Mini sites are online marketing tools which render any online marketer an excellent opportunity to increase the online traffic, convert sales and give better exposure to their businesses on the web. These can be termed as independent sites which are used as an extension of your main website. Mini sites generally target any specific large product or service which your business offers along with your primary service. While considering the method of internet marketing and means to enhance your search engine optimization, adding up the mini site to support your main website is considered to be the most effective and popular approach. The below is the list of few important reasons for you to opt mini sites for your online business activity.

1). More focus

The mini sites encompass primary focus. They are meant to focus on one goal which is generally to call the prospective client to act like subscribing newsletter or click the order button or click a particular link on a site referring the visitor to any product or service. The narrower is your focus the less would be the confusion at the visitor’s end. In this way, you end up getting maximum attention of your visitors for the call of action given over your site which becomes possible only by having one option at a time.

2). Get more exposure over search engines

Mini sites can be easily optimized for all the popular search engines including Google. This helps your products or services or company to become more visible over different search engines. Further, you get twofold effects; firstly you get more targeted traffic since your mini sites focuses on niche audiences and secondly, your business is showcased on multiple online platforms. This helps you in increasing your credibility and level of trust among your clients and prospective customers.

3). Higher conversion rates

Any prospective client while looking out for any particular service would always prefer a place where he can find quality. Any website carrying a number of services would never give a message of specialization to the person visiting your website. He would prefer a place where he finds a specialized service for his desired thing. By creating a mini site, you can showcase the specialization angle for all your services with the help of different mini sites without any hassle, thus give more reasons to get higher conversion rates.

4). Easy to create

Mini sites are very simple and quick to develop, which you can create for multiple purposes. Anybody with basic computer and internet knowledge can create mini sites. You just have to invest a couple of hours for creating good mini sites with the help of some effective tutorials easily found over the internet. Once you create them, you can end up making different streams to gain business profits.

5). Safe to test and experiment

Mini sites are not only easy and fast to create but also can be tested faster to check whether the various features work smoothly or not. Mini sites can be easily tested for search engine optimization as well as you do not have too many web pages to go through. These sites give you the opportunity for different experimentations. It is pretty risky to experiment anything new over your corporate website since your reputation is always at stake if anything goes wrong over your main site. Using the mini sites to carry out different experiments and tests can save you in ruining your corporate image.

6). Speed and flexibility

If you own a big company carrying a traditional corporate site which is aligned with red tape, the possibility of getting a quick new ad live is pretty low. By having mini sites, you can quickly create and edit content without any hassle. If at any point of time you are supposed to pull down the mini site, you are no more required to call the top bosses in your management hierarchy to get things done.

7). Cost effective

Creating mini sites are often termed as cost effective thing. Every businessman wants to tread the path of cost cutting, especially when the economic climate is bad. There is no point in appointing or hiring any webmaster and pay him regular salaries when the same thing can be carried out easily without any cost through mini sites.

Mini sites are websites which supplement your main site by focusing on one issue at a time. It could be any product or service or any other single idea, the best way out for these things is to create a mini site. The above seven reasons could be more than enough for you to have mini sites for your different products or services.

About the author

Alyssa Clarke is a freelance blogger who is passionate about writing. She frequently writes on SEO, marketing and social media related topics. Her favorite sites are Gizmowatch and Cellphonebeat, which she also happens to work for. She is a social media addict and can be actively found on twitter @alyssagclarke.

Look at them grow. Do you know that the only way you’ll ever be content with life (and business) is through progress? Look at my pumpkins, and you’ll understand. It doesn’t matter how much money you already have, or how successful you are, if you’re not experiencing progress, you’ll never be happy.

I remember writing about my one goal for 2012. That’s still a goal, but I have clicked the pause button for my novel, just for a few months. I need to get my business to where I want it to be, before I can continue on my writing adventure. My business is a huge part of my life now. I have more or less finished my Easter writing project, but I’m not sure what I’ll do about it. I might publish it as a very long article on my blog, or maybe I’ll send it as part of my newsletter (or it will end up in Amazon).

The thing is, I am all about progress. And, I’m not talking about earning a lot of money, or writing a best seller. I am looking for ways to fulfill my dreams. So, I have added a few more goals and ways that I’ll be showing progress during 2012.

Remember, progress is about you, and not the people who are looking at you from the outside. It doesn’t matter what other people are saying, what happens when my pumpkins stops growing?

My blog is my home

I want to make slymarketing my home. It’s a lot like my house online. I want it be filled with awesome content, and I want every single person who knocks on my door to feel welcome, and as soon as she enters, I want her to understand everything about me and what I want to accomplish by watching the great structure.

