Gone are the days when we’re building complex 100 page web sites trying to sell almost everything imaginable a company offers. Today’s Internet browsers don’t want to get lost in a maze of information or mess with complex navigation. Consumers are becoming more and more impatient every day.

Micro sites (also known as Mini-sites) are fast becoming the new marketing method to drive traffic and sales up for marketers of all kinds.

So, what is a microsite, you ask?

A micro site is simply a targeted Web site for a component of a company’s offerings. Many times they are only one page and include a call to action and a link back to the corporate site. There aren’t any banners ads, or advertising links or multiple product selections. The micro site focuses on selling one product or service, directing the potential customer to the action item that allows them to buy an item or take advantage of a service.

The reason why many micro sites are becoming so effective now is because they’re “direct response sites” and the visitors are usually targeted individuals who have a genuine interest in what the site has to offer.

Many new Internet marketers sometimes make the mistake of setting up massive web sites and try to keep the site updated with fresh content-content that is relevant to their numerous target audiences. But remember, consumers only want information that is important to THEM.

Micro sites work because they are quick and to the point. No messing around with fancy graphics or a gazillion of links. They’re simple and to the point - often with an entertaining quality. But the most important thing is that the content speaks directly to their wants and needs. The quicker the better.

Another component about a microsite is that you can register a domain name that corresponds to the content. For example, instead of using the companyname.com/alt/memberbenefits/copy~~00956.html, you could register a domain name like www.memberbenefits4u.com.

Here are some modern examples of microsites:

www.gtrnissan.com
http://www.dice.com/BeingIT/
http://www.oceanicflight815.com
www.simpsonizeme.com
http://www.sundancechannel.com/thegreen/#/homePage
www.campaignforrealbeauty.com
www.hammerandcoop.com
www.greenisuniversal.com

Micro sites are soon to become the call-to-action of choice for traditional advertising. The time has come to become even more specific with your messages online. Your target audience will thank you.

Garret Ohm
www.orange-element.com

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 8th, 2007 at 6:43 pm and is filed under Blog Posts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.