Comments on: New Personalized URL Best Practices

By: Clint Bolte

Clint Bolte — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:09:01 +0000

A very basic point and observation…until PSP/MSP start using these tools (VDP, PURLS, TransPromo, etc., etc.) for their own purposes all of these best practice case studies seem little better than academic treatises. Then from your own experiences the refinement comes.

By: John Foley, Jr

John Foley, Jr — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:31:49 +0000

Hmmmm – Best practice or Bad practice? Are Personalized URL’s DEAD?

Could we read someday on PURLs “The day my response mechanism died” Like the failing BRC?

With QR Codes coming strong who wants to type? Just asking….

By: Richard Penny

Richard Penny — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:51:06 +0000

Interesting article Heidi. As one of those marketers you speak of in the final paragraph of the article I can tell you that our use of survey buttons, seemingly-inane questions and subsequent posters were used to try and capture attention for and awarness of the possibilities of VDP and PURLS.

Done well, they were very effective in the early stages of developing a market for VDP. Completely agree though that the time for this has passed and it is time to get on with using the technology to its full potential.

By: Nick Pride

Nick Pride — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:10:03 +0000

Just wanted to pick up on a point raised by Fred about the cost of pURLs. There are service providers out there who do not use a pay-per-URL model (I use one of them). I think the ‘click-charge’ pricing model will not last long, but there’s no need to wait to change how you pay. Then you change the game …

By: Brian B

Brian B — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:04:20 +0000

To piggy back on Ed’s comment, the whole goal of a PURL is to get them to the microsite to flag them as a suspect and then hopefully gather some information from them to qualify them as a real lead. Too many calls to action will only hurt response rates and measurability (the real value) and could potentially derail the value of the campaign.

Also, we need the real measurement of success to be cost per customer, not response. Getting response is still a cost in the mind of a business…getting a customer is an investment.

By: Bob Stuart

Bob Stuart — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:34:22 +0000

Heidi,

Another good best practice is automatic email routing. Example, a recipient responds to a direct mail offer and visits their PURL. While there they request information on products/services. As a result an email is forwarded to the sales person for that account. The rep contacts the prospect while the need is ‘top of mind,’ which dramatically increase the process of closing sales.

By: Ed Bracken

Ed Bracken — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:32:51 +0000

As a printer selling pURLS, I have realized I need to bring in a marketing professional to offer an executable solution. Also, regarding the pURL as one of many response mechanisims; I have learned that pURLS will not fare well when a BRE or toll free number is also offered. My opinion is that a pURL should only be used when the prospect needs to visit the seller’s web site anyway – like to register for membership or an event.

By: Fred

Fred — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:53:58 +0000

These are all great points! I would like to ad that as a company that sells and brokers direct mail, and consults with many industries, I am hoping that with increase appeal in pURLS happens, more providers of this technology enter into the industry. I really like the idea of using pURLs in our response efforts (as part of several we use), but in many project (still) cost per response on our test campaigns are rarely justifying the $.10 being charged by the providers out there per pURL. Competition will bring this price down eventually, but until I can segment increase results with pURLs, and relate that back to cost of use, I am still on the sidelines but wanting to join the game…

By: Yale Rieck

Yale Rieck — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:57:01 +0000

What I really like about this thread is the obvious, yet not obvious fact that many printers really are and should be evolving into marketing providers. PURLS are a really good technology, but really should be part of a technology package, that also includes other aspects of technology to help increase the effectiveness of each touch. Add in a mix of online design and print providers can then enable their customers and ensure best practices for all aspects of PURLs and their ancillary counterparts are followed. Just my $.02.

By: Marion

Marion — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:38:28 +0000

I especially like the survey part of this post! To me, this is the most power part of what a pURL can deliver. It’s a way of gaining more information from your audience, information that you can use to make your future campaigns even more compelling.

To Adam’s point, while the technology has been around for a while, I think that some in the print and graphic arts industry have struggled with how to use them to achieve the best results. Heidi’s post (and her research) give us some tools to help that thinking.