I will continue to hustle to make my blog the central hub of my business and everything I do online. I am creating a Norwegian version for my business, and I’m still not quite sure how to integrate the two. But that’s something I’ll be focusing on during the next weeks.

I will create my business plan

I still don’t have a business plan. I started my business on 1 April, and I love what I am doing. I’m an independent marketing consultant, and I help companies with their marketing strategy, I do speaking gigs, I create content. And do a lot when it comes to social media. I am confident that I have what it takes to be successful, but…

I am a newbie when it comes to business. I need to read books. I need tutorials. I need all the help I can get. And I need examples. I want to learn business from the people who understands business and have the experience that I don’t have. I have already done several mistakes, and I am sure that I will do several more, but I am confident in my progress.

I will write more guest posts and be more visible

I love to write, and I want to write more, and show you what I can accomplish with content. My business plan, the one that I haven’t created yet, will be focusing on creating high quality content.

I believe that one of the best ways to become a better writer, is to practice the art of writing. I still write every single day, and I feel that I am progressing, but I want to write on different levels, and on different topics (related to productivity, self development and everything related to marketing).

That’s why I have decided that I want to write more guest posts. In 2011, I believe that I wrote two guest posts, and that was it. The first one was for Carolyn at Wonder of Tech. The guest post was called The 10 Real Reasons Why I Love Spotify. The second guest post was for Bill and was called How Fanta Destroyed Everything.

So far in 2012, I have given my first interview, and it was to Sonia at Logallot, Blogger Spotlight – Jens P. Berget, and I have written two guest posts and they were both published this week.

This weeks guest posts:

The first guest post was published at Ben’s Quick Blog Tips and is called 3 Things I Would Do Differently If I Started Blogging Today. There are many things I would do differently if I could start all over again, but I thought three things would be more than enough to focus on in a single post (I am not a big fan of list posts). The second guest post was just published at Christian’s Smarty Blog Designs and is called The Importance of Creating Strong Relationships with your Customers. I wrote about an interesting experience with a Mexican friend that I hadn’t seen for about 10 years. I learned a lot about marketing just by meeting my wonderful friend again.

I love feedback and …

The best way to keep growing and to experience progress is to get help and feedback from people. I have many brilliant mentors (I am not sure if they know that they are my mentors, but that’s not the point). I learn something new every single day, and that’s the part of blogging and marketing I really love. When you leave a comment, I always read it, no matter how short or long it is. And I reply, because I want a conversation.

Do you have any tips for me when it comes to creating a business plan, and a strategy for what I want to accomplish, or do you want me to write a guest post for your blog? Let me know, I am all ears.

2012 is a fantastic year.

The weather is part of the reason why I start walking at 6 am in the morning, and why I walk for at least one hour every single morning. But, the other part, is that it’s the perfect way to start the day, especially if you want to get some interesting and creative ideas. When I walk, and listen to podcasts, I always get ideas that I can’t seem to get if I’m in the office staring at the computer screen.

I love details

When I’m out walking, I think about the small details. I think about adjustments to my blog, I think about the first words I’ll say at my next speaking gig, and what kind of clothes I should be wearing for my next business meeting. Things like that. I usually don’t spend any thoughts on clothes, but after I started my own business I’m thinking about everything that can possibly go wrong, and everything that I need to do in order to create a sustainable business. And clothes and first impressions are important parts of any business.

To me, details are very important, because I have come to realize that the small details are always part of the big picture and many times, when I start with the small details, I end up with something wonderful (and huge). It’s not always the other way around. And, it’s when I focus on the small details that I get creative. And I just love the simple things in life, and the small details makes me realize how simple life really is.

Just as I passed a farm, two horses, and some dogs barking, I was thinking about a conversation I had with a client yesterday. This was the first conversation with this specific client after I started my business, and it was the opening lines of our business relationship. I already know the guy from before, because I have spent a lot of time in order to established our relationship before he turned into a client and I’ve done my best to create trust.

But…

I have no idea what my real value is

Our conversation was fairly long. We discussed close to everything, and the business relationship was going great. I felt that it was more or less the perfect business conversation, until he asked me for the price. That’s right. His words were exactly, “but, how much does it cost?”

I already knew the answer. And I had practiced on telling him on the phone. But as soon as I heard his words, it was like I couldn’t speak. My mouth was all dry, and the sound that appeared was all squeaky. I was glad that I wasn’t in a business meeting and that he couldn’t actually see me.

I eventually told him the price, but before he could give me any sort of feedback, I gave him a five-minute speech to give him the reasons why my price was like set like that, and I ended up apologizing. I heard the words, and I just couldn’t believe that I apologized. Even though he didn’t have the chance to say anything, and even though my competition is a lot more expensive. I wanted to give him a lower price and a more simple product. I was destroying my business with my own words.

