Microsites for brand(s), Microsites for Your Business
Posted on November 12, 2006
Okay – today we talk about something I have only a little knowledge in. We’re going to discuss Microsites. No, they’re not some bug that you kill with a fly swatter. They’re mini web sites that help you to market your business, product, or service more effectively. They are smaller more targeted web properties built within other Web Sites so that you can encourage your buyers to take action on that particular item. They are becoming increasingly popular, and will continue to grow in the next 12 months as a static medium. Keep in mind my assumption here is that you already have a Web Site where you are marketing your brand and solutions.
So, a recent article I read that of the companies who are large, over 500 million dollars annually, (who are only 30 percent of the companies out there) said they plan on implementing Microsites in the next 12 months.
The lesson here is simple, really. First, you don’t have to be a 200 million dollar company to take advantage of Microsites. Second, you need to be brand conscious. By brand conscious, I mean you should take a look at the products Procter and Gamble or other major brands sell. I bet you know more of their brands than you think you do. Take a look at how they market and advertise their products. Then look online at the web sites for those products to get a better feel for how the company markets the product online.
Generally speaking the Microsite version if and when designed will be more targeted and very consumer oriented. Now, if you are selling nationally or internationally there are easy social venues where you can market online which could attract attention such as RSS feeds, Social Content, blogging, or podcasting. For instance, if you decide you want to sell something directly from your Microsite, you may want to incorporate RSS Feeds from bloggers’ on the product or service providing further credibility to the Microsite owner. The perception here is that people trust other people who have purchased and use the product or service represented. Blogging allows for that “word of mouth” opportunity with little effort.
Another article I read recently mentioned that the XMEN III film used a Microsite on Myspace to promote the film, and it was very successful for promoting the film.
In fact Ebay’s Prostores recently finished signing an agreement with a blog provider so that the Prostore client’s end customers could blog about the products they are buying online. Microsites will see an increase in usage next year guaranteed. In fact, I’ll bet they will be used in conjunction with traditional marketing and advertising as well as online methods such as pay per click. And depending on your product or service your pay per click keywords could be more expensive or less expensive than your traditional advertising.
More Microsite Resources:
· Power Packed Microsites – Clickz – an old article but a good one.
· Create New Pages for PPC Search Landing Pages
· Viral Marketing Gets Structured
