding 40 million page views with over 2.5 million likes. Such spectacular success of the quiz marked the beginning of the era of interactive content.

Is Interactive Content Actually Good For Social Media Marketing?

Are you still wondering if you should use interactive content on your social media platforms? Check out these stats revealed by conversion rate optimization experts at The Offbeat Story that are sure to convince you:

1. 81% of marketers believe that interactive content grabs attention quickly and effectively.
2. 93% of the most engaging Facebook posts are image posts and galleries.
3. 9 of 10 most shared Facebook posts were quizzes in January 2015.

 

Given these stats, it’s not rocket science to understand why social media marketers need to embrace interactive content to stay ahead of the curve in 2018 and beyond.

Now, I’m sure you’re all excited to create interactive content and rule all hearts on social media in 2018 and beyond.

But here’s the BIG QUESTION:

“What type of interactive content will generate more likes, shares, and engagement with social media?”

If you’re reading this blog, then you’re in luck! I’m going to reveal 5 different types of interactive content that will help you win the battle of attention on social media.

So let’s dive right in!

1. Tap into the Popularity Pool with Exciting Quizzes

Quizzes should be your top priority because of their amazing ability to excite and entice people. You’ll be surprised; an average quiz is shared nearly 2,000 times on social media. In fact, the top 5 quizzes in 2015 garnered more than 1.5 million shares.

Sounds unbelievable? But it’s true.

Theoffbeatstory.com reveals that 88% of marketers believe that quizzes are effective when it comes to differentiating your brand from competitors. And that’s why you must aim at adding interactive quizzes to your social media marketing mix.

Create quizzes that revolve around your products or services in order to involve your target audience in your business. But here’s the deal: Don’t fall for lengthy quizzes as they take time to complete and are less sharable on social media. Instead, go for short and compelling quizzes that take lesser time to complete. Soon, you will be amazed by the engagement and traffic you get from social media channels. Check out this post from Socialnomics experts to learn how to create an effective quiz in just a few minutes.

2. Catch-All Eyes with Beautiful Image Galleries

You probably already know:

90% of information processed in the brain is visual. And in the brain, visuals are processed 60000 times faster than text.

In addition:

Social media posts with images are ten times more likely to get engagement. No wonder, 74% of social media marketers use visual assets in their social media marketing.

Social media is ever-so-crowded and using images makes a brilliant way to stand out and grab some eyeballs in 2018 (and beyond). So go ahead and put your collection of brand images into a gallery. Now, post this image gallery on your social media platforms.

Of course, to grab the attention of your target audience, you’ll need to share images that instigate the interest of your target audiences. But remember to play by the rules. Don’t post things that your intended social media sites do not approve of.

Be sure to use a variety of images. This will help you keep your audiences’ attention. After all, you don’t want to run the risk of losing fans due to boredom. When posting on a variety of social media platforms, ensure of keeping your visual identity intact. This will help you increase your brand recall value.

3. Lure More Followers & Fans with Rewarding Contests

An effective and engaging social media contest can help you generate untapped engagement and value for your brand on social media.

Here’s why:

Social media contests can help build long-term relationships with your target audience and help create a steady stream of visual User Generated Content to create enough buzz for your content. But the best benefit of social media contests is the fact that these contests can help establish your brand as a visual influencer.

Remember:

It is human nature to accept challenges and participate in contests, especially when some attractive prize is at stake.

Here’s what you should do:

Start a contest for the audience or promote a giveaway. You’ll have the audience lapping up from your hands due to a prize at stake. Many types of contests such as random drawings, makeover contests, win a free [product name] contests, monthly contests can be held to capture people’s attention on social media.

Given these facts, it’s no wonder why contests are the key to take your branding message to a wide-ranging audience on social media in 2018 (and beyond). Moreover, these are perhaps the easiest of all interactive contents to create and implement.

4. Unleash the Immense Potential of Memes

Over the years, memes have been an essential part of the online experience, especially for social media users. In fact, online memes have become an essential part of the social culture of late.

What exactly is a meme?

Memes are humorous images or videos that are copied (with little or no variations) and spread rapidly by social media users worldwide. Memes feature jokes or pun that yields enough power to make even the most discerning of souls smile.

Using such memes will help you lure your target audience and engage them with something to laugh about and something to be inspired with, in 2018 (and beyond)!

But before you jump into action and start creating memes:

Don’t forget to discover what’s trending on the internet. Pick subjects that clearly relate to your brand and business. Choose meme subjects that can aptly show your brand’s personality. Don’t forget to add the ones that can evoke the emotions of your target audience to your bucket list.

Be careful when creating content for your memes. Keep it short and simple and ensure that your visuals match with your brand message. Now, whenever you come across some funny idea, turn it into memes and get traffic from social media instantly.

5. Use Videos to Boost Your Social Media Engagement

You’ll be surprised:

Over 8 billion videos are watched on Facebook every day.

Thanks to social media channels, videos have become very popular. In fact, videos are social media marketers’ best friends when it comes to tapping into the pool of untapped social media audiences.

If you’re looking to unleash a humungous following on social media in 2018 (and beyond), make it a point to create videos that are persuasive.

Here’s what you must do:

Create awesome, meaningful videos. Include website links, proper attribution, and call to action in your videos. This is because 65% people who view a video on social media channels also click through to visit the website.

Ensure that the length of your videos is no longer than 2 minutes. Remember, videos up to 2 mins long get the most engagement on social media channels. Keep your videos relevant to your business. Make it a point to communicate a message in a memorable manner with your audiences through your videos.

Now it’s Your Turn!

In 2018 (and beyond), you must try these 5 (aforementioned) interactive content in order to create maximum engagement, get more likes and shares and generate more social media leads without having to burn the midnight oil.

So if you’ve not been able to rule the roost on social media in 2017, now’s your chance. Go for the change. Remember, with interactive content in hand, it’s not too difficult to unleash the maximum potential of social media for your business.

Do you have any questions about anything you’ve read? Leave a comment quick below. We’ll be around to answer your questions.