Say what you will about email marketing, but 86% of business professionals still rely on it for business communication.

It’s safe to say that you have to have a few tricks up your sleeve to stand out from the sea of marketing emails. Speaking of standing out, we suggest you do it in the best way possible- making interactive content a part of your email marketing strategy. Here is a step-by-step guide to make your marketing emails more clickable with interactive content.

However, before we dive into the nitty-gritty of using interactive content in emails, let’s have a look at the reasons why we should.

Interactive Content in Marketing Emails: The Why and How

1. Personalization

According to research, marketers see an average 20% increase in sales when using personalized experiences. Interactive content, by its very character, is highly personalized. Unlike static content, interactive content actively involves the customer, as their input determines an outcome specifically tailored to them.

Consumers love a content piece that speaks to them at a personal level. It should come as no surprise, then, that quizzes and calculators are also written in an informal, personal tone. Using words like ‘you’, ‘me’, and ‘I’ in interactive experiences makes them more shareworthy. In fact, according to a study, interactive content that uses more than 30 personal pronouns generates almost 6.5X more views than that with fewer than 30.

Moreover, personalized content leads to repeat customers and loyalty. And because a company’s 20% loyal customers are responsible for 80% of its revenue, we cannot let the personalization aspect of the interactive content slide

2. Targeted Content

What’s the difference between a good and a great email? A single ‘T’ that stands for targeted content. The power of targeted content cannot be underestimated, as it generates 58% of all revenue.
Interactive content can collect valuable information about your customers or prospects through email. As a result, you can send them more targeted and segmented emails in the future.
For instance,  you build a healthcare savings calculator. Users will be required to answer questions about their age and insurance plan to receive an answer. All this information can help you develop your customer persona and better target your emails.

3. Engaging Content

In the wise words of Shuri from Black Panther, “ just because something works fine, doesn’t mean it cannot be improved”. Interactive content already generates 2x as many conversions as passive content. The main reason is that it turns a passive customer into an active one through required participation.
However, you can make the interactive content embedded in your emails more engaging by including images, GIFs, and most importantly, humor. Make your customers laugh out loud and feel good about themselves through interactive content. In fact, a study found that uplifting, funny, and inspiring pieces of interactive content have the highest open and share rate.

Information overload? We won’t keep going on and on. Let’s jump to some practical application of your newfound knowledge. Before you do, here are some tips to ensure you’re acing the email game:

Catchy Heading

First impressions play a very important role in the case of interactive experiences, as do emails. Not unlike the email subject line, the title is one of the first things that can generate customer interest in what you have to offer. It leads the customer to take the quiz and provide valuable information about themselves.

According to studies that analyzed 100 quizzes with 10,000+ views, “Which (blank) are you?” has been voted the most irresistible quiz title. In fact, quizzes that include the words ‘which’, ‘are’, and ‘you’ receive 3x more views. Another study found that using the term ‘actually’ in the title increased views by 100%.

Strong CTA

You don’t have to be a copy doctor to understand that a crappy CTA can ruin all the efforts you put into the interactive marketing mail. Strong, relevant calls to action on your website will help you capture your potential customers’ attention. Additionally, they will help you achieve your business goals, such as email subscriptions, sales, and sign-ups.

By now, you must be wondering what kind of interactive experiences can be integrated with your emails.

Well, Wonder. No. More.

How to Use Interactive Content in Marketing Emails

1. Recommendation

Interactive content is highly customer-centric. It focuses less on brand promotion and more on customer appreciation and acceleration. This is why the customers trust the personalized recommendation provided by interactive content.
This recommendation, sourced from interactive content, can be used in your marketing emails. Use recommendation quizzes for bottom-of-the-funnel leads, suggesting the appropriate offer. You can also use it to upsell to your existing customers. The opportunities are endless.

2. Lead Nurturing

Calculators are the best thing that can happen to your marketing emails because they are the ultimate lead-nurturing tool. You can create a calculator to help your customers understand if they need your services. For example, if you’re a lawyer, you can use a calculator titled “See how much I can save you in legal fees” to qualify customers.

Additionally, you can use conditional result messaging to direct people to the next piece of content based on the score. For example, in the above calculator, if someone gets 10-15%, you can guide them to a ‘free consultation’ page.  On the other hand, if someone gets 20-25%, you can lead them to the ‘book a meeting’ page.

What’s more, the information you gather here can also be used to customize follow-up emails.

Interactive calculators and graded quizzes, just like other interactive content, give real-time answers to your customer/lead’s queries and add real value. Besides, instant gratification is always a winner!

3. Rewards/Incentives

Here’s a concept: create a quiz to re-engage existing customers and get paid many times over for your efforts. It’s a great idea. And thanks to interactive content, this is no longer just a concept. According to studies, customers are far more likely to engage with a brand if rewards are involved.

Use a graded quiz and ask your customers to take a quiz related to your brand or product/services, and then attach incentives to the grade they score in the quiz. For instance, if they score between 0 and 5, you can offer a 30% discount, and if they score between 6 and 10, you can offer a 50% discount. So, what are you waiting for? Embed ‘em all!

4. Customer Education and Satisfaction

Lead retention and building customer loyalty are just as important as lead generation. In fact, 60% of marketers aim to improve customer loyalty for more business. The purpose of marketing emails. Interactive content can help you with that by educating customers about your brand, albeit in a fun way. Moreover, it allows you to get customer feedback through an open channel of communication. Communication is an essential part of any relationship, and your relationship with your customers is no different.

Customer satisfaction is another pillar of strength for any good company. You, too, are looking to better your customer service through your marketing emails. If yes, we’ve got news for you: interactive content is your friend. Embed interactive polls to ensure customer satisfaction and engagement. Odds are, your customers are highly disinterested in filling out a customer satisfaction survey. Interactive content ensures that the process is fun and quick. Not to add, highly useful to you.

Parting WOW effect: Words of Wisdom

We can keep telling you why interactive content is fantastic and how you can get started right away. But this infographic says it better!

For now, we hope that we have done justice to the effectiveness of interactive content in making marketing emails more clickable. After so much information, there is only one question left to ask:

Are you ready to stand out in the sea of marketing emails?