PURLs: The Power of Personalization
The key to an effective cross-media campaign is to personalize the message across all media.
The goal of your PURL is to provide each customer with more complete and relevant information, while excluding content which is not relevant to their needs. For example:
- A travel agent wants to provide a PURL to their customers centered on the type of travel they prefer – adventure, cruise, Europe, etc.
- A web design firm wants to provide a PURL to conduct a survey of their clients’ website needs.
- A heating and air conditioning company wants to provide customers with a PURL featuring a recommended maintenance schedule for their particular equipment, along with energy savings tips and new products of interest.
- A telemarketing company wants to provide a PURL for prospects to visit their website and view an industry specific demonstration of their calling procedure.
The PURL is often featured prominently in a personalized direct mail piece such as a postcard or letter, and the recipient is driven to his or her own personal webpage.
Once there, the content on the landing page can be anything you want it to be – a product demonstration, a video infomercial, useful information, a survey or questionnaire or a special incentive/offer. Just remember to keep the content personal, relevant, and valuable. Creating a landing page with relevant messaging can increase conversion by 2-3 times.
Keep in mind that the landing page is simply another stepping stone on the path you have laid out for your customer or prospect. Its purpose is not to complete the sale but to lead the recipient toward the sale by providing reasons and persuading them to take a specific next step. It’s essential that you make it easy for your customers to enter their contact information by providing pre-filled forms and a clear sequence of requested actions.
One of the biggest advantages of using PURLs is information-gathering. This information can be used in future campaigns to tailor both the message and offer to the unique recipient.
PURLs also give you the ability to track responses in real time, which means you can monitor the effectiveness of your campaign and schedule a time frame for the next wave of communications including any necessary changes. At the same time, PURLs also help you to cleanse and expand your customer database since online forms allow recipients to enter/update their contact information quickly and easily.
Try out a PURL on your next mailing or print project—you’ll be amazed at how easy, useful, and powerful they really are.