Landing Page vs Microsite | Epsilon Individual Automotive

Landing pages and microsites are common tools to provide a personalized digital touch to your marketing campaign. These days, many marketers are even offering these customizable pages as a follow-up to direct mail pieces that potential customers can access. So, what’s the difference between landing pages and microsites?

The marketing team at Epsilon Individual Automotive is here to dig into landing pages vs. microsites so you know which to use when creating your next automotive marketing campaign. Contact us today to learn more.

What’s the Difference Between a Landing Page and a Microsite?

While both microsites and landing pages are places on the internet that your customers can visit, they do have different purposes.

Microsites are small websites. These sites are typically only four or five pages and are made for a specific goal. Companies may use microsites to provide information about an event they’re running or highlight a certain product or nonprofit they support.

A landing page is a page on a business’s website that a potential customer may visit first, especially when arriving at a site via an advertisement. These are singular pages that prompt the lead to take action rather than provide a lot of information. Landing pages are also typically part of the main website of a business.

Features of a Landing Page

Landing pages have one goal: to get your potential customer to take a specific action. What that action is may depend on the goals of your marketing campaign. Many landing pages encourage customers to:

Make an account
Sign up for marketing materials
Make a purchase or schedule an appointment

There are two kinds of landing pages: click-through landing pages and lead-generation landing pages. Click-through landing pages encourage customers to make a purchase or opt in to a subscription or schedule an appointment. They will take someone right to the process to do that.

Lead-generation landing pages are designed to collect customer’s information, including consumer interests, names, and emails, in order to convert those visitors into customers in the future.

Features of a Microsite

Microsites are often not permanent websites. The microsite comes down once the campaign, promotion, or event has finished. This prevents the microsite from causing confusion or from creating competition with the main website.

Microsites typically have a separate domain from the main website. This keeps them separate while also allowing the microsite to focus solely on providing specific information. These sites are great for addressing one subset of customers and creating more control over the type of product they’re viewing.

On a microsite, you can include a variety of tools to help inform the customer. Dealerships may include a virtual tour of a specific vehicle or a payment calculator to help customers determine if that model is within their budget.

Making the Best of Your Landing Page or Microsite

When using a landing page or microsite, there are plenty of ways to maximize their effectiveness. As you look for ways to best use a landing page or microsite, consider these tips and tricks:

PURLs: A Powerful Marketing Ally

Personalized URLs, or PURLs, are an effective tool for boosting customer engagement and increasing response rates. By assigning each recipient their own unique URL, you gain the ability to track individual interactions, offering deeper insights into audience behavior. This personalized approach not only enhances the user experience but also allows for more targeted segmentation, which ultimately drives higher conversion rates.

What makes PURLs especially valuable is the clarity they bring to data analysis. The ability to link specific customer actions back to individual PURLs allows marketers to refine future campaigns based on concrete data.

You’ll be able to identify trends, understand the specific preferences of your target audience, and adapt your strategies to better meet their needs. Overall, PURLs are a straightforward way to elevate both engagement and campaign performance through detailed customer insights.

QR Codes: Flexible & Functional

These days, QR codes are nearly everywhere—and with good reason. Their versatility and convenience make them a smart addition to any direct mail campaign. Easy to print on your mailers and even easier for recipients to scan with their smartphones, QR codes offer a simple, immediate way to connect with your audience. Once scanned, a QR code can lead to a wide variety of destinations, including:

Custom landing pages
PURLs
Websites with UTM parameters for tracking & more

Beyond their ease of use, QR codes also provide valuable data through analytics, allowing you to track how many times they’ve been scanned and what users are viewing. This gives you a clear view of engagement and helps align your physical mail campaigns with your digital marketing efforts.

QR codes are a practical, efficient way to seamlessly bridge the gap between offline and online marketing, making your outreach more dynamic and measurable.

Track Response Rates for Landing Pages & Microsites

It’s essential to craft a compelling call-to-action (CTAs) for each landing page or microsite you create. A well-written CTA serves as your moment to clearly communicate the value of your offer, service, or promotion. It acts as a bridge between your dealership and potential customers, guiding them toward the next step—whether that’s visiting your showroom or redeeming an exclusive deal online.

A strong CTA example could look like: “We’re Excited to Showcase Our Latest Models—Schedule Your Test Drive Today!” This type of message creates a sense of urgency while inviting engagement, helping you track how effectively your campaign resonates with recipients.

By combining audience segmentation with powerful, action-driven CTAs, you’ll create a feedback loop that provides valuable data, allowing you to fine-tune future campaigns and optimize your marketing efforts.

Create a Landing Page or Microsite to Accompany Your Automotive Direct Mail Marketing Campaign

Landing pages and microsites can make a great digital addition to an automotive direct mail marketing campaign. The experts at Epsilon Individual Automotive can help create personalized landing pages and microsites for customers who receive your mailers to create a more personalized experience that addresses their needs.