120 days after the Dodd-Frank Act was enacted on July 21, 2010, Goodwin Procter launched what may have been the first law firm microsite. It was so consequential to Goodwin, they broadly distributed a press release about the purpose of this microsite “…to Help Professionals Monitor And Analyze Implementation of Dodd-Frank Act.”
That site no longer exists.
Microsites offer numerous advantages to professional services firms that have discrete stories to tell. One advantage is they are often strategically temporary. But that shouldn’t imply that they are fast and cheap to spin up – they can be, but many aren’t. And for good reason. Planning takes thought, depth, commitment, and, post-launch, relevancy check-ups, care and feeding.
Carve your strategy and story into vertical pieces
Enterprise website analytics prove that visitors view professionals’ bio pages more frequently than any other pages by large margins, and that service and industry pages are aberrant if they receive a double-digit percentage of visitors. Pre-Covid, and 2021 and later, these pages typically received a paltry six to eight percent of total website traffic.
Microsites are, by definition, small and vertical – and they are hyper-focused on communicating one thing. Visitors know precisely what to expect, and when the microsite delivers, the visitor – or potential buyer – feels smart. You are speaking their language. You’ve targeted them, provided value, answered relevant questions and have calls to action or CTAs to which they’ll respond.
Enterprise websites for large firms are horizontal by design – that’s what they should be because you want your coveted visitors to journey horizontally throughout your site to view pages section to section. But with visitors spending only two to four minutes on your site during an average session, they are missing a lot of your narrative.
Freedom to tell your story
Your voice and your story can come alive in a smaller space targeted specifically to the audience for your unique product, service or message. You have the freedom to be passionate about your subject matter, and your important role as a service provider who advises on tip-of-the-spear issues. It’s both impressive and contagious when a lawyer demonstrates their love affair with the work they do and clients they serve.
It’s not competition with your enterprise site, it’s collaboration
Think opportunistically: what are your most significant or signature service areas that deserve a higher profile? Or, from a management perspective, how could a Careers or DEI microsite feed more qualified and diverse laterals into your enterprise site to get even more of their questions answered?
Think authentically and authoritatively
If you have business and industry stories that demand deeper engagement, a ready audience who will self-select and add to your ROI, and expert voices who are committed to this business model, contact us to chat about the possibilities.