Email learns another trick from Snail Mail

This isn’t exactly state-of-the-art news for old hands at direct mail, but apparently emailers have discovered that personalization pays.

Duh!

We’re not talking about gratuitous, unnecessary personalization, mind you. (Like the infamous 1960’s piece that blared “YOU’RE THE ONLY HOME IN [NAME OF CITY] TO RECEIVE THIS IMPORTANT LETTER!”) which was a nice showcase for early direct marketers to practice basic personalization skills. It was just a warm up. The encore. But more—and better—was to come.

Personalization should make a difference in the context and flow of the message. Good personalization should sound conversational, not stilted. It should sound natural, not computer generated. And it should allow for records that have null sets or voids in fields from which the data is being pulled.

Using personalization well shows the recipient that the sender has been paying attention. For instance, “Thank you for your gift of $25. With it we have….” Or “Thank you for your recent purchase of ________” or “We’re delighted that you have enrolled in our ____________ program to ___________” etc. Personalization isn’t only about names, places and dollar amounts.

Bottom line: Using personalization well reinforces the relationship between sender and recipient. Using it poorly doesn’t.

Direct mail figured this one out 50 years ago. Welcome aboard, newbies.

…So we ratchet it up!

Just about the time direct marketers got the personalization thing down pat, technology opens new doors. Change is the only constant.

PURLs—the latest and greatest “in thing” in direct marketing—take personalization to the next level.

If LinkedIn is networking on speed, PURLs are personalization on steroids. They are bigger and stronger yet amazingly flexible. Mark Maguire notwithstanding.

Combining the best of individually printed digitally produced direct mail and individually personalized web-based landing pages, PURLs turn one-directional communications into a conversation.

We write you…you are interested in our message…you go to the PURL site we’ve set up specifically for you…you respond, giving us additional information that we can then respond to in our next communication…which drives you to a successive PURL etc.

With each conversational loop we find out more about you—your needs, wants, interests—and we respond to you accordingly. The exchange lets you know we are listening to you…responding to you…building a relationship with you.

And we can do each PURL cycle one-to-one. No mass-produced awkward-sounding personalization…but it is done for the one individual to whom we’re sending it. Yes indeed, PURLs are personalization on the next level.

Want to know more about PURLs? Want to know how they can help you generate business, reduce cost and increase ROI? Call us.

We’ll help you hit one out of the park.

Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend...Sometimes.

…and sometimes it’s PURLs!

PURLs (Personalized URLs) are the latest and greatest marketing tool to hit the street this decade. And that’s saying a lot.

It works like this: a savvy marketer (OK, we’ll assume it’s you, wise and wonderful friend) has asked Paul&Partners to help you (that’s the part that makes you both wise and wonderful!)

First P&P sends a letter or postcard to your intended audience. The card invites the recipient to “go to this website I’ve created for you” to learn more about blah blah blah.

The invitation P&P has created for you has the recipient’s name in color so it’s very obvious. (Remember, people always love to see their names in print. Color ensures they will see it.) So the curious recipient checks it out. Voila! He’s entered the wonderful world of PURLs.

On his personal URL, you greet him by name. You give him content of value—something of real interest and benefit (read the previous article on marketing to Gen-Xers). Maybe you ask a couple of questions that are apropos to your better understanding his needs (ie “I’ll be ready to buy this item in 1 week…1 month…6 months”). Maybe you give him a link to your main web page where he can get more in-depth information. Certainly you ask for any contact information you don’t have embedded in the PURL site already.

So far so good, right? I’m just getting started.

Assuming he answers some of your questions, he’s giving you important marketing intelligence so you can tell how to better approach him next time.

If he didn’t answer your questions, you can at least see what he read and how long he stayed on your site. So you can ascertain his level of interest and in what specific areas he has interest.

Tres’ cool, indeed. But it gets better.

When he logs off, you know instantaneously who has visited, what list he’s from, what he read, how long he stayed, if he linked to your main webpage, and if he answered any of your questions. In other words, you know a lot about your visitor.

He’s left his footprints for you to follow. He’s telling you what you need to do to address him more pertinently in the future. He’s started a conversation with you, and now it’s up to you to respond appropriately.

But wait! There’s even more!

If you’re a certified number-crunching marketer then you should be delighted to know that the P&P’s PURL software can also give you the statistics you want…and can give them to you real time. So you know how many people have responded from each list…what the percent return is for each list…how many people say they want to buy your gizmo in one week…etc.

But perhaps you’re not selling gizmos. So what can you use a PURL to do?

Track alumni…accept contributions…make reservations…solicit volunteers…determine interest levels for various projects and programs…get people motivated and involved in a cause or issue…or just about anything else that could benefit from an informed two-way conversation between you and your constituency.

It’s useful for anybody who has something to market; it’s a good information exchange for the recipient; and it helps to build your relationship.

