Sometimes, bigger isn’t always better.
Often, companies feel that their marketing strategy would be more effective by highlighting a smaller, more unique set of ideas or products than a bigger, broader-scale strategy. They create a new website, consistent with their brand, that has less content (usually only about 2 pages worth) and offers a more precise look at a single aspect of their business.
These tiny digital marketing tools are affectionately known as “microsites.”
Microsites are still company websites, just smaller. In addition to offering an uncluttered path to the information clients are searching for, they also bring certain other important benefits to a business:
Better Branding: Microsites generate unique and exciting awareness for an idea or product, independent from the main business, for a target audience. This is especially helpful if a company is trying a new market or trying to promote an exciting new direction for the company.
Increased Search Rankings/Better SEO: With a unique microsite URL, people can find your site easier and increase your Search Engine Optimization in a (relatively) short amount of time. Better SEO can mean higher rankings with Google, Yahoo, and other search engines to help get you found.
Cost Effectiveness: Smaller digital real estate means less management. Microsites are tremendously effective for promoting your products and brand, yet require very little resources in terms of maintenance compared to a larger corporate website.
Corporate Social Responsibility: One of the most unique benefits of a microsite is that companies, like Starbucks and Nike, can use them to effectively promote corporate social responsibility efforts and positive global change.
Detailed Information: Microsites can be filled with specific, useful information about a particular product or service that a brand is offering. Getting in-depth about an idea makes value propositions easy to grasp and more powerful as stand-alone marketing.
A Clear, Focused Path: With microsites, customers do not have to sift through other pages before they find the information they seek and see a clear call to action. They have a more streamlined shopping or service experience that helps convert customers.
Faster Development: Products and promotions (especially seasonal ones) can have extremely short life spans. Creating urgency with a microsite helps to further promote a product or idea and expedite purchasing decisions by customers.
Experimental Marketing: Microsites let you take full advantage of A/B testing – trial and error – for many different markets, products, and strategies. See what works with with your microsite, or doesn’t work, and improve upon it.
Whether B2B or B2C, your company can profit from the the pint-sized power of microsites. Using this tool, especially on mobile-friendly platforms, you can spread your message to your target audience and take your marketing strategy in new directions you never thought possible.
What kind of impact could a microsite make for you?
