Okay, so you’ve heard about this interesting new marketing innovation called Personalized URLs, or PURLs. People have been talking about it. There’s definitely a palpable buzz associated with them. So what’s all the hype about? If you’re a direct marketer, here are five reasons why you need to add PURLs to your marketing mix… today!
1. Use Personalization
It may sound trite, but anyone who’s ever sent out marketing communications knows that personalization simply drives results. Adding personalization to marketing communications – or 1:1 Marketing – means sending out the right message, to the right people, at the right time. In today’s frenetic environment where consumers are bombarded by upwards of 5,000 unique marketing messages per today, the drive towards 1:1 Marketing is more pertinent than ever. And what’s more personal than giving each customer or prospect their individual website to visit?
2. Drive more Web responses
Study after study has shown that Personalized URLs drive more people to the Web than a Generic URL (GURL) does. How many more? Well, that depends. How large is the PURL displayed on the direct mail piece? Is there a call-to-action driving people to the Web? Is the consumer given several ways to respond? All of these factors influence the impact of adding a PURL to your marketing mix. That being said, we’ve observed that in general PURLs can drive between 20-40% more Web visitors, and sometimes much more than that. Any way you slice it, that’s a HUGE difference!
3. Convert more Web traffic
“Why do I need a Landing Page when I already have a website” is the initial objection raised by many marketers when they are first presented this technology. The fact of the matter is, Landing Pages convert substantially more traffic then normal websites do. What does your Home Page convert at? If you say more than 5% your simply not being truthful. The reality is, your Home Page was set up for a wide breadth of Web visitors, ranging from job seekers to journalists, from customers to competitors. It’s not set up as direct response vehicle. Think of it as the difference between a minivan and a Formula 1 race car. Sure, they both have four wheels and will get you from point A to B. But only one of them was actually designed to race at high speeds, with high-performance components and technology. Like a race car, a Landing Page is actually built with one objective is mind – to turn the visitor into a qualified lead. The way the page is set up, with minimal content and confusing links, combined with a clear workflow and call-to-action, can convert upwards of 10 times more Web traffic that will a normal website. Sound crazy? Well, it’s not. Here are Easypurl.com we’ve seen marketing campaigns with PURLs that convert 60, 70, or even 90% of Web visitors. No kidding. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
4.Better qualify leads
With Cross-Media technology, getting visitors online is only half the battle. In fact, the fun begins once the visitor arrives at his or her PURL, taking into account all the really cool and interesting things you can do on the Web. A huge benefit of Cross-Media technology is the ability to ask visitors to answer survey questions as they pass through the campaign workflow. Why survey questions? To qualify leads. Think about it. What would your sales team like more than a red hot lead delivered to them in real time via email or SMS? How about the same red hot lead, but this time along with data gathered online about the prospect. We’re talking data like, “When do you plan to make a purchase,” or “Were you happy with the service last time,” or “What item are you interested in purchasing?” These are questions the sales team usually asks prospects on the phone to qualify them. Armed with this information ahead of time, your sales team will be invincible and undoubtedly turn a much higher percentage of your prospects into sales.
5. Get leads quicker
Let’s face it, we live in an age of instant gratification. People want their stuff right away. The Web has certainly helped contribute to this trend, by providing 24/7 access to a virtually limitless pool of information literally at your fingertips. In today’s environment, a prospect may visit your website, in addition to four or five of your competitors’, all within the span of several minutes. Suffice it to say, leads need to be followed up on right away. That’s where Cross-Media technology comes into play. It’s possible to set up an email or SMS trigger than delivers the lead information directly to your sales team and in real time. Moreover, there are different types of triggers that can be deployed. You can have an alert generated each time a PURL is clicked, or a Web form is filled out. Leveraging USPS Intelligent Mail Barcode Technology, you can even have an alert broadcasted to your sales team telling them that John Smith on Sequoia Drive has been delivered his mail piece in-home that day. How effective do you think that would be?