Do PURLs increase response rate? Absolutely! We’ve seen responses of over 4% on cold prospecting, and triple that on a housefile project.

Are PURLs expensive? Depends on your perspective. To get your usual predictable response rate, you can mail smaller quantities, so you save on production and postage. Or you can send more and see more results. But of course, setting up a PURL campaign does have a cost. Duh.

Want to know more about how PURLs can boost your marketing efforts? Curious about integrating PURLs into your marketing toolkit? Call Paul&Partners (703-996-0800) for the word on this newest direct marketing technology.

PURLs, anyone? They can be worth their weight in gold.

43670 Trade Center Place, Suite 150, Dulles, VA 20166
Phone: 703.996.0800 Fax:703.996.0888
www.paulandpartners.net sales@paulandpartners

It’s all about ME! LoL

Gen-Xers famously seem to think that everything is all about them. Their needs. Their wants. Their expectations.

But you know, fellow marketers, they’re right! Maybe it’s not media-hyped self-centeredness at all. Just maybe it’s simple self-awareness.

Think about it. The Gen-Xers have figured it out: They’re consumers of the products/services you and I—old fogies that we are—have to offer. They can choose to buy into our pitch, or opt out of it entirely. Yes indeed, they are in the proverbial driver’s seat.

These guys grew up with remote controls in their hands. They got their first cell phone in the sixth grade; text messaging is their native language. They listen to music pulsing through those cute white wires in their ears. They don’t read newspapers; they download.

Jon Stewart is their go-to guy. They have best-buddy lists that reach out electronically to thousands of people. They are hooked in and tuned on. We’re the foreigners in this strange land, not them.

They are smart, educated and tech-savvy. They know what they want, and if you’re selling the hot technology and gizmos, good for you! On the other hand, what’s in today is out tomorrow. So you’ve got to stay on top of your game just to stay in the game.

However, if you’re selling retirement plans, your job is a lot tougher. These 20-somethings live in the here-and-now. Tomorrow is a long way away for them. 40 years hence is almost incomprehensible.

Making it worse, the economic downturn has left many of them who never knew anything but the good old go-go days reeling with justified fear. Social Security? Probably not a reality for them and they know it.

Selling big-ticket items like real estate? Hmmm. The Gen-Xers get “hooked up” later (they don’t trust the institution of marriage the way their now-divorced parents did) and have fewer children. Maybe they don’t need the McMansions you’re hocking. And they certainly don’t want the high mortgages that go with them.

This generation will be inheriting an earth that is noisy, dirty and overheating. Going green is more than a slogan for them. Their efforts to live green may be what makes the earth inhabitable for their children. And they know that, too.

While they have cash—lots of it—to spend, theirs may be the first generation of Americans that has lower expectations than their parents. And marketers have to come to terms with that.

If we want to address them successfully…if we want to earn their trust and their business…then we have to realize that it is all about them.

How can we as marketers become their new BFFs?

Chose a marketing media that is appropriate, like direct mail. This tech-wise generation loves “old fashioned” direct mail catalogs which they keep as reference books and use to make informed buying decisions later.

The Facebook generation loves the privacy of direct mail; and because so many of their “human interfaces” are electronic, they still get a genuine thrill when they get a letter in the mail.

Use marketing media that speak to them, like email. OK, email is so 1990s, but it’s still a very effective tool with the right message to the right list. Email lists, while still more expensive than DM lists, are coming down in price, and the ability to segment to reach the exact group you need is quite good. Best yet: you get almost instantaneous feedback.

Use new marketing media like PURLs and SMS text messaging. These new cross-platform media proved enormously successful in Obama’s run for the Presidency. They “galvanized the base” (read: they energized the very people we’re writing about here!) and can help you get your message out too. Read the next article about PURLs to learn more about these newest marketing technologies.

But it’s not just how you say it, it’s what you say. Forget the fluff. Hold the hype. Give them real, valuable content. It’s what they want and what they expect.

They are bombarded with information every day. They can—with a few keystrokes—find almost anything they need to make a buying decision. And yes, they want information from you, too, but they want it on their own terms. If they think you’re “selling” them, they’ll turn you off in a hot minute. However, if you’re providing honest content, they’ll give you their time and attention.

The content has to be relevant. It has to arm them with facts about your company, your industry, solutions to problems, approaches they can take, and the best practices that lead to successful relationships. Give them answers to their questions, and you give them the ability to make up their mind about you.

They can choose to listen in or tune out. They can decide if you are relevant, or not. Thumbs up or thumbs down.

Is it all about them? You bet it is!

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CLEAN UP YOUR NEXT MAILING!

43670 Trade Center Place, Suite 150, Dulles, VA 20166

Phone: 703.996.0800 Fax:703.996.0888

www.paulandpartners.net travis.boaz@paulandpartners