Catchy, campaign-specific URLs

Author: 

Angela Ridpath

Now when people watch television, they often multitask with a laptop computer or tablet. This impacts how they respond to commercials for institutions. Instead of calling the number on the screen or remembering the web address, they turn to a search engine, most likely Google, and type in the advertised school’s name.

When this occurs, what can be attributed to generating the inquiry? Was it the commercial? The Internet? Both? While we can’t change the viewing habits of our multitasking nation, PlattForm Higher Education has had success with an innovative strategy.

Catchy, campaign-specific URLs
We create distinctive, campaign-specific web addresses or URLs for use in commercials for colleges and universities. These catchy URLs are more easily remembered by consumers. That means they’re used more frequently and inquiries can be tracked to the television commercial.

To illustrate, let’s say a college or university is trying to promote an MBA program that adults can attend via evening classes. We might suggest an URL like, “mbanights.edu”

We’ve witnessed URL responses as high as 38% when using this approach. In cases where we’ve also created a companion minisite, which we strongly recommend, you benefit from the connection and dialogue from the commercial to the online site. Otherwise, the viewer might land on your main .edu site, which may not clearly deliver on the promoted message.

Reaching the multi-tasking consumer
It’s our experience that if you find the right message, it will resonate with the multi-tasking TV viewer. If you use a catchy web address instead of generic-tracking URL, you will experience an increase in directly attributable Web inquiries. Simply put, if you give someone something memorable to walk away with, they are more likely to recall the message and respond.   

Higher education marketers should strategically use highly memorable 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.

Reach. Resonate. Recall
Your commercial reaches your target audience. Your message resonates. But when interested audience members inquire, what do they recall when they begin to type on their laptop or tablet?

Do they recall a strong call to action? Maybe. The trouble is, people often search for programs or services using brand names. By incorporating the program or brand name in a catchy web address, consumers are more likely to recall it when responding.

Bottom line: TV viewing habits are not going to change, nor are marketers demanding to know where inquiries come from. With catchy URLs, your institution can boost response rates and achieve greater accountability of commercial-generated inquiries.