The massive shift to remote work over the last few years coincided with a transformation in the way B2B tech decision makers work, gather information and evaluate solution options. The demographic making tech-buying decisions has also been shifting younger, with digital-first millennials comprising 60% of B2B tech buyers in 2021.¹

Combined, these changes spurred a major switch to digital channels. Gartner predicts that 80% of sales interactions will happen in digital channels by 2025.² With the competition so fierce, focusing broadly on digital isn’t enough. Enterprise tech brands must develop creative digital strategies that draw the attention of the right audience and provide helpful answers without buyers having to jump through multiple hoops.

Top types of interactive B2B tech content

Video

According to a recent Demand Gen report, 86% of B2B tech buyers prefer on-demand, interactive content over static content.³ Interactive videos empower people with “choose-your-own-adventure” functionality. They move the video forward based on their interests, needs and stage of research, rather than traditional linear video viewing.

Request a demo of our new video-qualified lead (VQL) platform and we’ll show you how easy it is to make a choose-your-own-adventure video.

Quick surveys and assessments

Short surveys can guide targeted content strategies for new website visitors or lead-nurturing campaigns. B2B tech buyers appreciate efforts to refine messaging so they can sift through less irrelevant information. But short is key—think three questions max.

Gamification

Make the process of gathering information like a game to build engagement. This can be following the spaces on a digital gameboard to explore topics of interest or offering a prize for watching short solution explainer videos. Well-established in B2C, gamification is a growing B2B buyer-engagement strategy.

Ebooks and infographics

These are static content staples, but buyers can explore topic areas more fully when they are made interactive with links to website solution pages and deep-dive charts.

3 reasons B2B tech buyers prefer interactive content

Strategic interactive content hits the sweet spot of B2B tech buyer engagement because it’s:

1. On demand

In the tech sector (and across industries), IT leaders and C-suite decision makers are busy. When they’ve earmarked time to “research solutions for X,” they’re most interested in clear, easy-to-digest information that’s readily accessible.

2. Personalized

By offering options, buyers personalize as they go! However, your interactive content strategy should be personalized from the beginning depending on whether you are targeting IT team members or the CIO.

3. Relevant

Here too, offering choices puts buyers in the driver’s seat and gives them more confidence in your brand because you are trusting them to explore at their own pace.

Interactive content improves engagement — so long as it’s helpful

While researching tech vendors and solutions, 87% of IT decision makers are willing to share data to access content they believe offers value, according to a 2021 IDG customer engagement study. The same study found that only 41% of the downloaded material provided content tech buyers considered valuable.⁴

The takeaway? Content must deliver helpful information B2B tech buyers need to deepen their understanding of your solutions. Interactive content helps make that happen by providing buyers with branches they can follow to the information they need most.

An interactive IT solution video, for example, may provide an introductory overview to the full solution and then offer branches for how the solution benefits different departments (e.g., human resources, accounting, marketing) or how the solution benefits different industries (e.g., financial services, manufacturing, healthcare). Leaders in human resources or the healthcare industry can jump directly to the information that is most helpful and relevant to their needs.

Interactive content is a powerful mid-funnel touchpoint

In enterprise technology, it’s a challenge to bridge the often-wide gap between a marketing-qualified lead (MQL) and sales-qualified lead (SQL). You know jumping to sales calls and demos too early frustrates buyers, but how do you sustain engagement for a year and beyond? Interactive content can keep the information-gathering stage self-guided, while serving up engaging experiences that increase buyer knowledge and trust.

On the solution buyer side, you benefit from the two-way flow of information. With each content interaction, buyers provide valuable BANT-level data to help you determine next-stage readiness.

Elevate B2B tech lead quality with Lauchlan

¹ TrustRadius, How to Sell to Millenial Buyers, July 2021.

² Blum K, Future of Sales 2025: Why B2B Sales Needs a Digital-First Approach, Gartner, Inc., Sept. 2020.

³ Demand Gen Report, 2019 State of Video & Interactive Content.

⁴ IDG Communications, Inc., Tech Decision-Makers Grow Reliance on Digital Content to Fill In-Person Event Void, April 2021.