5 Content Types to Effectively Boost Your Engagement Levels

Content is king—we all know that by now. But how do you find the right type of content to give your engagement levels a boost? Here’s how!

Producing great content can be difficult at times. Consumers browse online all the time, but it takes something special to get their attention. The solution to this problem? Concentrate on the content types that never fail to please. Doing so guarantees that you’ll boost engagement on your website, and ultimately help you achieve success. 

There are many types of content that hit the spot every time and boost both engagement levels and conversion rates on your website. We’ve compiled a shortlist of some of the best to get you started. 

1. Original Opinion Features

Everyone has opinions—and strong ones, if you know which button to press. A modern-day Isaac Newton might say that for every opinion, there is an equal and opposite counter-opinion. 

When it comes to content creation for your website, expressing your opinions is a sure-fire way to increase levels of engagement. Most people can’t pass up the opportunity to argue their point, especially if the topic is on the controversial side.

That doesn’t mean that you need to approach content creation as a boxing ring, but it can be very effective to post content that is original, personal, and authentic. Interactive content in particular does wonders for engagement levels. Apart from quizzes and polls, a well-written, passionate article can be the catalyst behind an authentic conversation between you and your readers. To take things up a notch, though, you can pair opinion pieces with typical interactive elements, such as polls or surveys. 

Another facet of posting your authentic opinions is the shareability factor. Some research has shown that 68% of people sharing content online felt that it could show other people who they are and what they care about. 

When you post an article that expresses strong opinions about a cause that matters, people who agree will share it—and people who aren’t might engage to try to prove you wrong. Long-form content is actually more likely to be shared on some platforms than one-liners or memes. 

2. User-Generated Content

Interactive content in general is highly beneficial if you want to up your site’s engagement levels. User-generated content (UGC) doesn’t usually involve the same sort of interaction, but it gets users to engage in a more direct and personal way. UGC is simply content that’s created by users (your customers), which you can then post on your website and social media platforms. 

Getting your users to generate content can be done in a number of ways. First off, you need to know your audience. If you know what makes them tick, you can use it to elicit a response. UGC comes in various forms: photos, videos, reviews, testimonials and more. 

If you sell customized sneakers, for example, getting some UGC could take the form of asking customers to submit their own ideas of the perfect sneaker. If you want to take it one step further, turn it into a competition where the best design wins their own customized shoe. 

3. Tutorials

These days when someone wants to find out how to do something, they punch a question into Google and get hundreds of sites with a huge variety of instructions. If you want to increase the level of engagement on your website, posting tutorial content is a great way to reach users. 

Tutorials can come in a range of formats, including YouTube videos, written posts, slide shows/digital presentations, or live streams. If you opt for YouTube videos, you can make them even more engaging by transcribing them. Users tend to be more engaged by content they can consume in more than one way, and this is an easy option. 

Surveys have also shown that tutorials and practical tips are shared often by Facebook users and are effective at encouraging people to engage. 

4. Interactive Content: Interactive Infographics

It could take pages to explain how and why interactive content is highly effective at increasing engagement. So, we’ve chosen to focus on a couple of examples, the first being interactive infographics. 

Infographics have always been popular among users because they transform complex information into an easy-to-digest format. Pictures by themselves are highly effective at increasing engagement among users, and when you pair them with simply presented information, they are even more appealing. If you really want to get the most out of your infographics, however, it’s time to incorporate an interactive element. 

An interactive infographic can be formatted in a quiz or calculator style, as well as an animation that allows users to choose what information they wish to see. A great example of this is National Geographic’s interactive visual of the New York skyline. Scrolling allows you to view different parts of the city while clicking on a building brings up its history. 

5. Interactive Content: Polls And Surveys

Polls’ and surveys’ popularity has skyrocketed over the past few years, on all social media platforms as well as websites. Being able to capture users’ attention and pique their curiosity is the foundation of online engagement—the exact function of polls and surveys. 

Allowing people to express their wants, needs, opinions and preferences is a guaranteed way to increase engagement levels. Polls can be very simple—give users two choices and they pick the one they prefer. Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter have their own poll features and are reaping the benefits. 

Polls and surveys also provide you with regular feedback from your customers, which makes it easier to tailor your site to appeal to them. Looking at Instagram as an example, we can see that the poll feature is contained in the stories application. Instagram users are drawn to stories, as they often feature videos, audio, and the chance to get to know someone better. Inserting a poll just increases the appeal, and many businesses have used this tool to conduct market research. 

It might not always be exact, but it is fast and also gets customers' attention. A poll isn't just interactive in the moment but can spark off more engagement between users and the companies they follow. 

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Going Forward

It can be hard to keep producing quality content to engage and grow your customer base, but if you focus on what works, the process can become a lot smoother. Not only that but targeting content types with proven track records will be just the boost your website needs.