Wouldn't it be nice to get some variability into the mix regarding one of your greatest salespersons (your website, of course)? It's all possible with the introduction of microsites into your marketing strategy. With the shortening of attention spans and increased information consumption, getting the information you need to the reader quickly and accurately is intrinsically linked to your company’s success. Make it a reality by equipping your sales strategy with microsites.
What is a Microsite?
Microsites are “bite-sized” web pages that are made to promote specifics. Whether that includes a product, event, or service, a microsite highlights a single campaign. It lives on its own domain or subdomain but usually links back to the main website. It can be a long-term initiative but is often short-term and to the point with specifics about the main highlight and/or features.
How do microsites differ from landing pages?
Microsites and landing pages serve distinct purposes and have unique designs. While both are focused on achieving specific marketing goals, they differ in terms of their objectives and the way they are designed.
A landing page is like a targeted oasis within a larger website, designed to captivate visitors with its focused purpose and drive them to take specific actions. It serves as a gateway to generate leads by grabbing attention and inspiring visitors to make a purchase, subscribe to a newsletter, or complete a form. To achieve this, landing pages boast a sleek and straightforward design that keeps distractions at bay, ensuring visitors stay on track and make informed decisions.
On the flip side, microsites are complete standalone websites that are built separately from the main website. Their primary focus is to provide visitors with a more immersive and engaging experience. Unlike landing pages, microsites go beyond immediate conversions and instead aim to foster exploration and establish a deeper connection between visitors and brands. They revolve around specific themes or campaigns and offer detailed information, interactive content, and various opportunities for engagement.
With their elaborate designs, incorporating rich multimedia elements, interactive features, and immersive storytelling techniques, microsites cater to visitors at different stages of their journey, aiming to build brand loyalty and forge long-lasting relationships.
When to use a microsite?
If you have a new product launch or campaign initiative on the horizon, you have a perfect opportunity to create a microsite. You can also use a microsite to target specifics like personas and pain points or drive users to a specific CTA that you wouldn’t typically highlight on the main website or domain. If your marketing effort or campaign exists for just a limited time, that's also a great time to leverage a microsite strategy.
Examples of Microsites
Here are some creative examples across all industries to start brainstorming your microsite!
Website Grader (HubSpot)
HubSpot’s Website Grader microsite grades your website and provides recommendations on areas of improvement right on the spot. With simple UX and a straightforward user journey, this microsite is a great example of how simplicity can be the key to results.
Elf Yourself (OfficeMax)
OfficeMax rewards customers with a fun way to usher in the holidays. You can find your friends (…or enemies) dancing elves by uploading your photo onto the microsite. It's unique as it doesn’t highlight a specific product but focuses on visitor engagement. In fact, you might not even recognize the brand at first — you’ll be having too much fun with this creative, inventive holiday staple to notice.
Uplift (BetterUp)
BetterUp's Uplift microsite highlights a specific event. They created this microsite to draw in visitors and appeal to those interested in the event that may not need to see the entire BetterUp site. If you have an event coming up, microsites are a perfect way to serve a segmented audience and get them what they want on demand.
My Creative Type (Adobe)
Adobe is known for its wide array of artistic tools — but what about personality tests? This microsite lets users determine their “creative personality” by answering short questions. It allows existing or emerging artists to hone in on their style and take a fun quiz simultaneously.
Inside Chanel (Chanel)
Chanel, a world-renowned fashion brand, brings microsite visitors to rich UX and storytelling. Get a glimpse into the past of this historical brand by adventuring through impeccable visuals that tell the story of the brand's emergence. Chanel solidifies itself as a history-maker once again with this new and immersive experience.
SaaS Grader (New Breed)
SaaSGrader is a one-stop shop to “Calculate the key metrics that founders, VCs, and board members look for when assessing a company's potential against industry benchmarks and the unicorns of the SaaS space.” With a sleek design and excellent form strategy, this microsite exemplifies what a great one looks like.
Dark Data (Lucidworks)
Lucidworks highlights the true cost of data through a sleek, infographic-like design. Microsite visitors can clearly see how much of their data is unprotected, and this project leverages a microsite to send home a powerful message.
Love and Power (Halsey)
Musical artist Halsey highlights her latest project, “Love and Power,” on a separate microsite from their full website. With cohesive design and easy-to-follow CTAs, this is exemplary of a great microsite promoting a single product or campaign.
Distributely (New Breed)
Distributely, a HubSpot-based lead routing app by New Breed, is an excellent example of a product-centric microsite. Since it isn’t New Breed’s one and only service, it is a great example of promoting a specific product that doesn’t pertain to the entire ecosystem.
Is a Microsite Right for Your Product or Service?
If you’re looking to do something inventive and different that won’t affect the integrity of your main website, a microsite could be a perfect choice. Get creative and have fun with the ability to convert visitors throughout the funnel with a microsite today. Make the most of the opportunity to do something different and outside the box with a microsite that highlights a specific aspect you’re ambitious about. But don’t forget the value to visitors by having too much fun, either! Ensure you balance uniqueness with providing a clear path throughout the conversion funnel.
The Takeaway
A microsite can be an effective tool for achieving specific marketing goals and improving your overall website strategy. Whether you're looking to launch a new product, build brand awareness, or drive leads, a microsite can help you accomplish these goals. By following the examples of some of the most successful microsites, you can see the benefits of this type of website.
But the key to truly realizing your website's full potential is ensuring it's optimized for lead generation. That's why we're offering you the chance to consult with world-class experts and receive a comprehensive website assessment. With our help, you can turn your website into your top sales driver and see an increase in leads and conversions. So don't wait — sign up today and take the first step toward growing your business!
