Microsites. Worth the dough.
The other day I presented a microsite idea to a client. They loved it. They gushed about how it really spoke to their target in a new, exciting way. They were ready to go until they saw the price tag. Then they asked, “Why would we do this when banners are so much cheaper.” Dagger to the heart.
Digital marketing pros face these questions every day. Most clients are looking for an advertising campaign and simple banners are an advertising campaign. But what consumers are responding to are engagement campaigns.
Engagement campaigns get users involved in your idea rather than them simply viewing your idea. And the best engagement campaigns include rich-media banners, blogs, search, and most importantly some kind of site or microsite to tie it all together.
Here’s why microsites are integral to an engagement campaign:
• give banners a highly relevant place to click through to
• are deeper and more engaging than a simple landing page
• are easier to produce than a full site
• can be optimized for search engines
• are a bookmarkable destination
• provide 3-5 minutes of interaction time
• are sharable
• are non-perishable
• are available 24/7
• are extremely measurable leading to better learnings
• are discriminating
• have a variable CPM
• can have a better response rate
• open another door for users to find our main site
So, the next time you present a microsite, present it as an engagement campaign that will increase the client’s ROI and do far more for their business than a simple banner campaign. Then hold your breath and pray for a, “Yes.”
