B2B interactives may sound like they’re all flash and no substance, but there are some pretty substantial reasons to add one into your marketing program.

You might consider an interactive to convey a difficult concept, educate users, simplify calculations, showcase products, or all of the above – all while impressing the heck out of your audience. They can be as simple or as elaborate as you want.

To learn more about how you might use an interactive, why it works great in B2B, and what to expect from the development process, we spoke to two developers about all that and more.

When it comes to B2B interactives, you’re only limited by your imagination – but we have some budget-friendly suggestions too.

8 common types of interactives in B2B

Quizzes

Add quizzes to your content rotation to boost engagement, educate an audience, and gather data. By keeping track of analytics, you can measure how comfortable your audience is with the concepts you’re presenting, which could generate inspiration for more content down the road.

Example: A quiz that tests customers on industry regulations, product maintenance, or other facts about your product or service. Wrong answers can inspire content to fill gaps in customer education.

This quiz tests the user's knowledge on paper and packaging recycling and invites them to contact an expert on completion.

Interactive Charts

To keep things simple, you can create a graph or flowchart with bars that provide more information when you expand or hover over with your mouse. This can be an easy way to help customers visualize your services and learn more about any part in the process.

Example: A flowchart that displays multiple facilities connected by one overall service, or a graph that demonstrates rising industry trends.

An interactive chart can make the process of viewing data feel more dynamic and intuitive.

Calculator Tools

Sometimes your product or service involves complex calculations that can be distilled into a calculator tool. Rather than sending customers an Excel sheet or walking them through a series of equations, you can provide a link to a calculator that will do all that math behind the scenes.

Example: A tool that helps customers configure a product, size a product, calculate formulation costs, or determine energy efficiency.

This online calculator lets users input their specifications to estimate energy savings. It also recommends an applicable product.

Educational Interactives

When you need to educate customers in a more entertaining, self-directed way, interactives can really shine. A smart approach to visuals and structure can help explain something complicated without overwhelming the customer with information.

Example: An animated interactive journey that lets users explore the different steps within the lifecycle of a product.

Interactives like these can teach users about a step-by-step process in a more visually engaging way, helping them retain information.

Interactive Articles

More immersive than your standard text-only blogs or articles, the interactive article provides fun and meaningful ways for readers to engage with your message. Use it when you have interesting facts and you really want to make them pop.

Example: You can add different interactive elements within the framework of an article – like quizzes, carousels, before-and-after sliders, and graphs – to highlight important aspects of your message.

This interactive article incorporates a slider feature to show readers a before-and-after image for scalp products.

Interactive Illustrations

A step beyond infographics, you can create illustrations with clickable elements that provide more information within a specific context. This works best in situations where your products are interconnected or have a wide variety of applications.

Example: An illustrated map or environment that shows where different products are used within a specific geographic area, location, or industry.

Based on one illustration of a fictional city, this interactive lets users browse products in a new, more contextual way.

3D Viewers

Sometimes a 2D image isn’t enough. A 3D viewer lets users manipulate a 3D image of your product with their mouse or keyboard, making it easier to learn more about its components and visualize how it might fit into their process.

Example: A 3D image of a piece of equipment with the ability to turn the product 360 degrees, zoom in and out, and click on different parts.

A 3D viewer makes it easy for users to see the different components of a product and visualize its footprint in their own setup.

Product Libraries

Also called product finders or product pickers, this helps display your entire product catalog in a way that is more intuitive to the user. It logically guides the user to the information that is most appropriate and relevant to them.

Example: An interactive system that lets users filter products or narrow down their options to a specific set of choices.

Interactive libraries can provide a much more streamlined, logical way to organize products and make them easier to browse.

…and lots more!

Our examples are all based on our own experience with interactives, but your choice depends on your goals. You could use a carousel to make content come alive on your homepage, accordions to make products easier to browse, or a clickable diagram that makes it more fun to learn about a complicated idea.

I need help choosing one!

You’ve come to the right place. At Motum B2B, we’ll start the process with a conversation about your objectives, budget, and other requirements to come up with an interactive that works for you.

Ready to bounce some ideas?

Send us a message to connect with our developers and start building.