A microsite is a small, self-contained, single-issue website. They are generally designed to promote a specific issue or idea. Every local political campaign has at least one ‘big’ issue that separates the candidates.
A microsite is a good idea when you want people to take action on an issue related to your campaign. The issue needs to be stand-alone, and not dependent on your overall campaign. The site itself can be colorful and attention-grabbing, with each element designed to further the sites primary goal.
For example, a micro site can be used to educate voters about a specific new law or local development. They can also be used to highlight an opponent’s position or weakness. (Who’s making political contributions and backing so-and-so…) Best of all, micro sites are highly viral and their popularity and traffic numbers can easily grow.
Larger political campaigns are using microsites with greater frequency. During the 2008 election, a microsite named WheresLiddy.com was created to track Elizabeth Dole’s travels outside the state. This was used by her opponent to show that she was out of touch with her constituents.
What do you need to start something like that yourself? Just come up with a catchy domain name, begin tracking your issue or opponent, and share that information with your voters. This tactic helps keeps negative news off of your own campaign website while giving you the benefit of an attack.
Want to expand your online presence with a microsite of your own? Consider our Campaign Website package for an attractive and affordable website to nail that issue … or opponent!
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Tags: campaign websites, microsite, promotionals items, social networking
This is a great idea!
Just adding to it, these sites could be really effective to rank well for certain negatives about the candidate and the opponent.
Say, the candidate was involved in a campaign finance scandal that was misreported and the campaign wants to ensure that voters know the truth. Start a website: http://www.janedoecampaignfinancescandal.com. Particularly if it’s an exact match domain it should rank highly quickly and be able to help correct the record for any voters interested in learning more.
On the other hand, you could use this same technique to rank highly on search terms for the opponent. What if your opponent has a view out of step with the district on guns. Get the domain http://www.johndoeonguns.com and explain where the opponent stands ranking highly in the SERPs.