One to one marketing epitomizes a marketer’s dream. Personalization sought to satisfy this need by offering the capability to market one message to the individual. Personalized URLS was the early technology leader but does Social Media marketing bring personalization back to digital media? Unfortunately, it does not.
About Personalized URLs (pURLs)
Personalized URLS (pURLs) was first hailed as the true technology platform for personalization. pURLs give a personal touch to your outbound communications. It works this way; I get an email offer and there is a URL link with my name in it, e.g. michaelsenger.cooloffer.com – by clicking on this link I am taking to a webpage where it reads “Hi Michael Senger, we have an offer just for you.” The concept of pURLS is that you will see increased conversion because the prospect believes you care about him and knows exactly what he needs. Variable Data Printing (VDP), like pURLS, personalize direct mail to improve response rates. Did this work to lift conversions as they were so hyped to be?
My research into the pURLs industry identified two early adopters; MindFire & EasyPurl. Both companies have moved to a 100% reseller model; selling their services to partners who then resell to the end-user. In summary, these two companies dominate this space, followed by a plethora of online and printing boutique shops reselling pURLS and/or VDP (variable data printing) services. As a result of these two companies dominance, their services do not differentiate greatly and their fees are fiercely competitive.
Although pURLS did find avenues into some marketing circles, they never really became a part of the marketer’s arsenal to improve conversion with personalization messaging. I was surprised in my research to learn there has been little innovation into personalized URLS in the last five years. Personally, either working for companies or now running my online marketing agency rarely has the “pURLS” topic come into conversation. If fact, a colleague who works for one of the nation’s largest tax preparation companies, just finished a 2009 direct mail campaign utilizing personal URLs with no impact to conversion rates. In summary, pURLS did not work to lift conversions as they were hyped to be.
Next week- Part 2: The new darling couple: Social Media Marketing & Personalization
