Bob Dylan is an iconic music artist with a following that crosses generations. And one of his most iconic songs, of course, was “Like a Rolling Stone.” So, when it was time to release a new box set of his music, marketing executives worked on creating interactive content, specifically a video, or in this case, a series of videos. Viewers could choose and click through 125 different videos, everything from Dust Buster commercials to news reporting, all with the “actors” breaking into “like a rolling stone.” It was hysterical.
This is actually a simple example of creating interactive content that encourages consumers to engage with the content and, thus, the company. And this campaign for Dylan racked up over a million views the first day of its launch.
The ability for consumers to interact with screens isn’t new – consumer interaction is as old as video games, for certain. And content marketing also isn’t the new trendy marketing tool. As the technology evolved (and became much easier to use), it was only natural for content marketers to find a great way to merge content marketing and interaction for a much more engaging user experience.
And, with oceans of content out there, all vying for consumer attention, engaging consumers with great interactive experiences is a priority. Creating interactive content comes in many forms, such as quizzes, surveys, games, videos, and, most recently, AR and VR.
Interactive content is now used for almost all venues and purposes – as part of a social media marketing strategy, for brand promotion on websites and in blogs, public relations, and even new product development launches for small and midsized businesses around the globe.
A Great Supply of Tools
As creating interactive content became more popular, developers created apps and other software to make crafting it much easier. And while there may be a bit of a learning curve, content writers can find the tools they need for almost anything they want to do.
While not comprehensive, here is a list of current resources for creating interactive content.
1. Proprofs
This piece of software provides quizzes, surveys, and polls, among other things (like brain games, live chat, etc.). While widely used by educators for online tests and quizzes, some of its available features marketers find pretty amazing.
Videos and other media are used for greater interaction; with brand logos are inserted; and results are immediately available for participants. You’ve probably seen several of those “personality quizzes” pop up on your Facebook feed, it is possible they were created by Proprofs.
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There are a bunch of cool features in the survey maker function and it provides results reports that help drive business decision-making.
The poll maker features let a user select from several options – MCQ’s, checkboxes, etc. – that are text- or image-based. Users have a ton of customization options.
2. Survey Monkey
This platform was around for many years and is still standing as a frontrunner in crafting surveys and questionnaires of all types. There are 15 types of questions offered and they are created, customized, and sent out with specific types of reporting and analysis. All of this is free.
The premium version obviously offers many more options and features, including greater security and privacy measures.
3. Google Forms
Google Forms is an app within the series, Sheets and Slides, and is exclusively built for survey and poll creation. It’s easy to use, providing multiple options, and an unlimited number of questions.
The app allows for a lot of customization, including photos, logos, themes, colors, fonts, etc., as well as adding other types of images and videos.
All data is automatically collected in real-time, with responses presented in reports and charts.
Best of all? It’s free.
4. Poll Maker, Quiz Maker, and Survey Maker
These are three pieces of software that belong to one company, though each has its own URL address.
Poll Maker is a free tool for easily crafted polls – it provides for the embedding of visuals and videos. Users can customize themes.
Quiz Maker provides an array of quizzes – such as those personality and other quizzes often seen on consumers’ Facebook pages. This software is not free, and, costs vary depending on the number of quizzes sent out and responses generated. Quizzes can be embedded into a website, blog post, social media platforms. Both responders and users can see the results through a filtering system.
Survey Maker is a subscription-based service. It offers the same features that are found with Quiz Maker with a different monetization model.
5. PollEverywhere
If you want real-time results from a poll, this platform is for you. And a myriad of options for types of questions, circumstances, segmentation of responses, analysis, and more exist on the platform. If you want the best of all options, you need to pay for one of the premium plans, however.
There are simple ways to publish and share a poll with this tool, as well as to categorize and segment responses and respondents.
6. SurveyLegend
Whether a business wants to conduct market research, survey current customer satisfaction, or gain real-time responses to a new product launch, Survey Legend is a comprehensive go-to place – so much so that some major players use it.
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A business can craft almost any type of survey or poll, get it published on any platform and on any device, and receive real-time results and analytics.
If a company is considering a new product, it needs to collect data to determine if it will be viable; if a company wants to evaluate its customer service effectiveness, it should survey those it has served. This is why consumers see such surveys in the email boxes so often. SurveyLand makes these easy to create, customize, send, share, and analyze. From a free starter pack to a $65/month premium package, it’s not expensive.
Another great option with SurveyLand is that you can reach consumers all over the world, provided, of course, that you have professional translation and localization methods in place. Using a translation agency, such as The Word Point, will ensure that your questions and other text are appropriate for the receiving audience.
7. ROAR
Augmented reality is upon us. School children travel to places around the globe in real-time; resorts provide real-time tours of their facilities, and retail clothiers provide customers with the digital chance to “try on” selections before buying them; IKEA furniture allows consumers to place pieces of furniture in their homes to see if the “fit.”
The technology is a bit complex, but ROAR Editor simplified the process to the point that marketers can now create AR experiences on their own. The software was designed for non-techies. Users design and then test immersive experiences for their visitors/customers before launching them on their sites or social media platforms. Features include video, audio, CTA’s, images, and even 3D models.
Conclusion
Are there many other apps and software programs to create interactive content? Of course. These seven, however, should get you started, especially if you are a marketer looking for easy methods and tools.
Creating interactive content is no longer an option. Given the demand of consumers for much more engaging content, allowing them to provide their opinions, respond to surveys, and even immerse themselves into AR and VR experiences, businesses that want to capture and maintain attention need to design interactive content in their overall marketing strategies.
BIO:
Erica Sunarjo is a professional writer, translator, and editor with a Master’s degree in Marketing and Social Media. She writes thought-provoking articles for publications in a variety of media and is an active member of the translator community.
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