Ideas for incorporating interactive content into your marketing strategy

Interactive content is gaining popularity. Read why marketers are increasingly adopting interactive elements as part of their content marketing strategies.

Static forms of content such as articles and images continue to be popular among marketers and their target audiences. For example, blog posts remain the most popular content formats among brands working to achieve their content marketing goals—90% continue to use them, HubSpot reports.

Even so, content marketing trends are evolving; and interactive content appears to be at forefront. "The number of businesses using interactive content almost doubled from 2023 to 2024," Forbes reports. "36.1% of businesses engaged with this content type in 2023, while 62.3% report doing so in 2024."

This raises two questions: What constitutes interactive content; and how can healthcare marketers get the best results from new interactive content marketing methods? In this article, explore methods and benefits of incorporating interactive content into your healthcare marketing strategy.

Defining interactive content marketing

Broadly speaking, interactive content marketing is the practice of using content that requires active engagement and participation from an audience. "Interactivity" in this context could be as simple as a multiple-choice question or as complex as a calculator to achieve a result that is desirable to both the marketer and the participant.

Examples include:

• Quizzes that test participants’ knowledge
• Polls that allow participants to share their opinion on a topic
• Infographics with clickable elements or animations

Unlike traditional content—which works as a static “gateway” —interactive content is responsive to user interaction, personalizing experiences in real time for a deeper experience with the brand. Today, interactive content generates 52.6% more engagement than static content, Search Engine Journal reports.

Interactive content with AI is still in its early stages

Artificial intelligence (AI) may increasingly play a role in interactive content marketing techniques with these opportunities in mind. Even so, while marketers are increasingly using AI for internal processes, investments in AI content marketing tools remain relatively low today: only 7% of companies spend their marketing budget on "AI content marketing tools," Forbes reports. Even so, new opportunities with AI may arise as the risks and opportunities of customer-facing AI become better understood.

Three types of interactive content for healthcare marketers

Healthcare marketers hoping to reach healthcare providers (HCPs), hospital administrators, and other decision makers can employ leading forms of interactive content to achieve their goals and the best ROI. Here we identify three worthwhile interactive content formats you can consider for your own campaigns.

1. Quizzes

While simple, quizzes are among the most popular and effective interactive content marketing methods for healthcare marketers. “A well-produced quiz can achieve opt-in rates north of 50% and improve lead generation,” according to MarketingProfs.

• Quizzes can quickly highlight pain points and opportunities among your target audience as they participate and see the results of their selections—areas where your product or service can help.
• Quizzes can help increase engagement on your website or social media channels. Encourage users to share their results with others, generating interest and brand awareness among their followers.
• Use quizzes to gather valuable insights about your audience’s knowledge, preferences, and pain points. This data can inform future content strategies and campaigns.

Given the sensitive nature of the industry, healthcare marketers must be careful to ensure that quizzes comply with relevant healthcare regulations and don’t ask audiences to share potentially sensitive data.

2. Interactive infographics

Infographics are a visually appealing and informative way to present data and complex information. Interactive infographics can do more in terms of delivering value to your audience and driving awareness and appeal for your brand.

• Use interactive infographics to allow users to explore different layers of data or dive deeper into specific topics that interest them.
• Animated infographics can help bring statistics and concepts to life, making them more engaging and memorable for your audience.
• Interactive call-to-action (CTA) buttons in an infographic can lead users to relevant content or product pages on your website.

Similar to quizzes, healthcare marketers must ensure infographic statistics and any claims made about them abide by HIPAA and other relevant regulations.

3. Interactive white papers

Interactive white papers offer a dialogue that traditional white papers cannot. They provide a dynamic experience for readers, allowing them to explore a topic and engage with content in ways that are interesting and valuable.

• Use interactive white papers to help your audience better understand complex topics, products or services.
• Interactive elements like videos, animations, clickable images, and calculators can help break down key messages and keep readers engaged.
• Gathering user data through interactive elements in the white paper can help you identify key interests and pain points among your audience.

Interactive content is the difference between delivering advertisements and providing your target audience with an experience. It also helps your content stand out from the billions of blog posts and other static content types that flood the internet today. Be sure to consider interactive content as you prepare your next campaign.