How B2B Companies Are Using Interactive Media to Successfully Get Leads

There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding interactive content lately. You’d be hard-pressed to find an article about marketing trends that doesn’t mention interactive. And with good reason. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a dramatic deviation from static content to more dynamic experiences. Today’s audiences prefer engaging with products and services before committing to a purchase.

So how can brands effectively utilize interactive media in the current marketing landscape? Most examples of how businesses are attracting sales are from a B2C standpoint. But that might leave B2B marketers wondering if interactive is the right route for their business. That’s the question we’re going to uncover here. Read on to find out how B2B companies use interactive to increase sales.

What is interactive media?

But first, what is “interactive media”? Technically, interactive media is any media where a user’s inputs affects a program’s outputs. That puts practically everything since the invention of the computer into the “interactive media” category. However, today’s version of “interactive media” is slightly less broad than that. Generally, interactive media falls into two broad categories: engagement-generating and sales-generating. If you’ve ever taken a Buzzfeed quiz to find out which Friends character you are, then you’ve experienced a form of engagement-generating interactive media. While entertaining, this content probably won’t take your audience far down the customer journey.

As fun as engagement-generating interactive content is, we’ll be focusing on sales-generating interactive. Sales-generating interactive media refers to interactive applications that utilize game engine technology to create dynamic experiences for marketing and sales purposes.

That’s right. Game engines aren’t just for entertainment purposes anymore. Game engines are now creating graphic-rich, responsive applications and presentations that allow sales meetings to be more dynamic than ever before. These interactive experiences can take many forms, including interactive touch presentations, augmented reality experiences, web-based experiences, and so much more.

The Benefits of Interactive Media to B2B Businesses

Now that we’ve defined what “interactive media” is, let’s figure out why this technology is gaining so much traction with B2B brands. Here are some of the main benefits interactive media brings to B2B businesses looking to maximize their lead generation and sales efforts:

Dynamic presentations enable a customer-centric flow.

While slideshow presentations are a long-standing tradition of doing business, this presentation model restricts us to a rigid, linear order—disrupting the natural, variable flow of conversation. However, interactive presentations enable a more dynamic, problem-solving conversation with customers. With all of the in-depth information at your disposal, you have the flexibility to pivot the conversation to better address your customers’ unique challenges and goals. In some cases, like a web-based interactive experience, potential customers can independently explore your offerings.

Interactive applications are adaptable to your needs.

The beauty of interactive technology is its ability to adapt to various formats and use-cases. With the appropriate programming foundation in place, companies can quickly transform an interactive touch trade-show display into a user-guided website experience and even to an immersive augmented reality application. The possibilities for interactive applications are as dynamic as the experiences themselves.

Interactive experiences can scale with your business.

In line with its incredible adaptability, interactive can also scale with your business. Successful businesses are not static. They grow and reposition in response to changing customer demand and market conditions. As product or service offerings evolve, so must the tools we use to showcase them. Unlike more traditional forms of media, like video and print, interactive applications are not one-and-done in nature. Interactive is at its best when programmed to scale with your brand’s offerings and current marketing needs. With a solid foundation built at the start, adapting your interactive experience over time becomes an efficient process. As the business evolves, the return on investment of your interactive experience grows.

Most importantly, interactive marketing media is effective at generating and closing leads. From web-based experiences to handheld devices and permanent multi-touch installations, our B2B clients are seeing first-hand how interactive media is positively transforming their sales strategy.

To explore what interactive media solutions would work best for your company’s needs, give us a call at 713-862-1900.