Minisite

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A minisite is a website by which companies offer information about one specific product or product group. Typically, a minisite is enhanced by various multimedia content, such as an animated, narrated introduction, and accompanied by a visual scheme which complements the product well.

For example, a soft drink company might have a minisite with bright colors and a carbonated bubble motif. This offers a more immersive experience for the visitor, in comparison to a traditional corporate website, which is usually presented in a classic professional layout describing the company's statistics and range of operations, and products' technical details.

A minisite may also refer to a single-page website through which the operator aims to sell one particular product rather than present a company's product portfolio. Unlike traditional websites, minisites usually consist of a single page website that utilizes a direct response marketing approach to sell its single product. Such products are often digital products that can be sold in a number of electronic formats such as PDF eBooks, interactive web videos, software, audio, podcasts, membership subscriptions or an online eCourse. However, it is also not uncommon for a minisite to sell a physical product.

Minisites have existed since the popularization of the World Wide Web in the mid 1990’s as direct marketers adapted their offline direct mail campaigns to accommodate for a worldwide audience provided by the Internet.

Telltale signs of a minisite include the following elements:

• a graphic header
• a large headline, accompanied by a smaller sub-headline
• utilizes a letter-style format, i.e. using terms such as: From:, Date:, Dear Friend;
• addresses a readers problem
• provides a solution
• encompasses direct response marketing techniques such as: scarcity, social proof, guarantees, testimonials and call to action graphics
• uses virtual product packages or ‘eCovers’ to create higher perceived value

The growth of online direct response marketing has meant that minisites have become extremely popular and are attracting a large audience of both companies and individuals worldwide who are adapting to the online direct marketing environment. This growth has also led to an array of minisite related services such as; copywriting, minisite graphic design and minisite video production.

Minisites are popular marketing vehicles, as marketers are attracted by the ease and speed of creating a minisite to sell their digital goods or information, which in turn allows them to run their own part time online business.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• microsite

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