With millions of dollars being invested in web sites worldwide, it's becoming fashionable to use URLs as the all-purpose call to action ("To find out more, just visit our web site at ..."). Naturally enough, companies see this as a way to leverage their Internet investment. After all, why spend money on in-bound call centers and expensive fulfillment kits when you can just send people to your web site?

Let me suggest two reasons why this approach may be a big mistake:

1. Convenience.

Browser technology and 56K modems notwithstanding, filling out an online form is still a long way from being the easiest, most convenient way to respond to a campaign. Conversely, a well-designed, pre-personalized business reply card takes maybe 10-15 seconds to complete. Remember: if someone is interested in your product, you want him or her to respond NOW. Make it easy by giving the person every option possible.

2. People like receiving "stuff".

Remember the "paperless office"? The pundits discovered that even with the ability to access, read and share data electronically, people still want to hold information in their hands. That means offering to send tangible, hard copy material. Even today, a white paper that you print yourself and mail to someone has a higher perceived value than an identical document that has to be downloaded off the Web.

This isn't an argument to never include your web address as one of a number of ways to respond to a campaign. Today, when we incorporate a campaign-specific URL as one of many response options (mail, phone, fax, etc.), the number of people who actually respond via the Web is typically less than 10%. That tells us that, were the Internet the ONLY option, many people wouldn't have bothered.