Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.
What exactly is a microsite?
For those of us who travel in marketing circles, there has been increasing buzz about adding microsites to integrated marketing and communications campaigns. Some may question, “Why do we need a microsite, isn't our website enough?” While others may ask, “What is a microsite anyway?” Microsites, also known as minisites, are separate pages of your website that have their own independent URLs. Microsites are typically used for a specific purpose or promotion. They are usually temporary sites and removed from the main site after the information/promotion has expired.
Advantages
Separate Themes
One of the primary differences between a microsite and a static landing page on your website is that a microsite typically has its own theme or brand message. For example, your law firm has its main website that provides broad information about your firm, your attorneys, your practice areas, etc., but for your upcoming holiday party, you want a specific site that is branded in a holiday theme, rather than the firm's corporate brand.
You not only want to promote the date and location of the party, you want the site's functionality to allow guests to RSVP for the event and conveniently look up directions to the party from anywhere they may be traveling from. You also want the microsite to feature information about the great community service projects your firm is participating in this holiday season, and after the party you want to allow guests to post pictures of the festivities to the site.
Topic-Specific
Microsites not only promote events, they may also be created in order to carry topic-specific, keyword-rich content with the goal of having search engines rank them highly when users seek related content topics. For example, when new business legislation passes that will affect your firm's business clients, you may consider setting up a microsite that features common questions about the new law, or post thought-leadership articles that address how the new legislation may affect small business owners, etc. You may drive traffic to the microsite using Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and you can monitor raffic to the microsite to measure the level of interest in that specific topic.
Microsites for Lead Generation and SEO
Your firm's website is an excellent vehicle for promoting practice areas, attorneys, and key successes that bolster the firm's reputation. But if you're interested in utilizing the web for lead generation, microsites are a better choice. For example, your firm's primary website communicates broadly on most aspects of your firm. Visitors to your site usually come there for specific information. They may explore the site a bit, but not necessarily, so they'll only access a limited amount of the useful information that can be found on your site. And just because someone visits your site, it doesn't necessarily mean that you're able to collect any information about them, nor do you have a way to ensure that they return.
On the other hand, a microsite has few constraints. Because a microsite focuses on specific, specialized content, it may be promoted in a much more targeted way than your primary site, and to a highly defined audience ' therefore driving leads through participation, interaction, and conversion rates.
Microsites provide SEO advantages because as you build your microsite, you can establish a highly targeted domain name and keywords so that it moves up quickly in search engine rankings ' without being bogged down by the search terms or SEO strategies dictated by your firm's primary website.
Microsites also provide greater ease in measuring results because you can establish entirely separate analytics ' so you can see what's working and what isn't, without having to wade through a lot of irrelevant data. The key, of course, is to use your firm's primary website and microsites for the purposes to which they're best suited.
Using Microsites to Aggregate Social Media Campaigns
Managing all of your firm's social media can be a challenge, to say the least. There are tools out there, such as Hootsuite, which can help get your message out through all of your various channels. But figuring out where visitors finally land and what they do when they get there can still be a mystery. Strategic and well-positioned microsites can be a cost-effective way to aggregate social media campaigns in ways your primary website can't. Social media campaigns are excellent for reaching various communities, but these audiences are often very fragmented and the standardized formats of social media tools limit your flexibility in presenting your message. A 140-character tweet typically can't be visually appealing, and adding an image to a LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or Google+ post isn't exactly engaging design.
How do microsites help overcome some of these limitations?
You will still have to create compelling teaser copy tailored to each of your social media platforms, but when your audience reaches your microsite, it's a lot easier to drive increased social media shares and engagement.
Microsites Can Help You Achieve Big Goals
So why do you need a microsite in addition to your firm's primary site? Here are a few uses:
Conclusion
Even though they are called microsites they can have major impact for your firm, by promoting topic specific content, improving your SEO, and generating new and qualified leads, among many other benefits.
Candis Roussel is Director of Accounts at Moir' Marketing Partners, a strategic branding and communications agency specializing in the success of professional service firms. You can reach her at [email protected] or connect with her on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.moiremarketing.com.
What exactly is a microsite?
For those of us who travel in marketing circles, there has been increasing buzz about adding microsites to integrated marketing and communications campaigns. Some may question, “Why do we need a microsite, isn't our website enough?” While others may ask, “What is a microsite anyway?” Microsites, also known as minisites, are separate pages of your website that have their own independent URLs. Microsites are typically used for a specific purpose or promotion. They are usually temporary sites and removed from the main site after the information/promotion has expired.