Right now, understanding my value, is one of my biggest challenges as a business owner.

The conversation ended

I was looking at the trees in the forrest. I was listening to the birds, instead of the barking dogs, and I was looking at the plants, and I was sort of thinking about my greenhouse and how powerful being personal in marketing is, as I discovered that I was really at the end of the conversation with my client.

I have a new client, and I’m so excited about it, and this client is huge. But, I just keep thinking about why I can’t just tell people what my real value is, without talking about my competition or giving a speech. I am being personal, bold and honest, and I almost told him that I have no idea what my value is and how much money he should be paying me, but I didn’t (and I’m so glad that I didn’t).

But, I had a really hard time talking about the price.

Let me just ask you this. Do you know your value? And if you do, how did you find out?

And this is how it looks after I have added some soon-to-be vegetables, like eggplants, tomatoes, green and red peppers and a lot more:

And the chair, that’s where I’ll be doing my creative thinking while watching the vegetables grow.

Why am I telling you this?

… and showing you pictures of something personal?

I am doing it, because this is how me and you connect. I share something personal, something you can relate to, and then you’ll share something personal. When we both share something personal, that’s when we connect.

I am telling you a story about who I am. When we connect on a personal level, away from the corporate world, that’s when the true magic happens – and that’s what marketing is about.

If you’re fascinated by a Norwegian pizza-lovin vegetarian who spends most of his days in a chair inside a greenhouse watching his vegetables grow, well, you know where to find him.

Marketing is personal.

It’s still dark outside. You’re still sleeping. I’m sure you are. I’m the only human awake. It’s me and my cat. He’s staring at me while I’m looking at myself in the mirror.

I am a business owner. But. Am I any different?

I think not. Even though I have to focus on different things. And that’s my biggest challenge.

It’s 4 am, and I have been looking at myself in the mirror for 30 minutes. I am trying to look at myself as a business owner and at the way I do business. It’s not just about marketing anymore. I’m a business owner, and I need to have a closer focus at the turnover, the costs of running my business, and the income.

I have never been good with numbers. Well, it’s not that I haven’t been good (and that I can’t learn), it’s more that I haven’t been interested, and not focused enough. Now I’m thinking that I need to be.

Business is all about numbers. If I’m not making a profit, I won’t have a business anymore. That’s the brutal truth.

I shouldn’t invest

I love to test new things. I used to test new wordpress plugins every week. I used to sign up for several new services every month. I tested new social media managers in order to find the social media manager I really want. And, I read books every single day. I’ve only been a business owner for the past 40 days or so, but my focus is already different.

I want LiveFyre, but…

I have been watching the improvements at Jack’s blog and after he installed LiveFyre for his comments, I was so impressed by it. To me, LiveFyre seems to be close to perfect, and it’s free. And with their latest update, I’m not sure if I can keep myself from not installing it and testing it on my blog. But, there’s a big but. If I install LiveFyre, I will spend my time with things that might not be relevant for my business. That’s time I should spend on my clients instead of making “minor” adjustments on things that are not making me money. And, since I have already invested money in buying CommentLuv (and I really love that plugin), this investment would more or less be a waste of money.

A few months ago, I wouldn’t have thought twice about installing LiveFyre.

I want to switch hosting, but…

I used to have major issues with my webhost. But, I stayed with them for years. Finally, I took action and switched to HostGator. It’s been great, but for the past few months I have experienced some issues, and the downtime is not something I’m proud of. As a business owner, I don’t want to think about the technical server issues. I just want to focus on what’s important for my business, and the things that makes me smile.

I have been reading rave reviews about Synthesis, the web hosting from Copyblogger. They are a wordpress host and includes support for the Genesis framework (and that’s what I’m using). It seems like the perfect host for me (it’s more expensive, but I don’t need to be focusing on all the wrong things if I have a reliable host).

But, as a business owner, I am asking questions. How much time will I use on the switch? Is it worth the extra cost? I used to just do it, and take action, just because I had a feeling that this was going to be something better.

I should invest

The image in the mirror is telling me something. I am looking at a man that used to be me.

I have always been asking questions, but the questions have been different. I have always been playing it fairly safe when it comes to investing money, but not this safe. The questions I am asking are more detailed, and instead of being creative, and testing, I am focusing on playing it safe (because I’m a business owner).

The reason I should invest is that I always keep improving my skills, and one of the most important reasons why my clients hire me, is that I am testing and learning and keeping myself updated on what’s happening.

If I am playing it safe, I’ll be just another boring business owner.

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