Sticky like fly paper...
One of the most fundamental elements of any successful commercial web site is content that brings visitors back time after time and keeps them on the site longer. This is critical to making conversions and increasing your customer base. But how?
The state of the art is still evolving when it comes to creating what is called "sticky content" for any web site. In the mid-1990's developers focused on 'chat rooms' or 'message boards' as well as cheap give-aways and discounts. Though this had marked success for some online retailers, the cost of maintaining such an operation was prohibitive. Since 2004, momentum has built for creating a corporate blog. It has worked as 'sticky content' for some, but for others, editorial priorities fell short and readership never caught on.
One new idea for creating 'sticky content' as part of your brand's online mission comes today from Adidas Corporation. Their new site, Adicolor, breaks the rules for a shoe retailer and clearly has built a community of designers and curious customers alike.
This micro-site is Flash-based (very creative use of the medium) and contains such things as a color-change tool, product design contests and product information that is fresh and enjoyable to experience.
Well, at least I really enjoyed it. And I'm liable to go back even though I haven't bought a pair of Adidas in years and am definitely not their target demographic. Now that's sticky content!