How To Use RSS Feeds In Your Marketing

It was Friday night. I finished reading a book about RSS feeds. Quickly set up one for my site, submitted it on directories and went to bed.

Sunday morning, I noticed a sale. Idly, I scanned my logs to see where the buyer had found me.

It was from Yahoo! Now that may not seem surprising, except... I had not been listed in Yahoo! before.

Curious, I did a Yahoo! Search for my domain name... and almost fainted in shock! There were 123 of my pages listed - many of them in the top 10 ranks on my best keywords.

My RSS feed had been listed within 48 hours - and since my other pages were linked from it, they had all been indexed by Yahoo! just as quickly. And for free!

Since then I have heard many others share similar experiences. It is no fluke. RSS is H-O-T. And search engines LOVE it.

So what is RSS? An acronym for Really Simple Syndication, it is a web language format designed to help syndicate content across different sources.

RSS has been around for more than 10 years but has only recently become popular. RSS feeds provide headlines and summaries of information in a concise and standardized way.

The rise in RSS popularity, specially among marketers, has many reasons. Email filters and new legislation have lowered the effectiveness of email marketing. Content syndication in many different ways is gathering momentum. And fresh, frequently updated content is the very essence of the Web.

How can you use RSS feeds in your marketing? Is there a way to turn RSS feeds into profits?

Absolutely. Here are some ideas:

  • Beat email filters. Ask your subscribers, prospects and clients to sign up to your RSS feed along with your email newsletter. If the ezine gets blocked, they'll still get your RSS feed.

  • Spread the word. Offer your new, valuable content to many other 'lazy' website owners - in return for getting extra exposure of your name and brand to their audiences.

  • Get listed on search engines. No one knows how long this 'honeymoon' will last. But ride the wave - and get into search engines quickly, inexpensively - by submitting your RSS feeds to them.

  • Use the first-mover advantage. Dedicated RSS directories are mushrooming. Make sure your RSS feed is indexed in them and you could future-proof your business. Imagine if you were one of the first sites to be indexed in Google or Yahoo 5 years ago!

  • Offer your readers new content. Keep creating your own content - but also use RSS feed syndication to offer other people's content to your list. Less pain, less strain, more gain.

    And that's not all. On a bet, I sat down and listed 41 different ideas to profit from RSS feeds. I'm sure you can do it too - and turn the hot new revolution in online communication into a money magnet for your ebusiness.

    Happy blogging.

    About The Author

    Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian has been marketing with blogs for over 3 years. His free 5 day RSS Primer explains the basics of RSS Marketing - sign up here: http://www.RSS-Marketing.com He is also author of 'How To Profit From RSS Feeds - 41 Quick & Easy Ideas For RSS Feed Publishers' - http://www.RSS-Marketing.com/book.htm

    • More Resources

    Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

    More Blogging/RSS Information:

    Related Articles

    10 Reasons to Put RSS on Your Site!
    RSS and Blogs are the topics of the moment. Seems like everyone is talking about it.
    Is RSS Here to Stay or Gone Tomorrow?
    RSS is totally hot. We have seen it everywhere, from John-Doe blogsites to major news websites.
    RSS - The Intelligent Marketing Medium
    Are you new to RSS? If so here is a introduction to what RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is and how your website will benefit from offering an RSS feed to your visitor's.RSS is a smooth channel of communication between publishers and visitor's.
    Marketing With Blogs - Part 4
    In the first three parts of this article series on marketing with blogs, I discussed the reasons why blogs are excellent tools for marketing, and provided some tips on using your blog to brand yourself, boost your reputation and sell your products and services online.In this article, I provide specific tips on using your blog help you boost your marketing ROI and visibility online.
    Why Wordpress is now my Blog of Choice
    The more I use Wordpress, the more I love it. It has 2 very important features that Blogger doesn't yet support.
    Blogging: A Profit Making Internet Option
    Blogging is a relatively new form of communication, closely related to the newsletters of days long past. Your thoughts, ideas, and activities are posted for the world (or a chosen few) to view, and if you choose to include the option, leave a comment.
    Article Syndication - A New Vehicle for King Content
    Creating ContentNew websites are being launched daily. In order to compete, webmasters need to find alternative ways of producing themed websites.
    7 Questions To Ask Yourself BEFORE Staring A Business Blog
    Blogging is the latest buzzword in online marketing and PR. But with so many marketers jumping on the blogging bandwagon, few people are giving a thought to whether blogs are really up their alley, or taking the time to consider the best ways of going about it.
    What Blog Can Make Money?
    How to blog to make money from it?Truly the whole picture of making money blogging is simple:you blog (B), traffic comes to your blog (T), you PREsell to them (P) and finally monetize (M).You may ask me "I have blog and peoples are coming.
    RSS - A New Face of Online Marketing
    Today we see the Internet as a global catalog of information, and the Internet thrives on information. But information, which is fresh and new, is more valuable than out dated content.
    Business Blogs, Does Your Company Need One?
    I'm often asked by clients and prospects whether or not their business should blog. While there is no universal answer, there are guidelines to consider.
    Blogs for Kids
    Flush out the writer in children. Blogging could draw out a young writer and open doors to their future.
    The Full Circle of RSS Marketing Power
    RSS is a many-in-one marketing & publishing tool, although unfortunatelly most marketers still fail to understand this powerful concept.While RSS does provide a number of benefits when used for each individual marketing function, best results are achieved when it is fully integrated in your internet marketing strategy.
    Simple Syndication (RSS) -- Wheres The Payoff?
    How RSS really does pay off..
    Why You're Not Blogging - And Why You Should Start Today
    Those of you who aren't ready to wade into the Blog pool are taking your time for several reasons, according to my informal interviews with people before and after they blog. Others start blogging and then abandon their projects too soon, unaware of the benefits.
    Make Money Blogging Using These Nine Powerful Strategies
    The question "How to make money blogging" sits high on every blogger's mind. In fact I received many questions on "How to make money blogging" when I conducted my first webcast to answer my subscribers' most pressing questions on Blogs and Rss.
    RSS: A Really Smart System For Sending And Receiving Content Online
    "RSS" stands for Really Simple Syndication. RSS is a standard for publishing regular updates to web-based content.
    RSS and Blog Marketing for Real Estate
    Earlier this month, Realtor Magazine announced that they would be featuring an article about Tampa Bay Realtor John Mudd and the success he has been having in attracting prospects and media attention with his blog on real estate.Since then, many others in the Real Estate market have been curious about how to implement similar strategies to capture leads in their areas.
    Blogs are an Art Form that Takes Practice to do Well
    Writing?Blogs?Blogs are on-line journals where people express themselves through writing. Writing?Writing is the process where one puts down words of a language on a format that others can read.
    What Is A Blog?
    Blogs can be described in many definitions and they are all correct.Blogs are instant publishing.