The role of vanity URLs in DRTV spots

Multi-channel consumption
The convergence of direct response television ads with various tracking phone numbers, URLs and even short codes has created a complicated environment for educators.  If someone calls a dedicated phone number, it’s very easy to attribute a response.  But, it’s not that simple anymore.

Television viewership has grown, in fact, according to Nielsen, it is up 22 minutes per month over last year.  But people are consuming TV differently.  It’s very much consumed as a companion medium. 

People take comfort in having their TV sets turned on most of the day, but they are consuming other channels simultaneously. Most of the time, they are consuming information online while they are watching television.

The ubiquity of the Internet, as well as internet-enabled gadgets, has enabled consumers to see or hear something on TV and immediately go to the Web to find out more.  

Consumer choices create measurement challenges
It’s critical that marketers develop a system to track Web activity back to a television campaign, but that is easier said than done.  For instance, it’s becoming more difficult for schools to push prospective students to a mini-site by a call-to-action because people often search for a program or service using its brand name rather than a specific URL.  

We’re strong advocates for creating mini-sites that are geared toward generating inquiries.  But, when schools have well-known brands, prospective students are much more likely to Google the name of the school after watching a TV spot versus typing in a generic, non-memorable tracking URL.  And if they do this, they will be directed to the .edu site instead of an inquiry-generating mini-site.    

Using URLs for benefit-oriented recall
As marketers, we need to recognize and capitalize on behaviors.  In recent times, advertisers thought the best way to engage in brand message recall was to include the name of the company in the URL or a vanity phone number. 

Today, it’s about finding the right message that resonates with the consumer to reinforce the brand AND capture the attention of the multi-tasking consumer. Giving consumers a memorable benefit has proven effective.  

PlattForm’s clients have seen recent success with this strategy.  Clients who use a compelling vanity URL tied to a campaign slogan or value proposition in lieu of a generic tracking URL have seen increases in directly attributable Web leads.  If you give someone something memorable to walk away with, they are more likely to recall the message and respond.   

We’ve seen increases in URL responses as high as 38% when this methodology has been applied.  Not to mention, there is an added benefit of knowing that those additional prospective students were guided to a mini-site, which further extended the dialogue initiated by the television spot.  If using a generic, URL or a URL that is simply an extension of the brand name, they may have initiated a brand-related search and been guided to the .edu site instead.

Bottom line, marketers should strategically use vanity URLs to reinforce important messages and value propositions.  If done correctly, schools can increase the amount of qualified inquiries as well as strengthen their brands.