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	<title>bly.com blog</title>
	<link>http://bly.com/blog</link>
	<description>bly.com direct marketing blog</description>
	<pubDate>Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:12:37 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>The 4 Levels of Marketing Competence</title>
		<link>http://bly.com/blog/general/the-4-levels-of-marketing-competence/</link>
		<comments>http://bly.com/blog/general/the-4-levels-of-marketing-competence/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:12:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bob Bly</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bly.com/blog/general/the-4-levels-of-marketing-competence/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
During my quarter century as a copywriter, I have observed that business owners and managers fall into one of four categories as far as their competence and skill in marketing is concerned.
By recognizing which category you are in and taking the action steps recommended below, you can move up to the next level and significantly [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>My 10 Favorite Novels of All Time</title>
		<link>http://bly.com/blog/general/my-5-favorite-novels-of-all-time/</link>
		<comments>http://bly.com/blog/general/my-5-favorite-novels-of-all-time/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:51:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bob Bly</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bly.com/blog/general/my-5-favorite-novels-of-all-time/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
The other day one of my subscribers asked me, &#8220;Bob, do you read novels?&#8221; The answer, of course, is yes.
Here are my 10 favorite novels (the list includes a play widely published in book form and a &#8220;nonfiction novel&#8221;):
1&#8211;Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller.
2&#8211;A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.
3&#8211;Atlas Shrugged by Ayn [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://bly.com/blog/general/my-5-favorite-novels-of-all-time/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<item>
		<title>Direct mail: what&#8217;s a good response rate?</title>
		<link>http://bly.com/blog/direct-marketing/direct-mail-whats-a-good-response-rate/</link>
		<comments>http://bly.com/blog/direct-marketing/direct-mail-whats-a-good-response-rate/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:45:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bob Bly</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Direct Marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bly.com/blog/direct-marketing/direct-mail-whats-a-good-response-rate/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Most people, when discussing direct mail response rates, think in
terms of percentages.
For years, 2% was viewed as an &#8220;average&#8221; response rate.
The problem is that percentages don&#8217;t take into account things
like the cost of the mailing or the price of the product being
sold.
A much better measure of direct mail response rates is
&#8220;break-even.&#8221;
&#8220;Break even&#8221; means the sales [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://bly.com/blog/direct-marketing/direct-mail-whats-a-good-response-rate/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The 3-Part Formula for a Winning USP</title>
		<link>http://bly.com/blog/general/the-3-part-formula-for-a-winning-usp/</link>
		<comments>http://bly.com/blog/general/the-3-part-formula-for-a-winning-usp/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:42:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bob Bly</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bly.com/blog/general/the-3-part-formula-for-a-winning-usp/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
In 1961, Rosser Reeves published his classic book Reality in Advertising in which he introduced the notion of the Unique Selling Proposition, or USP.
Today the book is out of print and difficult to get. As a result, most practicing direct marketers don’t know the original definition of a USP. Their lack of knowledge often produces [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://bly.com/blog/general/the-3-part-formula-for-a-winning-usp/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Social Media&#8217;s Limitations</title>
		<link>http://bly.com/blog/general/social-medias-limitations/</link>
		<comments>http://bly.com/blog/general/social-medias-limitations/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:40:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bob Bly</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bly.com/blog/general/social-medias-limitations/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
&#8220;The real danger with social media is in marketers expecting too much from it,&#8221; says Linda LoRe, President of Frederick&#8217;s of Hollywood.
According to an article in Deliver magazine, 65% of marketers say they have not increased revenue or profited using social media.
And more than half of the adult population doesn&#8217;t use social media at all.

]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://bly.com/blog/general/social-medias-limitations/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>10 Classic Marketing Books You Should Read</title>
		<link>http://bly.com/blog/general/10-classic-marketing-books-you-should-read/</link>
		<comments>http://bly.com/blog/general/10-classic-marketing-books-you-should-read/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:30:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bob Bly</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bly.com/blog/general/10-classic-marketing-books-you-should-read/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
1) How to Write a Good Advertisement by Vic Schwab (Wilshire Book Company, 1962). A common-sense course in how to write advertising copy that gets people to buy your product or service, written by a plain-speaking veteran mail order copywriter in 1960.
Best part: 100 “archetypal” headlines that people are still using in various forms today [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://bly.com/blog/general/10-classic-marketing-books-you-should-read/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Not All List Brokers Are Created Equal</title>
		<link>http://bly.com/blog/online-marketing/not-all-list-brokers-are-created-equal/</link>
		<comments>http://bly.com/blog/online-marketing/not-all-list-brokers-are-created-equal/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:19:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bob Bly</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bly.com/blog/online-marketing/not-all-list-brokers-are-created-equal/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
by, Brian Berg,President/CEO – BB Direct, Inc
No two list brokers are the same.  Yes, they are all compensated by earning a commission in the form of a discount for their data, but not all list brokers live up to the compensation they receive.  Many provide little more than a list industry vocabulary.  [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://bly.com/blog/online-marketing/not-all-list-brokers-are-created-equal/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>&#8220;Your Price is Too High&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://bly.com/blog/general/your-price-is-too-high/</link>
		<comments>http://bly.com/blog/general/your-price-is-too-high/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:09:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bob Bly</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bly.com/blog/general/your-price-is-too-high/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
What do you do when a customer says, “Your price is too high”? 
The best way to handle this is to prevent it from happening in the first place.  
Your best chance of making the sale is if your price quotation is within the prospect’s budget. Your best chance of having that happen is [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://bly.com/blog/general/your-price-is-too-high/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Value of a Facebook Fan</title>
		<link>http://bly.com/blog/general/the-value-of-a-facebook-fan/</link>
		<comments>http://bly.com/blog/general/the-value-of-a-facebook-fan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:42:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bob Bly</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bly.com/blog/general/the-value-of-a-facebook-fan/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
According to an article in PR Daily Newsfeed, the average Facebook fan is worth about $136.38.
In addition, Facebook fans spent an extra $71.84 they would not otherwise spend on products they describe themselves as fans of compared to those who are not fans.
I haven&#8217;t made a dime from my Facebook fans. If anybody can show [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://bly.com/blog/general/the-value-of-a-facebook-fan/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Mental Opt-Out</title>
		<link>http://bly.com/blog/general/mental-opt-out/</link>
		<comments>http://bly.com/blog/general/mental-opt-out/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:52:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bob Bly</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bly.com/blog/general/mental-opt-out/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
A recent article in DM News used the term “mental opt-out” to describe someone who does not unsubscribe from a list but just stops reading or even opening the e-mails.
In surveying my list, I discovered a lot of mental opt-outs among my e-zine subscribers: they hadn’t unsubscribed yet but they no longer read the messages.
Although [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://bly.com/blog/general/mental-opt-out/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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