Did you know that every day, more than 2 million pieces of content are published on the internet? This offers a unique marketing challenge for associations who are gearing up for a big event and deciding what online platforms to utilize that will attract and engage potential attendees.
Instead of re-building your organization's website around a specific event campaign, consider creating a microsite.
What's a microsite? It's a small multi-page website (or sitelet) usually created as a supplement to your organization's main website. It lives outside of your company's main page with its own unique URL.
Microsites offer focus and flexibility, as well as a great space to showcase your event and garner attention.
In this post we will share best practices for creating an efficient and cohesive microsite for your next event:
1. Focused Content is Key
As the average human's attention span is now shorter than that of a goldfish, so creating focused, yet simple, content on the microsite is important.
Take the time to craft in-depth content with a clear call to action. Keep the attention of your readers by providing bite-sized chunks of information that is not too text heavy.
Make sure to also include all the necessary event details such as the venue, agenda, speakers and transportation options.
2. A Picture Speaks Volumes
Our brains are wired to process visual data much faster than text. In fact, Eventbrite found the top two places that consumers bounce to after visiting an event page are YouTube and Google Images. Why? Potential attendees want to gain an understanding of what to expect from the event.
Keep people on your event page by embedding photos and videos that educate and attract attendees to register. Consider sharing a highlight reel from prior events. This can help create excitement and provides an opportunity for visitors to share the video and ultimately spread the word about the event on their own networks.
3. Make it User-Friendly
The more confident potential attendees feel about the experience that they're considering, the more likely they'll be to complete the registration process.
When designing the event site, take a step back and look at it through the lens of the visitor. Is it easy to understand? Are the branding and messaging cohesive? Can the user register and pay easily within the site?
To help ensure you get the most out of your microsite efforts, here are two helpful event tools to consider which can help create a seamless and user-friendly event site:
Eventbrite
Eventbrite is a well-known and free online event management tool. Associations can create a customized event page, as well as manage the event registration process. It can also be integrated into your microsite to capture registrants.
Unbounce
Unbounce offers templates to quickly build and publish a landing page. Although it is not free, it can be a great tool to build a robust and integratable event microsite.
With the right mix of planning and creativity, a microsite can help deliver great results for your next event.