Interactive Media

What Is Interactive Media?

Interactive media is a method of communication in which the program’s outputs depend on the user’s inputs, and the user’s inputs, in turn, affect the program’s outputs. Simply put, it refers to the different ways in which people process and share information, or how they communicate with one another. Interactive media allows people to connect with others—whether that’s people or organizations—making them active participants in the media they consume.

How Does Interactive Media Work?

The purpose of interactive media is to engage the user and interact with him or her in a way non-interactive media do not. Traditional forms of media, such as television and radio, originally required no active participation. These forms of media made consumers more passive, giving them no real way to navigate through their experiences—except for the ability to change the channel.

But with the advent of the internet in the 1990s, that began to change. As technology developed, consumers were given different tools through which interactive media was presented. Access to the internet went from an expensive utility once available only through dial-up to a wireless tool accessible by the touch of a finger. Computers and laptops became a household item and a necessity in the workplace, and mobile devices began making interacting media easy and convenient.

The Influences of Interactive Media

Interactive media has a very important role in today’s world. Not only does it make people more active, but also it gives them the power to communicate with others (people, companies, organizations) with whom they would normally have no contact. It also allows the free-flow and exchange of ideas and information.

Interactive media also has an educational component, making it a very powerful learning tool. It allows (and encourages) people—especially students—to become more active in their learning experience, more collaborative and to be more in control of what they’re learning.

6 Advantages of Interactive Media

User Engagement

Interactive marketing increases the time spent on your website and makes the experience memorable for a customer.

Conversion Improvements

People are losing their patience with outdated and over-used lead generation tactics. Things like popups, eBook downloads, and generic signup forms are decreasing in effectiveness.

Qualified Lead Generation

Qualifying leads is much easier with interactive marketing. You can weed out any low-quality prospects with deliberate questions and targeted content. For example, you could create a fun and engaging questionnaire for your website visitors, or use qualifying questions in a contest.

Virality and Sharing

One of the biggest drawcards of interactive marketing is its built-in social media virality.

By rewarding participants for sharing your interactive content, you can increase the number of people who see your experiences, generate more leads, and bolster your ROI.

Customer Feedback

Customer feedback is incredibly important for businesses. Without it, you are unable to make improvements to your sales messaging, discern any weak points in your marketing strategy, and learn what customers like or dislike about your products.

SEO

The possibilities for formulating a varied, white-hat SEO strategy with interactive content are endless.

To start with, interactive content attracts more links and is more shareable. Increasing the number of inbound links to your website and social media shares for your content will have a positive impact on your SEO ranking.

Are you looking at Interactive Media as your marketing solution? AP Media is an integrated marketing agency that has an award winning production arm which can assist you in creating interactive media that will help boost your marketing and reach. Let us be your solution today!