Tag Archive for: personalized marketing

We spend more time in the digital space than we do face-to-face. Because of this, personalization seems to be the best way to put a human touch back into commerce. Personalizing everything from direct mail to e-mail campaigns helps show a brand’s consumers that they care about the human being behind the transaction. One way you can add a personal touch to digital advertising is by utilizing a personalized URL (PURL). The pros at Pel Hughes have been utilizing PURLs for organizations and businesses for quite some time. 

What is a personalized URL (PURL), exactly?

A personalized URL generates a unique landing page for a potential customer. When you send out an e-mail campaign, you embed a link into its text that routes a user to a static web page. An example of a PURL is www.JaneDoe.CompanyName.com. You can also place a simple personalized link to the copy of your direct mail. 

When a PURL is generated, the landing page can be customized with specific discounts and other purchasing offers such as buy-one-get-one-free promotions. Your potential customer will see their name along with familiar images like your logo on their personalized page. 

How can a PURL be used?

There’s a multitude of ways that you could implement a personalized URL. First, a PURL could generate sales by offering a QR code or link to specific products that consumer may be interested in. It could also be used to welcome a new member to an organization or educational institution. For example, Pel Hughes developed PURLs for Tulane University, which were printed onto pieces of direct mail. These PURLs were used to provide resources to prospective students. Another way a PURL can benefit your enterprise is when you deploy an e-mail or direct mail campaign for previous customers who haven’t made a purchase in a while. Something as simple as “We’ve missed you, Jane Doe. Visit your personalized link to earn 15% off your next purchase.” 

The possibilities of PURLs are endless; organizations and businesses throughout the United States have found very clever ways to use them. 

Does personalization really matter?

In the post-modern, Digital Age, personalization absolutely matters. In fact, researchers have found that personalized direct mail, for example, offers an ROI that is leaps and bounds more effective than conventional direct mail that isn’t addressed to a specific resident. Personalizing your marketing materials to customers shows care and attention to detail, which is something that almost anyone can appreciate. 

Another reason that personalization resonates with modern humans is the fact that our lives involve daily inundation from media, cell phone notifications, and our work lives encroaching on our personal lives. Because of this reality, our brains have become very adept at filtering out irrelevant information. One way that advertisers can break through this psychological defense is to personalize their campaigns to consumers. So, seeing your full legal name on a piece of direct mail sends a message of “hey there. This is meant for you, the individual.”

The experts at Pel Hughes are here to help you develop great print materials. We can also help you merge digital advertising with print. From campaign automation and database management to stellar signage and direct mail, we have you covered. Give our friendly team a call at (504) 486-8646 to get started. 

Maybe your mother told you when you were growing up that you should treat everyone the same. Well, your mother was wrong…at least when it comes to the world of 1-to-1, or personalized, marketing. No longer are you encouraged to place prospects upon the same level playing field. In fact, with 1-to-1 marketing, you want to embrace the diversity of your prospects and customers. You want to play to those exact differences and incorporate them into your marketing messages in order to get their attention and make them want to work with you!

  1. Identify Your Audience: As with any marketing strategy, you start off by identifying your target market – the people who need your product or service. So you sit down and imagine a target. You imagine finding those people with laser point focus. You know who they are and now you have to get your message across to them. You have to tell them who you are, what you do and how you can help them. Using the 1-to-1 marketing approach, you toss aside the marketing shotgun; this is no time to “pray and spray” your message, hoping that it will be heard and acted upon.
  2. Add Personalization: The idea is that by personalizing your marketing message, you are showing the customer that you know how to serve their specific needs. No customer wants you coming at them with a cookie-cutter approach and a “one-size-fits-all” solution. They want to feel like you know exactly what they need, and that you are the business that can provide it. Thus, your message needs to be current and relevant to that customer.
  3. Stand Out: Your target market receives marketing messages on a daily basis. We all do, in both our personal and professional lives. It becomes second nature to ignore the messages that have little to do with our own needs. The same is true of any business. They all receive mailers, texts, and emails from other businesses, who are using the the same pitches and benefits to make the sale.

In the end, a customer will equate your marketing messages with the type of service they will receive when working with you. If your message is personalized and meets their needs, the prospect will anticipate that working with you will be a breeze. Everyone likes to work with the expectation of receiving terrific customer service and specific solutions.