Posts Tagged PURL
Increase Convention, Conference and Trade Show Traffic
Posted by curtis1000 in Nonprofit on January 19, 2012
Multi-Channel Campaign Brings
Double-Digit Results for
Nonprofit
CHALLENGE:
The American Traffic Safety
Services Association (ATSSA)
is an international trade
association representing more
than 1,600 member companies
and individuals in the traffic control and roadway safety industry. Each year, ATSSA hosts a Convention & Traffic Expo for its members, public officials, and friends of the industry. The 40th anniversary of the event would take place in San Antonio, Texas. ATSSA wanted to build excitement and awareness to increase pre-show registrations.
SOLUTION:
Curtis 1000 created and implemented a multi-touch campaign to ATSSA’s house
database of members, public 
officials, and friends. Throughout
all of the touch points,
Curtis 1000 managed ATSSA’s
database and removed records
from future contact points as
recipients registered for the show.
RESULTS:
The email campaigns deployed
for ATSSA’s 2010 Convention
& Traffic
Expo drove very strong open
rates:
- Save-the-date email with
video: 25.32% open rate,
including the follow up email.
- Save-the-date PURL: 26.68%
of the recipients who opened
the email visited and, of
those who visited, 21%
clicked through to the
thank-you page.
- Pre-convention brochure email: 17.99% open rate on the first send and 5.99% open rate on the follow-up. Of the recipients who opened the first email, 16.01% clicked to open the eBrochure. The follow-up email brought in another 13.56%.
- Workshop brochure email:
34.46% open rate on the
first send and a 14.61%
open rate on the follow-up.
Of those who opened the
email, 7.01% clicked to the
PURL; 70.9% of those who
clicked the PURL link stayed
through to the thank-you
page, and 11.5% clicked
the workshop information
link on the PURL.
- When asked about this
experience, Melanie McKee,
ATSSA’s Director of
Meetings and Conventions,
replied: “This campaign
reminded me of why ATSSA has a long history with Curtis 1000—great ideas with the data to back them up! We were able to assess the results of each element of the campaign and develop a new plan for the coming year that targets the best of the best.”
Need a boost for your upcoming trade show?
Posted by curtis1000 in Directmarketing on January 10, 2012
Multi-Channel Campaign Helps Producers
Hybrids Compete for Trade Show Attendees
CHALLENGE:
Producers Hybrids, a seed company, sells its products in eight Midwestern states. In business since 1987, Producers Hybrids is becoming one of the top 15 seed companies in the U.S. Preparing to exhibit at four farm tradeshows, in different locations, from late July to early September 2010, this client’s goal was to drive farmers who were past customers to their booth, along with prospects, and ultimately engage them to order corn seed from Producers Hybrids. In the process of communicating with their customers and prospects, they also solicited email addresses and cell phone numbers for future communications.
SOLUTION:
Producers Hybrids utilized Curtis 1000 to increase their trade show traffic and sales by engaging attendees prior to the show through a combination of direct mail and eMarketing efforts. Their data list, compiled by each of their district sales managers, was segmented into prospects and current customers. The first contact piece, self-generated, was a mailing with a Producers Hybrids logoed baseball cap. Curtis 1000 then timed a custom CreatiFont™ postcard mailing with personalized URLs (PURLs) to remind the attendees to visit the Producers Hybrids booth just prior to each show. The front of the postcard used a background image of dirt, specific to the regions, with each recipient’s name spelled out in corn seed. Each mailing was segmented into the two groups: prospects and customers.
The PURLs, which were highlighted on the back of each postcard, drove the recipients to a personalized landing page, welcoming them and promoting Producers Hybrids products through text and an animated glider. In addition, there was a link to sign up for a free Producers Hybrids pocket knife, produced by Curtis 1000. The link took the recipient to a second landing page, where they could register by submitting their contact information and details regarding their farming and seed needs. This led them to a thankyou page with a unique confirmation code, enabling them to pick up their pocket knife at the show, and a link to sign up for free market updates. Also, carried throughout the PURL was a button to “Tell a Friend.”
The postcard mailing and PURL were updated for each show location, changing regional copy, including a customer testimonial, and images to match each show location. In addition, the PURL was set to send a lead trigger email to the sales managers of Producers Hybrids after each recipient completed their information on the PURL.
RESULTS:
In the past, with competition from the big tractors and farm equipment, Producers Hybrids had difficulty attracting show attendees. This year, however, Producers Hybrids had great booth traffic and feedback from the attendees on the pre-show communication. The PURL returned a unique visit rate of more than 9% with a 100% completion rate from the 98% of visitors who continued beyond the welcome page.
Curtis 1000 helps National Baseball Hall of Fame exceed fundraising goal
Posted by curtis1000 in Directmarketing on December 12, 2011
Challenge.jpg "National Baseball Hall of Fame")
The Cooperstown, NY-based National
Baseball Hall of Fame (NBHOF) needed
to raise $1.25 million in a capital
campaign to fund “One for the Books,”
a landmark exhibit designed to tell the
stories behind baseball’s most
cherished records. In order to increase
donor engagement they encouraged
donors to make gifts in honor of their
favorite team or player.
Solution
Curtis 1000 has been working with the National Baseball Hall of Fame for
over 15 years and, based on a strong track record of previous successful
campaigns, was a natural fit to enhance and run the “One for the Books”
campaign. The program launched in the fall with a traditional direct
mail appeal, followed up by a personalized postcard that featured design
elements from the first mailing. The call to action drove donors to a
personalized URL (PURL) that was populated with copy about their favorite
player or team based on information in the NBHOF database. From their
personal landing page, donors were encouraged to donate in honor of their
favorite Hall of Famer, explore exhibit information, view the top 10 players
honored by donations at that point in the campaign, and share with friends
through social networking tools.
