In the connected era, there’s now so much content available, on virtually every subject, that getting your audience's attention is becoming increasingly more difficult with every passing day.

Social media marketers need to create content that stands out from the crowd, and holds the viewer’s attention. One of the best ways to do this is by creating interactive content - interactive marketing content effectively transforms your posts from something your audience consumes to something they can experience. In turn, it becomes more memorable and engaging, and thereby increases the likelihood that they'll spend more time on your page.

And in the age of algorithms, when engagement is critical top reach, interactive content may be even more valuable than ever. Here are four simple, effective type of interactive content which will help you engage your audiences, and keep them coming back for more.

1. Create a Quiz

People love to take quizzes about anything and everything - there’s something inherently enjoyable about answering questions and revealing your result at the end.

Research from digital marketing analytics company Buzzsumo supports this - in their report into the most engaging content types, quizzes came out on top in terms of reach, participation and activity. 

You can make quizzes just for fun, or use them to educate people about your products. For example, you might run a quiz where people answer questions to reveal which of your products is the best fit for them.

Kershaw created a quiz that asked a series of questions, and went on to reveal what style of knife would fit the user best. Once the result was revealed, the quiz-taker could view a few different Kershaw knives which aligned with their result.

2. Ask a Poll Question

Several social media platforms now provide easy ways for users to create simple polls to query their audience.

These are one of the simplest ways to build your own interactive content - audiences love sharing their opinions, whether it be about something silly or a serious topic, while most are also interested in seeing the results of the other people who participate in the same.

And once they’ve cast their vote, many will also turn to the corresponding comments in order to further elaborate on their pick, engaging in more conversation.

Radio station U105 regularly polls its audience on hot topics to encourage discussion. Through the day, they'll discuss the poll results, and the audience’s opinion, on their shows.

3. Host a Live Q&A

Live Q&A sessions have also become very popular across a wide range industries and niches. That’s because there’s really no better way to engage in a conversation with your audience, at scale, than to actually hold a live, real-time conversation with them.

These live-stream sessions can provide your audience with the perfect opportunity to get to know the people behind your business on a more human level, while also enabling you to share knowledge, and establish your brand as an industry expert.

Birchbox, for example, regularly hosts live Q&A sessions on Facebook in which they field questions about their products, general beauty questions, and often feature other merchants for a more in-depth look at featured offerings.

4. Make It a Game

Games are another fun and interactive activity that audiences love engage in.

Games on social media can take many forms, and don’t need to be overly complex to be a success. While some bigger brands might make full-scale arcade-style games, many local businesses can find success with simplicity.

Aside from being a fun diversion, you can also incorporate product promotion - players can win a promotional code or some other type of reward, for example, if they complete the game.

Applebee’s made a game out of their very own menu by enabling visitors to create and name their own drink. This educated the audience about the menu, generated interest in their options, and rewarded users with a coupon for their next visit.

Another simple option, recently highlighted by Facebook's Creative Shop team, is using Instagram or Facebook Stories frames to build in game-like elements - like a 'tap to reveal' image. 

Creating unique content which captures your audience’s attention is never a simple task, but when you add interactive elements, you’re giving people more reason to stick around and engage with the content you publish.

It can be a great option to boost your social media presence.