August 2005 Lawlor Focus

Microsites

With the web, there is a temptation to try to be everything to everyone. And, even when organized, streamlined and up-to-date, many institutional web sites can overwhelm and confuse visitors—simply because of the sheer volume of information. It is actually much more important, not to mention more effective, for a web presentation to make it clear that it can do something for someone. When paired with offline communications, microsites allow recipients to follow a message to the web and find exactly what they're looking for on one cohesive site and in one simple step.

Put simply, "microsite" is the term used to describe small web sites that promote a particular topic, a certain brand or a distinct event. Not just another "landing page" where someone arrives when they access a URL, a true microsite is focused, free of extemporaneous clutter, and multilayered. They can be thought of as online launching pads for offline communications—a place on the web where the intended audience can find information specifically related to messages previously received in other formats.

When properly paired, the offline communications and microsite share the same language, tone and graphic design elements, which allows for a smooth transition from printed materials or e-mail messages and the site itself. Creating a similar feel assures the audience they have found the "right" place to continue their inquiry on the Net. And, the digital enhancements of the web—videos, online surveys, RSS feeds, audio clips, etc.—make microsites extremely adept at engaging the audience and taking a marketing campaign to new levels. Done well, these mini sites can serve as a "one-stop shopping" experience where your audience can access all the information they need about a specific topic, program or event: think presidential searches, homecoming, capital campaigns, etc.

An admitted students' web site is a great example of a microsite in action. Admitted students are invited to visit a URL, perhaps otherwise unknown to the average online visitor. The site's content is focused solely on their needs and interests—finding a roommate, summer orientation, registering for classes, and so forth. The results? Students find answers to their immediate questions and come away with the impression that the site was created just for them.

In the simplest of terms, effective communication involves sending the right message to the right audience in a way they can understand it. Microsites are an extraordinarily effective way to ensure that your message gets delivered.

Expert Perspective: Microsites 101

The beauty of microsites is their ability to meet a specific need for a specific audience, according to Brenda Foster of education marketing communications firm GCF. Having developed a number of microsites to meet various institutional goals—from increasing prospective student interest in Union College to maintaining alumni awareness about the Campaign for the University of Indianapolis—Foster shares her insight on three aspects of microsite form and function.

Design: "Whether located on the college's main web site or hosted independently with links to the main site, it's important that a microsite's design remains in the mission of the institution. You can use quite a bit more creative license—as long as it's still recognized as being part of the same school."

Content: "The online format of microsites offers more flexibility than print communications, and the content should be tailored to the intended audience. A companion site to the alumni magazine is a good example: Here you can make alumni announcements—about births, marriages and so forth—in a way that is a bit more fun and relaxed than the regular alumni web site, while never losing the integrity of the brand."

Functionality: "There are so many possibilities ... microsites are beginning to replace the Search piece in admissions. They can be instrumental for maintaining momentum for a fund-raising campaign (to announce a major gift, for example) as well as for fixing potential problems with offline endeavors. If your newest print campaign isn't quite working, use a microsite to reinvigorate the process by getting the message across in a different—perhaps a little louder—way."

Lawlor Recommends

Microsites add tremendous value and capability to your marketing campaign on a number of levels—the most easily recognized of which is their ability to create an additional degree of interactivity not possible within the scope of traditional communication methods.

Take e-mail for example. It probably has the shortest life span of any type of communication: The e-mail is received, read and discarded. Even if "saved," electronic messages probably have a 30-second to three-minute shelf life. But, when paired with a companion microsite, you add depth and breath and encourage the reader to engage with the message—and the institution—for even longer.

Microsites can energize print publications, too. The digital enhancements available on the Net, not to mention the ability to update and change dynamic content, add dimension to otherwise static pieces. By encouraging your audience to come back and visit the microsite often, the marketing campaign develops a potentially infinite life span.

Once the audience does begin spending time on the microsite, its ultimate value to the marketing campaign is revealed: By monitoring traffic patterns on microsites, you gain instant insight about the effectiveness of the campaign. Tracking the most popular links, for example, indicates what information is most important to site visitors. Responses to an online survey can help you plan the next stage of the campaign. Or, when traffic patterns and response rates reveal some surprises, you have the opportunity to tweak or possibly reconfigure offline messages to better achieve the desired results.

Microsites make the messages more meaningful and memorable by inviting recipients to engage with the institution—at least virtually. And, with their ability to track and determine the ROI, microsites are a smart addition to any marketing campaign.

In the news

ACT's most recent national score report indicates that many high school graduates may need remediation to succeed in college. The report is based on scores of the approximately 1.2 million 2005 high school seniors who took the exam. Fewer than one in four met the college-readiness benchmarks in the four subjects tested: reading comprehension, English, math and science

The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement test, and these results suggest that too many students are not taking the kind of rigorous high school courses that will prepare them for college. "Those who do complete the core curriculum are far more likely to meet college readiness standards," explains Richard L. Ferguson, ACT's chief executive officer, but the problem may begin long before the student even reaches high school. "We need to identify students at much earlier grades—eighth grade and earlier—and make sure they have a solid foundation of basic knowledge and skills needed for rigorous high school-level courses," said Ferguson.

For more findings from this ACT report, visit their web site.

Did you know?

In an average day, 4 percent of the approximately 82 million American adults who use the Internet go online to get information about a college, university or other school they or a family member might want to attend.

For comparison's sake, 1 percent buy or sell stocks, bonds or mutual funds; 11 percent check sports scores; and 22 percent look at the weather forecast.

Read more about the daily online activities of American adults on this Pew Internet & American Life Project report.