A second postcard to
both donors and
non-responders
encouraged additional
gifts and increased
constituent engagement.
NBHOF also sent
a number of carefully
timed emails to donors
and non-responders that
shared campaign progress and encouraged additional gifts. The multichannel
campaign included 10 touch points with each constituent,
including traditional direct mail, postcards promoting a PURL and email.
After successfully reaching their fundraising goal, the NBHOF turned to
Curtis 1000 to produce a DVD of the exhibit opening celebration. This was
sent to donors to thank them for their support and continue the high level
of engagement.
Curtis 1000 helped the NBHOF exceed the $1.25 Million goal by 12%, with
over $1.4 million in donations. NBHOF had a 4.92% donation ratio on the
PURL sites — more than twice the industry average conversion rate of
1.73% [according to the Direct Marketing Association 2010 “Response Rate
Trend Report”]. In addition to raising funds, the PURL sites helped to
further engage donors in the project, with 38.46% clicking on the favorite
record holder and 27.97% clicking to learn more about the exhibit. Knowing
which areas of the PURL were of greatest interest to donors can help the
NBHOF with future campaigns. In addition, 99 people, or 3.53%, shared the
information either through Facebook, Twitter or “send to a friend.” The
NBHOF was extremely happy with the results of the successful campaign.
Feedback
Ken Meifert, Senior Director of
Development at the National Baseball
Hall of Fame and Museum, had this to
say: “We were extremely pleased with
the multi-channel approach that
Curtis 1000 recommended for our
‘One for the Books’ campaign.
Leveraging their expertise in
multi-channel marketing we
developed a very personalized
approach, using a variety of
marketing channels including direct
mail, email and PURLs. All of these
channels were then implemented so
that they supported and enhanced
each other to achieve outstanding results. This was our first use of PURLs
in a campaign and Curtis 1000 seamlessly took care of all of the details.
Due to the success we had in working with Curtis 1000 we will certainly
be utilizing this solution again on future campaigns. The Curtis 1000 team
is fantastic to work with as they focus on our success by bringing value add
programs to the table that meet our specific needs.”
University enjoys double-digit response rates
Posted by curtis1000 in Directmarketing on October 24, 2011
Alumni Relations Multi-Channel Case Study
Xavier University – Cincinnati, OH
Situation:
Xavier University is a Jesuit, Catholic university in Cincinnati, Ohio, with a powerful network of more than 60,000 alumni members across the globe. Following a Curtis CampusWise™ workshop, the Annual Funds Coordinator reached out to the local Curtis 1000 Direct Marketing Consultant. After a presentation and discovery meeting, a campaign was created for the Alumni Relations Department to target young alumni to update their contact information and make a soft ask for donations to the annual fund.
Approach:
Xavier University’s Alumni Relations Department utilized Curtis 1000 to put together a four-part campaign to two young alumni segments: 1-5 years out of school and 6-10 years out of school. The campaign dropped in June and consisted of approximately 8,000 postcards with a PURL and two follow-up email campaigns to non-responders. Xavier University designed all of the pieces, with help from Curtis 1000, and did an outstanding job of capturing a recipient’s attention and appealing to young alumni.
The first piece the target audience received was the postcard with PURL. Upon 
visiting the PURL, the recipient would first see a short message and be asked to update their contact information. The short message was unique to each segment and addressed their stages of life after graduation. Any contact information currently on file was pre-populated in the fields to make the process faster for the alumni. After updating their contact information, 
each visitor was taken to a thank-you page with two links: Make a Donation or Visit the Young Alumni Site. Follow-up emails were sent, initiating a spike in visits to the PURL each time.
Results:
Xavier University was so happy with the results—a 12% response rate on the PURL, a 13% open rate on the first email, and a 14% open rate on the second email—they have already begun discussions about follow-up campaigns with the updated data received.
New Approach Nets University Donations and Updated Information
Posted by curtis1000 in Directmail on October 11, 2011
Annual Giving Multi-Channel Case Study
Indiana Wesleyan University – Marion, IN
Situation:
Indiana Wesleyan University is a Christ-centered academic community committed to developing students in character, scholarship and leadership. The Annual Giving department was already using Curtis 1000 for direct mail campaigns. The Director of Annual Giving was interested in trying a new approach to reach out to alumni, get updated contact information, and solicit donations.
Approach:
The Annual Giving department utilized Curtis 1000 to put together a four-part campaign to four segments: traditional student alumni, non-traditional student alumni, family, and friends. The campaign dropped in late May and consisted of approximately 20,000 postcards with a personalized URL, a follow-up email campaign, and a follow-up letter campaign. Curtis 1000 designed the full campaign and created high-impact pieces.
The first piece the target audience received was the postcard with personalized URL. Upon visiting the PURL, the recipient would first see a letter from the Dean of the Chapel, and then they would be taken through two survey landing pages, a story request to share a memory, and lastly a thank-you page with a link to Donate Now. Two weeks following the postcard, a follow-up email was sent to anyone who did not respond, which generated a big spike in activity. Later that month, a follow-up traditional direct mail response-marketing piece was sent, still highlighting the PURL but also including a donation form and business reply envelope.
Results:
The Annual Giving Director was thrilled with the survey response and the information that was gathered. In the past, they had paid outside firms more and received a lot less information.
Customer Feedback:
Annual Giving Director Kevin Stirratt was impressed with the campaign creativity, commenting that “you get it” and “your design was as creative as anything we have ever produced.”
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