PURLs of Wisdom

A few years ago, the only time you heard the word "PURL" was in a knitting club. (Remember when they were the next big thing?) Today, PURLs are part of the marketing lexicon, for good reason. According to a Direct Marketing Association study, one out of three consumers say they want to respond on-line.¹ Personalized URLs are an exciting marketing tool that can improve the way you communicate with your clients and prospects.


Here are a few reasons to consider using PURLs.

Information is power.
And a well-designed PURL delivers when it comes to information. When it comes to Web sites, analytics are useful, but they are still relatively anonymous. Once a client logs in to a PURL, you are able to track activity by individual, putting you in a better position to tailor future communications to that client or prospect for even better responses.

Your sales force will love you.
Once information is captured on a PURL, it can be pushed out to your sales force via BlackBerry® or e-mail. Now, they have actionable information; they know who they need to call, what each prospect is most interested in – tools that will help improve the selling process.

Results. Results. Results.
One bank increased enrollment in electronic banking more than 625% when it switched from standard direct mail to variable data printing combined with a PURL.² And the U.S. Postal Service has noted that response rates increase as customization does. This simple tool offers an exceptional ROI – an added benefit when marketing budgets are under tighter constraints and scrutiny all the time.

The next time you’re ready to knit together a direct mail campaign, remember… Purl too.