Put RSS to Work for You
Over the weekend, I noticed that Starwood Hotels (think Westin, Sheraton, and Four Points) provides RSS feeds to publicize special offers and packages. And today, I read on RSS Specifications that the New York Subway system offers an RSS feed for the F Train. Subscribers can get service notices and users can make comments as well (a bit of a bold move, I would imagine). These are fantastic examples of how businesses can implement RSS to work for them. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
RSS isn't just for blogs or news. RSS seems to be heavily associated with blogs and news sites, but companies can use it to release information about anything including press releases, new products, software upgrades, sales - the list goes on and on.
Ensure usability and education. This is where Starwood Hotels could improve. Clicking on an RSS feed takes you to a page full of code. Savvy users will know to copy and paste the feed into their reader. But a better option is to have a landing page of sorts with pretty buttons allowing people to select their reader and having the feed automatically added to said reader. Additionally, this is a great place to provide a little education to users who don't know about RSS. This can go a long way in creating loyal customers, so don't underestimate the value of providing assistance on this method of communication.
Offer Special Incentives for RSS Subscribers. Build and maintain your subscriber list by offering incentives offered only to RSS readers. This is a great linkbaiting tool. And as we are all well aware, linkbaiting is hot right now.
Commit to Communication. Provide relevant and interesting content for your RSS feeds on a regular and consistent basis. It will keep your readers coming back for more.
Unlike Email, RSS Cannot be Spammed. Even if you're not a huge retailer, spam can still affect your e-mail subscribers due to the sheer amount of spam (think accidental deletions) and products being "offered" through spam. RSS avoids all of that. Sure, spammers use RSS, but they can't offer their feeds through your site. And if readers subscribe to spammy feeds elsewhere, they can unsubscribe from them. The equivalent is near impossible to do with email. Having said that, give your customers a choice. Allow them email or RSS. The important part here is accessibility.
Technorati tags:
seo, 
search engine optimization, 
search engine marketing, 
rss, 
online marketing, 
internet marketing
RSS isn't just for blogs or news. RSS seems to be heavily associated with blogs and news sites, but companies can use it to release information about anything including press releases, new products, software upgrades, sales - the list goes on and on.
Ensure usability and education. This is where Starwood Hotels could improve. Clicking on an RSS feed takes you to a page full of code. Savvy users will know to copy and paste the feed into their reader. But a better option is to have a landing page of sorts with pretty buttons allowing people to select their reader and having the feed automatically added to said reader. Additionally, this is a great place to provide a little education to users who don't know about RSS. This can go a long way in creating loyal customers, so don't underestimate the value of providing assistance on this method of communication.
Offer Special Incentives for RSS Subscribers. Build and maintain your subscriber list by offering incentives offered only to RSS readers. This is a great linkbaiting tool. And as we are all well aware, linkbaiting is hot right now.
Commit to Communication. Provide relevant and interesting content for your RSS feeds on a regular and consistent basis. It will keep your readers coming back for more.
Unlike Email, RSS Cannot be Spammed. Even if you're not a huge retailer, spam can still affect your e-mail subscribers due to the sheer amount of spam (think accidental deletions) and products being "offered" through spam. RSS avoids all of that. Sure, spammers use RSS, but they can't offer their feeds through your site. And if readers subscribe to spammy feeds elsewhere, they can unsubscribe from them. The equivalent is near impossible to do with email. Having said that, give your customers a choice. Allow them email or RSS. The important part here is accessibility.
Technorati tags:
seo, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, rss, online marketing, internet marketing
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