By offering content that differs from a brand’s main website, a microsite enhances audience awareness of a particular product or project. This type of brand promotion gives consumers an in-depth customer experience with one facet of a product, rather than diluting the message with too much information or losing it among other new releases.

In a previous post, I discussed “5 Great Microsite Examples” from a variety of categories. Today, let’s take a look at 5 microsite examples targeted toward brand promotion:

SimpliSafe Home Security Systems “Layered Defense” gets visually creative with an engaging “parallax” microsite design that identifies home safety issues and offers product benefits and solutions in a whimsical and innovative way. The friendly, illustrated, visually driven microsite is dramatically different from the main website, which is a straightforward feature-benefit-price pitch for the company’s alarm services.

The Behr “2013 Color Forecast” microsite inspires viewers to interactively explore virtual Color Centers, get product samples and learn more about “Color Smart” design style and color palette coordination, showcased with beautifully photographed residential interior and exterior project imagery. (Although this microsite technically resides on Behr’s main domain, it qualifies since it’s targeted on one specific aspect of the company’s offerings.)

The Italian fashion brand Fendi generated interest and brand awareness during the last Milan Fashion Week with a microsite. It’s remarkable how well the site conveys a feeling of “being there” at a fashion show, with interactive, behind-the-scenes content, multimedia and video. The overall strategy was key, too: Fendi’s social media channels attracted attention and drove traffic to the promotional microsite, then linked back to social media channels through a “Social Wall” link.

In today’s day and age, museums can’t afford to be boring. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York promoted its “Century of the Child” Exhibition with a clever, interactive microsite featuring a timeline of toys, objects and artwork created during the 20th century. Creative, engaging navigation elements divide the information into segments that reflect the ten decades of the century.

The Seattle Opera is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a multi-page microsite that promotes the history, events, delights and memories of the social and cultural institution. An interactive Milestone Gallery featuring photos, videos, audio and programs provides a sense of how far the organization has come, as well as its vision for the future. There’s a section to share personal stories about how the Opera has played a role in viewers’ lives or provided memorable experiences — and then post them to social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

Interactive content on microsites such as these 5 examples creates customer engagement as the user is immersed in the campaign theme, creating a lasting impression. (And don’t forget mobile optimization, which allows viewers to view content on the go!) As a consumer, it can be easy to get absorbed into clicking every last link to make sure that you’re not missing anything. As a marketer, your goal is to create brand promotion microsites that deliver the same compelling experience for your prospective customers.

Which aspect of interactivity is most important to your microsite campaign strategy? Having users click through a variety of links, getting them to request information, reinforcing your brand identity…or something else entirely?

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About Eileen Burick

Eileen Burick and her expert team at Burick Communication Design (BCD) are passionate about combining creative aesthetic, strategic communication skills and cutting edge technologies to accomplish your key business objectives. Whether you’re a CMO or marketing leader who wants to launch a digital makeover, redefine your brand’s value, generate/nurture leads for sales, or make your online marketing more effective with targeted campaigns, BCD can transform your message with WOW-factor to drive results. Follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn