You might have heard that mobileStorm recently launched RSS messaging. That makes us the only company globally that provides 6 ways to communicate with prospects and customers from the same web-based control panel.
RSS, which stands for Really Simple Syndication, is a relatively new web technology that is used to publish frequently updated content such as blogs and news. The first version of RSS was created in March of 1999 for use on the my.netscape.com portal. A 2004 Pew study found that 1 out of 20 people online said they used an RSS aggregator to read content online. So, I can only image how big that number is today. RSS was also the 3rd most searched for “what is” term on Google last year.
All major online portals use RSS to push content to their sites. MyYahoo, for example, is basically just a bunch of RSS feeds. Yahoo lets you customize which news you do and do not want to see. Additionally, Firefox and even Outlook 2007 now have RSS readers built into their applications. This allows you to subscribe to a feed by simply clicking an icon, and the feed is added to your RSS reader.
Marketers are now getting into RSS to keep consumers informed in real-time of their news and activities, and even using it as an additional marketing channel for advertising and commerce. Here are 10 reasons why marketers should use RSS:
-
1. Your content can be syndicated: You can have many different websites picking up your feeds and distributing your content.
2. It is 100% double opt in: Someone has to add your feed to their RSS reader. With 100% double opt in, your response and open rates will go through the roof. Also, nobody can subscribe you without your permission, which brings me to the next point.
3. It\’s private: You don\’t have to give out personal info or an email address to sign up, which makes people more likely to subscribe to your feed.
4. There is NO spam: It\’s not possible to subscribe to an RSS feed and get spam. This means that your message will not be cluttered, and your subscribers will be able to read each message.
5. There is 100% deliverability: Your campaign will not be blocked by a spam filter. It will always end up in their reader, giving you higher response rates.
6. It\’s updated in real-time: If your content is constantly changing, such as a stock quote, sports score, product sale etc., you can use RSS to update your subscribers in real-time, ensuring that everyone stays up to date.
7. It can be accessed anywhere: Nowadays, a lot of mobile phones have RSS readers so your content can be accessed on the go. We are even seeing convergence with televisions. Samsung\’s new Touch HDV for example, includes RSS feeds which are displayed on the screen.
8. You can include Google Adsense: A lot of publishers are including their Adsense ads in their RSS feeds. Currently this is not possible with email. See this example by uncreate.com:
9. There are no laws: Because RSS is 100% opt in and there is no spam, there are no laws or regulations surrounding this message type that you need to be aware of. Feed away my friend, feed away.
10. It\’s fast: The minute you launch your feed, it\’s your subscribers\’ readers. RSS is great to reach a large group of people instantly and with 100% deliverability.
Now, I am sure a few of you are thinking: what\’s the point of email? RSS sounds so much better! There are still a number of reasons why email isn\’t going away. First off, even though a lot of trendsetters know and use RSS, the majority of people don\’t. There are a lot of people who feel RSS will never become main stream, especially since currently there are over a billion email inboxes worldwide. However, even if RSS does become mainstream, email is about relationships and conversations. You can create a two-way dialogue with email that you cannot have with RSS. The key is to complement email with RSS, and I encourage you to explore ways in which you can use both.
Jared Reitzin
CEO – mobileStorm
Small Business Funding