Who Failed, Amazon or the USPS?

January 11, 2012

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Jeff Jarvis, an influential social media evangelist and author of the Buzz Machine, had a problem. He bought a book from Amazon and wanted to return it. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? However, when he went to the Postal Service, he was told his only option was Express Mail, the most expensive service the Postal Service offered. So what did he do? He took the parcel and went to United Parcel Service and had UPS handle the return for significantly less than what it would have cost if he had used the Postal Service....

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Source: Courier Express and Postal Observer

Companies Mentioned:

	Amazon.com		DHL Global Mail		Federal Express
	U.S. Postal Service		United Parcel Service

People Mentioned:

Jeff Jarvis

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The US Postal Service has been given the green light to allow its major direct mail customers new ways to pay for their mailings. U.S. regulators approved changes on Wednesday, which would mean that companies that have a negotiated service agreement with USPS would no longer have to pay up front before they can mail their advertising materials.

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FROM THE BOOKSTORE

Available as a PDF<BR><BR>A guide to the science of direct response testing today, including best practices, power tests, small vs. large test, analyzing results, testing mistakes, new tricks and more.<BR> <BR>Direct marketing — regardless of the channel — is that unique combination of art and science. Direct marketing strategists are constantly striving for better response rates, open rates, conversions, cost-per-order, and life-time value. <BR><BR>And what is the tool that these strategists turn to again and again? That’s right! It’s testing. <BR><BR>In direct marketing, there are plenty of elements to test — from subject lines, premiums, envelope sizes, list selects, pricing, the placement of the shopping cart on the web page ... the choices seem endless. <BR><I><BR>Secrets of Direct Marketing Testing </I>is your personal BRAIN TRUST of testing strategies that you can start to put to use today. <BR><BR>In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to learn — the why, what, when and how-to of testing. From testing structure to basic principles, and from test ideas to mistakes to avoid, you’ll get a crash course in coding, tracking, reading and applying test results. <BR><BR>You’ll learn about: <BR>• Simple copy tests that drive response <BR>• Fine-tuning your offer <BR>• Web and Email testing <BR>• Offer tests <BR>• How to make sure you’re getting reliable results <BR>• Retesting and rolling out your findings <BR>• Plus the Rules that you should test now — or ignore at your own peril! <BR><BR>Are you are searching for ways to raise response, save on your promotion costs, drive down your cost-per-order and extend the lifetime value of your customers? The DirectMarketingIQ and Target Marketing editorial teams have been researching, writing and collecting expert advice from industry leaders about the how-tos of testing for years. <BR><BR>We’ve compiled this information and made it easy for you to find all in one place with our easy-to-read report – <EM>Secrets of Direct Marketing Testing</EM>.

Secrets of Direct Marketing Testing

Available as a PDF

A guide to the science of direct response testing today, including best practices, power tests, small vs. large test, analyzing results, testing mistakes, new tricks and more.

Direct marketing — regardless of the channel — is that unique combination of art and science. Direct marketing strategists are constantly striving

...

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Available as a PDF<BR><BR>Your everything-you-need-to-know guide to personalized URLs, including: <B>Best Practices </B>on why they work, campaign strategy, multichannel creative, analytics, and <B>10 Case Studies.<BR></B><BR>A New Best Practices and Case Studies report from DirectMarketingIQ.<BR> <BR>Do you want a higher response rate? Do you want to make a bigger profit? Do you want to engage your customers and continue the conversation? Then ... you need to know about PURLs and how they can achieve all the above and more! <BR><BR>With <EM>PURLs for Profit </EM>you'll have your personal roadmap that will show you how to successfully implement and profit from PURLs. This definitive special report takes you step-by-step on how to integrate PURLs into your marketing mix — email, direct mail, landing pages and social media — for an enhanced user experience so that prospects can make more informed purchasing decisions faster. <BR><BR>Here are just a few of the important takeaways you'll learn:<BR>
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PURLs for Profit

Available as a PDF

Your everything-you-need-to-know guide to personalized URLs, including: Best Practices on why they work, campaign strategy, multichannel creative, analytics, and 10 Case Studies.

A New Best Practices and Case Studies report from DirectMarketingIQ.

Do you want a higher response rate? Do you want to make a bigger profit? Do you

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<P>“Blanchard is demanding. He won’t allow you to flip through this book, nod your head, and leave. If you’re in, you’re going to have to invest to get your rewards.” <BR><STRONG>--Chris Brogan</STRONG>, president of Human Business Works <BR><BR>“Social media isn’t inexpensive; it’s different expensive. The human effort required to do it right is significant, and not knowing precisely how social media helps your business and how to gauge that progress is a dereliction of duty. In <EM>Social Media ROI</EM>, Blanchard provides the missing playbook for sensible, sustainable, profitable social communication. It’s about time.” <BR><STRONG>--Jay Baer</STRONG>, coauthor of <EM>The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter, and More Social <BR></EM><BR>“<EM>Social Media ROI</EM> gets down to the heart of the matter: How will social communications positively impact my organizational goals? Olivier takes us through a journey starting from the start, creating a strategy to achieve objectives, and in turn, the means to measure return on investment. If you want to get serious about online communications, you can’t go wrong with <EM>Social Media ROI</EM>.” <BR><STRONG>--Geoff Livingston</STRONG>, author of <EM>Welcome to the Fifth Estate</EM> and <EM>Now Is Gone</EM> <BR><BR>“Olivier explains the intricacies of building a social media-influenced company for every layman to understand. It is important to understand reach, attention, and influence for social media ROI. This is the book to help with that understanding.” <BR><STRONG>--Kyle Lacy</STRONG>, principal at MindFrame (yourmindframe.com) and author of <EM>Branding Yourself <BR></EM><BR>“Ladies and gentlemen, the social media code has officially been cracked. In <EM>Social Media ROI</EM>, Blanchard reveals how companies can apply the massive power of social media to achieve equally massive results. Incredibly practical, yet supremely enjoyable, this book offers a clear roadmap to growing your revenue in the dizzying world of tweets and retweets, likes and shares, connections and comments.” <BR><STRONG>--Sally Hogshead</STRONG>, author of <EM>Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation</EM> <BR><BR>“If you know Olivier, you know he goes beyond the bullshit. He ‘gets it.’ This book will put you in the mindset to successfully plan and achieve real business objectives with social media. It’s a hard fact that good business decisions depend on real results. Olivier avoids the fluff with clear-cut ideas that will help you produce results.” <BR><STRONG>--Brandon Prebynski</STRONG>, social media strategist <BR><BR><STRONG>Use Social and Viral Technologies to Supercharge Your Customer Service! <BR></STRONG><BR>Use this book to bring true business discipline to your social media program and align with your organization’s goals. Top branding and marketing expert Olivier Blanchard brings together new best practices for strategy, planning, execution, measurement, analysis, and optimization. You will learn how to define the financial and nonfinancial business impacts you are aiming for--and achieve them. <EM>Social Media ROI</EM> delivers practical solutions for everything from structuring programs to attracting followers, defining metrics to managing crises. Whether you are in a startup or a global enterprise, this book will help you gain more value from every dime you invest in social media. </P>

Social Media ROI

“Blanchard is demanding. He won’t allow you to flip through this book, nod your head, and leave. If you’re in, you’re going to have to invest to get your rewards.”
--Chris Brogan, president of Human Business Works

“Social media isn’t inexpensive; it’s different expensive. The human effort required to do

...

ORDER NOW

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