PURLs represent a growing interactive marketing medium that allows a company direct trackable contact with their customers. They are easy to use, provide a wide range of marketing opportunities and are cost effective. As they grow in popularity and become a viable option for any company’s marketing mix, it’s important to understand how they work.

What is a PURL?

A PURL is website that is customized for a single customer. It is a personalized URL and landing page (or pages) that is constructed through information pulled from a database. A PURL can be customized in thousands of different ways – anything that exists in a database can be used to build and customize a PURL. The following are some common examples PURL functionality:

1. Customer’s name is used in the URL: www.bobsshoes.com/johndoe
2. Provide information on a recent purchase(s): date, time, next service date, warranty information
3. List recommendations for accessories/upgrades based on prior purchases
4. Integration of a survey to collect data from customers
5. Feature special offers/codes/coupons geared towards a customer’s specific interests
6. Provide information on a customer’s nearest dealer/retailer
7. List release dates for products updates
8. Highlight links to services and websites that may be useful to the customer

When a customer logs onto their PURL, the PURL tracks the customer’s activity. A PURL can be utilized to learn about a customer based on their activity and to generate content based on the customer’s actions.

Why Utilize PURLs?

PURLs are often used to increase and track the results of marketing campaigns. They are often used in conjunction with direct mail, rich email, e-newsletters, etc. Using a PURL adds a second dimension to campaigns through personalization. PURLs aid a company in strengthening its brand equity and provide them the permission to capture relevant information about their customers. Therefore, allowing them the ability to deliver a more targeted message.

Additionally, PURLs allow tracking of success levels and provide excellent analytics that can be used to measure the overall reach of a given campaign. PURLs can capture information that can be used to better understand customers and aid in creating effective marketing campaigns.

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