Digital advertising is increasingly being embraced by marketing moguls worldwide. While a bulk of marketing budgets are still allocated in traditional advertising, the shift of consumers, especially the younger generation, to spending more time online over television or other forms of media leaves marketers no choice but to “go fishing where the fish are.” With the increasing number of digital gigs in the worldwide web, comes the challenge for Digital Advertisers to not just be present but to make a difference in the online space.
A micro site or a website created for the purpose of a short-term campaign should first ATTRACT the consumers. The colors, design and copy on the homepage and the online banners should be able to entice the consumers to click through and see the initial campaign message. As the first contact point of the consumer to the site, the main message should be communicated across at this point, through copy and graphics.
Once the attention is on the micro site, it is important to get the customer ENGAGED through online activities. The activities can be fun or educational, depending on the objective of the campaign and the target audience. Online gimmicks such as quizzes, games, information sheets, music downloads, information uploads, etc, are commonly used with a variety of executions that follow a micro site concept. A good micro site would be one that consumers feel that they can share with their friends.
The VIRAL aspect is a big value to a micro site as it is the consumers who would know the very people who would be interested to see the website. After seeing the site, participating in the activity and sharing the site with others, the next challenge is to get the visitors to RETURN to the site at another time. With these points considered, a micro site will add value to a brand.
For a micro site to be useful for future online campaigns, database gathering is essential in a promotion site. Adding a mandatory registration form within the user flow of the site would make a huge difference in following campaigns. It is important to note, that registration forms need to be kept short, otherwise, the form may aggravate consumers, and generate a negative feedback on the site. The most important note for online registration forms is strictly following privacy policies. In future communications to the consumers in the form of an electronic direct mail, an option to “opt-out” must be given so that unwilling consumers will not have to keep receiving e-mails.
A big advantage of online campaigns is that it is highly measurable. After each campaign, advertisers must analyze the reports and record key learnings. With this, advertisers will evolve with what the consumers want.
These elements are vital to get consumers to spend time on a website. As far as the copy and execution goes, as with any forms of marketing communications, the message and concept is the core to a successful campaign. All forms of advertising, including digital advertising are mere tools to get the message across successfully.
