Real Estate Macro-Marketing with Microsites

Real Estate Macro-Marketing with Microsites

by Gary Ashton

You don't need a big website in order to make a big impression online. Smaller, more focused websites, called microsites, are now the tools of choice for many companies in search of a new marketing angle, and they're working quite well. That's great news for real estate agents looking to improve their online presence without starting from scratch. It's also good for target audiences tired of combing through huge sites in order to find the information they want. Real estate agents who understand the basics of microsite development can make huge marketing progress on their own, or with the help of a web development company.
The best microsites typically support new products by well-established companies. Whether that product is a new car or a romantic comedy movie, the microsite format seems to attract more attention on its own than as a part of a large corporate website. One of the reasons for this is that microsites exist on their own URL and are easily branded separately. Movies also typically make great URLs, so the marketing angle comes naturally there.

While largely untested in real estate, the microsite concept could have many applications. Home sellers looking for an edge in the market could consider registering a unique domain to promote their listing, such as Street_Address.com, and real estate agents looking for new clients could register a domain promoting a new service, such as Buyers_Service.com. Many real estate agents with well-established sites face the challenge of keeping their site current with the latest popular keywords, and microsites could be the way to address that very challenge.

Because microsites only need to attract traffic for one or two keywords, and often receive most of their exposure through linking or advertisements, their forms are a little less strictly defined. Microsites can feature more pictures and graphics than a typical website, and generally don't need any kind of rigid site architecture in order to perform well.

Microsites are often conceived the same way as blogs: to keep track of a single topic in an uncomplicated format. Indeed, many microsites turn out to be blogs with a fancy landing page attached, or a little more branding. This is fine - in fact promising - for real estate agents, home sellers, and buyers. Imagine a unique brand for every home on the MLS - that's the promise of a microsite.