Picture this: you just finished building what you think is an awesome website for your tax and accounting practice. You expect to start bringing in new clients by the truckload; after all, once they see your expertise showcased in this beautiful layout with a clean color scheme and compelling copy, how could they resist? But… it just doesn’t happen. In fact, it’s continually not happening. You’re getting views on your pages, but no one contacts you or seems interested in engaging with your business. None of those views are converting to paying clients — and without conversion, views are essentially worthless. Here’s the thing: the whole point of the internet was to interact online. If you aren’t actively engaging and interacting with your web visitors, then your site — and your practice — will become forgettable. If you’re seeking new and creative ways to generate more leads, here’s how to use interactive content to convert those page viewers to paying clients.

How This Fits into Content Marketing

These days, content is king. We harp on this often, but only because it holds so true across virtually every industry: any content you create for your website, blog, or other sites will start to build up your digital footprint across the web. And no matter if these strategies are completely organic or include paid elements, they work. The best content marketers know that what you choose to measure matters. Sure, you can track the number of views your new clients page is getting every day; but if that number doesn’t correlate to an increase in paying clients, then the marketing is not working.Here’s where interactive content comes in.

What is Interactive Content?

Let’s look at this first from the customer perspective. Unlike ads, interactive content actually adds value to your clients’ and prospects’ lives. It answers their pressing questions, offers new and interesting ways to engage with your business, and gives them a sampling of your expertise and offerings right from the start. From the business side, it’s important to remember that the modern day “sales funnel” has become more of a client lifecycle, with readiness to buy happening at various points depending on the prospect. Interactive content increases engagement from the first web visit, whether or not they decide to become a client on that day. Plus, it helps you to collect contact information — just like that, you have a whole new stream of leads coming in, and all you have to do is set it up. Think about it this way: “By its very nature, interactive content engages participants in an activity: answering questions, making choices, exploring scenarios. It’s a great way to capture attention right from the start. Individuals have to think and respond; they can’t just snooze through it.” As human beings, we are hardwired to seek interaction. Whether or not the internet has created a positive shift in how we interact with each other — for instance, via social media — is a much larger topic, but the sentiment still holds. Prospects viewing your page who get to interact with you and your content in some way will be more drawn to working with you in real life. Examples of interactive content include:

• Quizzes — “What type of business entity should you choose?”
• Calculators — “How much will my chosen tax and accounting services cost me?”
• Chatbots — Automated chatbots to greet visitors, answer questions, and direct where needed
• Greeting or announcement bars — Greet your prospects and make sure they know about your latest news, offering, or other important topic/event
• Surveys — “If you could design the tax system yourself, which format would you choose?”
• and more.

Is Interactive Content Worth It?

The short answer to this question is “Yes.” Ask most content marketers whether or not they utilize, believe in, or have experienced the power of interactive content and most will rave about it. As the world becomes increasingly virtual in the digital age, you have to ask yourself whether your practice’s online presence is cutting through the noise. What is your message, and can your prospects hear you (figuratively) online? Interactive content is a great way to ensure that they do hear you — and that they start converting to paying clients.

How Do I Start?

As a small tax and accounting practice, it can be difficult to employ strategies like interactive content if you don’t already have a system in place for it. Luckily, CountingWorks PRO recently added tons of interactive content and other conversion tools to our Growth level marketing packages. From quizzes and calculators to chatbots and white papers, these tools can be deployed on your site fast, so you can start boosting your conversion and growing your practice more easily.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about interactive content, online conversion, or our Growth package updates, contact us today at 1-800-442-2477 x3 or set up some time to speak with one of our digital marketing experts. We’re here to help!