The stickiest sites offer an abundance of content and include some form of interactivity.
What makes a site “sticky?”
It’s a question that marketers ask themselves again and again as they work to draw internet users to their sites, keep them there, and keep them coming back for more. It’s long been debated whether there is a magic formula for developing a site that meets all of these objectives. While no single blueprint works for all sites, there are a number of tactics that marketers can apply to recruit and retain visitors to their unique product and service offerings.
At its core, a sticky site has two distinctive characteristics. First, it offers an abundance of content. Diverse and extensive site content not only draws consumers, but it also increases the amount of time they spend on your site. Secondly, the stickiest sites always include some form of interactivity. By inviting consumers to participate in an online activity, marketers not only ensure they are connecting with the brand, but provide an impetus for returning to the site.
These features are more easily employed by some sites than others. Portals and social networks, for example, are inherently rich in dynamic content and interactive tools and applications because they are largely reliant on third-party feeds and user-generated content (UGC).
To achieve the same results for a brand site or campaign microsite, marketers must work harder to identify ways in which their products and services can be presented in an interesting and engaging manner.
Weaving a sticky website “The Fabric of My Life” site, which consumers can access through the main Cotton site, introduces users to the three musical artists — Zooey Deschanel, Miranda Lambert, and Jazmine Sullivan — who are featured in the advertiser’s TV spots. Users can watch the spots online and hear each artist’s interpretation of the Cotton theme song. What makes this site particularly sticky, though, is the featured toolset offered on the site. Each artist has a dedicated section in which she uniquely demonstrates her style and the role that cotton clothing plays in her life.
Sticky auto sites with soul Few make better use of microsites than the automotive industry, a sector that relies on the web to increase awareness of — and interest in — virtually every new vehicle model that’s launched. Typically, these sites provide a flashy overview of the product using video, and offer access to vehicle configuration tools.
Immersive, engaging, and interactive, these sites are online destinations as much as they are brand and product marketing vehicles. It’s this winning combination of characteristics and features that makes their success stick.
John Gray September 22, 2009