According to Forbes, humans develop initial impressions of each other in just seven seconds. Should we approach or avoid that person? Are they trustworthy, competent, likeable? We make all these evaluations at lightning speed. When it comes to a website, our brains work even faster. A study in Behaviour & Information Technology found that it takes .05 seconds for us to form an opinion. So just like meeting someone for the first time, when it comes to your website, you better knock the socks off of people—and you have less than a second to do it!

Marketers have access to more data than ever before. Our business decisions depend on it—so much so that “Show me the data!” has become a rallying cry heard in nearly every discussion in which strategy, execution, or measurement is up for debate. Content, and its role in the buying process, is no exception.

For marketers, attracting eyeballs is a perennial challenge. You can create the best content in the world but if no one sees it, it’s like the proverbial tree falling in the forest. So much content is produced every day that it’s getting increasingly difficult to reach your target audience, much less generate leads. Word of mouth is the communication channel most trusted by B2B audiences, but for that to work you need to inspire people to share your content. How can you do that?

According to a recent Salesforce report, the three most pressing business challenges facing B2B marketers are:

1. New business development
2. Quality of leads
3. Demand and lead generation

So how will these B2B marketers overcome their biggest challenges? One indication is where they plan to invest their budget in the coming year. And according to the same Salesforce report, 68 percent plan to increase their spend on content marketing—more than any other single budget item.

Earlier this spring I covered the annual conference and trade show for one of our large tech clients. And when I say “cover,” I mean good, old-fashioned news reporting. I served as the writer for our client’s blog, which supported the event. I spent hours each day running up and down the trade show halls, interviewing employees, crisscrossing the show floor, and sitting in on keynote speeches. It made me a bit nostalgic for my old newspaper days.

Reaching and engaging an audience remains the biggest challenge for marketers. In a landscape with an ever-increasing number of channels, devices, and other distractions, the task has become tougher than ever. That’s why it’s critical to look for innovative ways to make your content more compelling to your audience. Interactive content can help.