Advantages
Separate Themes
One of the primary differences between a microsite and a static landing page on your website is that a microsite typically has its own theme or brand message. For example, your law firm has its main website that provides broad information about your firm, your attorneys, your practice areas, etc., but for your upcoming holiday party, you want a specific site that is branded in a holiday theme, rather than the firm's corporate brand.
You not only want to promote the date and location of the party, you want the site's functionality to allow guests to RSVP for the event and conveniently look up directions to the party from anywhere they may be traveling from. You also want the microsite to feature information about the great community service projects your firm is participating in this holiday season, and after the party you want to allow guests to post pictures of the festivities to the site.
Topic-Specific
Microsites not only promote events, they may also be created in order to carry topic-specific, keyword-rich content with the goal of having search engines rank them highly when users seek related content topics. For example, when new business legislation passes that will affect your firm's business clients, you may consider setting up a microsite that features common questions about the new law, or post thought-leadership articles that address how the new legislation may affect small business owners, etc. You may drive traffic to the microsite using Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and you can monitor raffic to the microsite to measure the level of interest in that specific topic.
Microsites for Lead Generation and SEO
Your firm's website is an excellent vehicle for promoting practice areas, attorneys, and key successes that bolster the firm's reputation. But if you're interested in utilizing the web for lead generation, microsites are a better choice. For example, your firm's primary website communicates broadly on most aspects of your firm. Visitors to your site usually come there for specific information. They may explore the site a bit, but not necessarily, so they'll only access a limited amount of the useful information that can be found on your site. And just because someone visits your site, it doesn't necessarily mean that you're able to collect any information about them, nor do you have a way to ensure that they return.
On the other hand, a microsite has few constraints. Because a microsite focuses on specific, specialized content, it may be promoted in a much more targeted way than your primary site, and to a highly defined audience ' therefore driving leads through participation, interaction, and conversion rates.
Microsites provide SEO advantages because as you build your microsite, you can establish a highly targeted domain name and keywords so that it moves up quickly in search engine rankings ' without being bogged down by the search terms or SEO strategies dictated by your firm's primary website.
Microsites also provide greater ease in measuring results because you can establish entirely separate analytics ' so you can see what's working and what isn't, without having to wade through a lot of irrelevant data. The key, of course, is to use your firm's primary website and microsites for the purposes to which they're best suited.
Using Microsites to Aggregate Social Media Campaigns
Managing all of your firm's social media can be a challenge, to say the least. There are tools out there, such as Hootsuite, which can help get your message out through all of your various channels. But figuring out where visitors finally land and what they do when they get there can still be a mystery. Strategic and well-positioned microsites can be a cost-effective way to aggregate social media campaigns in ways your primary website can't. Social media campaigns are excellent for reaching various communities, but these audiences are often very fragmented and the standardized formats of social media tools limit your flexibility in presenting your message. A 140-character tweet typically can't be visually appealing, and adding an image to a
How do microsites help overcome some of these limitations?
You will still have to create compelling teaser copy tailored to each of your social media platforms, but when your audience reaches your microsite, it's a lot easier to drive increased social media shares and engagement.
Microsites Can Help You Achieve Big Goals
So why do you need a microsite in addition to your firm's primary site? Here are a few uses:
Conclusion
Even though they are called microsites they can have major impact for your firm, by promoting topic specific content, improving your SEO, and generating new and qualified leads, among many other benefits.
Candis Roussel is Director of Accounts at Moir' Marketing Partners, a strategic branding and communications agency specializing in the success of professional service firms. You can reach her at [email protected] or connect with her on
ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCESS TO THE SINGLE SOURCE OF OBJECTIVE LEGAL ANALYSIS, PRACTICAL INSIGHTS, AND NEWS IN ENTERTAINMENT LAW.
Already a have an account? Sign In Now Log In Now
For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473
End of year collections are crucial for law firms because they allow them to maximize their revenue for the year, impacting profitability, partner distributions and bonus calculations by ensuring outstanding invoices are paid before the year closes, which is especially important for meeting financial targets and managing cash flow throughout the firm.
Law firms and companies in the professional services space must recognize that clients are conducting extensive online research before making contact. Prospective buyers are no longer waiting for meetings with partners or business development professionals to understand the firm's offerings. Instead, they are seeking out information on their own, and they want to do it quickly and efficiently.
Through a balanced approach that combines incentives with accountability, firms can navigate the complexities of returning to the office while maintaining productivity and morale.
The paradigm of legal administrative support within law firms has undergone a remarkable transformation over the last decade. But this begs the question: are the changes to administrative support successful, and do law firms feel they are sufficiently prepared to meet future business needs?
Counsel should include in its analysis of a case the taxability of the anticipated and sought after damages as the tax effect could be substantial.