In both print and digital marketing, personalization is important for retaining clients and acquiring new ones. While personalized deals and event invites are both viable campaign strategies, there is also an option commonly referred to as a personalized URL (PURL).

To understand how PURLs can help with both digital and print marketing campaigns, let’s take a look at what a personalized URL actually is and how it can be effective in both direct mail and email marketing. 

What Is a Personalized URL (PURL)?

Although this may be the first time you’ve ever heard the term PURL, it’s likely that you use them every day. For example, your account on Facebook uses personalized URLs to discern your profile from other Facebook users. 

In marketing, PURLs are specifically used to target potential clients and past clients in a personalized manner. According to Smarter HQ, 91 percent of consumers are more likely to shop with brands who provide relevant offers and recommendations. Furthermore, 80 percent of customers are more likely to purchase a product or service from a brand who provides personalized experiences.

These personalized URLs can be utilized in both direct mail campaigns and email marketing campaigns, and provide clear results. Let’s review their connection to both direct mail and email marketing campaigns in order to understand just how powerful they can be.

How Can PURLs Help with Direct Mail Campaigns?

When it comes to direct mail campaigns, we utilize variable data printing to take the information we have regarding our clients and personalize their direct mail prints. This typically comes in the form of their name, mentioning the products they purchased, and using this to persuade them to come in for an event or buy another product in the future. 

Personalized URLs coincide with this marketing format perfectly. A personalized URL can help your team to raise engagement with super-personalized print pieces. The best way to incorporate PURLs into direct mail marketing is to use these landing pages for particular invites, special offers, or information regarding the individual’s recent purchase. 

This will make the consumer feel appreciated and special without you doing very much at all. By simply using the data they gave you to your advantage, you can retain your customers for longer periods and acquire new ones through personalization. 

How Can PURLs Help with Email Marketing Campaigns?

Personalization is helpful in both print and digital marketing. When you analyze digital marketing data, you can see how personalized campaigns improve engagement when compared to impersonal campaign methods. 

According to Campaign Monitor, people are 26 percent more likely to open emails with personalized subject lines. Experian studies also suggest that personalized emails deliver 6x higher transaction rates.

When using PURLs in email marketing, you can increase client engagement significantly by providing the same special offers, information, or invites via email as you would via direct mail. The same personalized landing pages that make the client feel special can be linked within the email copy.

After analyzing the power of PURLs in both direct mail and email marketing, it’s no wonder why countless companies have chosen to personalize their marketing campaigns using this extremely simple yet effective tactic. After all, business is built on the foundation of client retention, so why not retain and engage more clients each and every day simply by using their data to your benefit? 

Could PURLs be the tactic your next campaign needs? Contact Ironmark’s experts today and get started on setting up your next campaign!

Lynne Kingsley
Lynne Kingsley
Lynne Kingsley oversees the digital marketing client services team as well as the marketing strategy division for the company. Since joining the company in 2016, she has increased Ironmark's digital presence by over 700%, establishing a new lead generation mechanism for the sales team. A certified inbound marketing professional and HubSpot agency partner, Kingsley has been helping companies transform their marketing function into fully diverse and streamlined growth engines since 2003. With agency and client-side work under her belt, Kingsley's strategic experience spans both the B2B and B2C sectors. Prior to joining the Ironmark team, she served as in-house marketing director for several non-profit organizations. Kingsley is an honors graduate of the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University.

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