RSS – on the horizon and rising (Part I)
Though I live and breathe email, I’m writing this Hot Topic about RSS. I think it’s a fascinating technology which presents an excellent opportunity for companies to review how they’re currently using email to communicate with customers and prospects, and how RSS can fit into a company’s communication channels. Part I covers what RSS is, in Part II I'll provide ideas for maximising the visibility of your content through RSS and email.
What is RSS?
RSS technology allows people to subscribe to receive content from websites (and blogs) when it is published. It also gives content providers the ability to syndicate their content so that it appears on a number of websites. (More about the technical aspects of RSS, and software available.)
It’s very early days for RSS. According to a recent Fast Company article, Pew Internet & American Life Project poll found just 2% of online households in the US say they use RSS. Subscribers are early adopters, journalists and bloggers. (Compare this figure to email, which is one of THE most popular uses of the internet - 91% of US internet users use email regularly.)
Despite the current low pick up on RSS, businesses are already starting to include feeds in their offerings. Jupiter Research found 30% of magazine websites and large companies have begun offering RSS feeds on their sites. The New York Times has seen page views stemming from RSS feeds increase 342% from March 2004 to March 2005 - without specifically marketing their RSS feed. Feeds are also a popular way to deliver new postings on blogs to subscribers.
Without resorting to my crystal ball, I predict once people can use RSS without having to know any technical aspect of it, and don’t have to download anything to receive the feeds, RSS will be a popular communication channel.
Email and RSS: It's not either/or - it's what and how
Dr. Dolittle's two-headed llama Push-Me-Pull-You deftly illustrates the difference between RSS and email. Email is push (you send), RSS is pull (content pulled in by a recipient’s feed software.) Rok Hrastnik, who has published a terrific eBook on RSS, provides a further overview of the relationship: "Newsletters (and blogs) are ‘the what’ - what you publish online - the content side. RSS and email are ‘the how’ - how you get that content or information to the reader.”
Here’s a broad strokes comparision between the two channels:
Control – With email, the subscriber hands over their email address and the publisher is in control. The publisher also has the ability to ask for more information from the subscriber to build a user profile. When they want to unsubscribe they follow the process provided – generally one click. With RSS, the subscriber stays in control. They select and sign up anonymously to feeds, and decide how often they’ll check them.When they no longer want to receive the feed, the subscriber simply deletes the feed.
Layout – RSS feeds are generally delivered as individual items/articles, each one including a title, brief descriptive text, sometimes a graphic, and a link to the web page for the full feature. HTML email can deliver a carefully crafted, branded email newsletter, which includes all the relevant items/articles in one missive.
Delivery - Currently RSS is enjoying a clear path to the recipient as there are no filters issues (yet). The deliverability of email has been a challenge in recent years, though one that has been met head on by legitimate email marketers.
Statistics – Email has the ability to provide highly detailed statistical data from mailings. RSS is beginning to have very general statistics available - through Web server log analysis, using third party RSS trackers and per-user generated RSS feeds.
In the next edition of the business of email I'll give you some ideas for using your content effectively in both RSS feeds along with your email marketing.
Further reading
Rok Hrastnik's Unleash the Marketing & Publishing Power of RSS eBook (purchase)
MarketingSherpa's RSS in Reality: Not a Replacement for Email - Metrics & Best Practices (purchase)
