Recent marketing studies point to the growing importance of interactive communication. The key to interactive communication is to engage an audience, not just talk at them. Engagement is 2-way and necessitates listening. PURLs (Personalized URLs) connect a static form of communication, direct mail, with an interactive form of communication via the internet. This increases the power of direct mail exponentially because it makes it both interactive and personal.
What is a PURL? A PURL (Personalized URL) is a custom micro website created with just 1 person in mind, the recipient of a specific direct mail piece. In a campaign where 10,000 pieces are mailed, there will be 10,000 different personalized websites generated. The unique websites are printed on the mail pieces as they are addressed. Not only does each website have a unique URL, but the PURL landing page typically greets the recipient by name. Because each website is unique, it’s very easy for the sender to determine which recipients responded to the mailing.
Can you give me an example of campaign using PURLs? A local college sends out a targeted direct mail campaign to attract rising high school seniors to apply. Interested students enter their personal URL from the mail piece, and are welcomed by name to their custom landing page. A very brief survey that's on the landing page asks the students to select from a list of possible degrees or majors, and then asks for their preferred method of contact while collecting this additional contact info (cell phone @, e-mail address, etc.).
What are the benefits to using a PURL?
• Improved Response: Because of their interactive nature, research consistently shows that campaigns utilizing PURLs generate substantially higher response rates. Testing also shows that the personalization alone improves response rate, so when this is combined with a PURL, it makes the response rate even higher.
• Ability to track a response & capture more info: PURLs allow the sender to continue the conversation by generating an online response from the recipient. In the example provided above, the college is able to determine not only which prospects filled out the survey, or clicked on another area of the page, but they can also determine which prospects opened their PURL and did not even click. This information creates a feedback loop that can be used to determine which students should receive future mail communications, and other forms of contact from the college recruiters.
• Cost-effective: PURLs are in essence screening an audience of prospects in an automated fashion; compare this to how expensive it would be to pay someone to call every direct mail prospect as follow up (assuming phone numbers were even available). The more expensive human interaction can be devoted to the recipients who pre-qualify themselves, and provide their preferred method of contact.
Who should consider using a PURL? Successful applications for PURLs can be found across nonprofit, for-profit businesses and even government. PURLs have been used effectively with existing customers & donors, and with new prospects. Really any organization that wants to start a conversation with an audience, or prequalify a group of prospects should consider using PURLs.
PURLs represent the future of direct mail marketing. For those already using direct mail successfully, PURLs are very likely increase the response rate. For anyone who's avoided direct mail because of the difficulty in measuring response rate, then PURLs are the ideal way to leverage direct mail and have an accurate understanding of response.
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In the comments section below, please share your experience or your clients experience using PURLs. Your feedback will only make this post more valuable for other readers. Thank you for sharing!
