Did you know there are lots of ways RSS can be used for your business? Here are some example uses that you may not know about. Quick note: Some can be easily abused so use them wisely, if you use it.
Twitterfeed: This is a great little tool, used to update your twitter account each time you make a new post on your blog. This is all done automatically.
Facebook: Create updates when you make new posts. There are applications you can use to do this. I've found Facebook apps to be very flaky but one that seems to work is My Blogs.
Widgets - create a widget that updates with your blog, so others have the option to display the feed on their own blogs or even their desktop. Example applications include "Spring Widgets" and "Google Gadgets".
File delivery: If you are already publishing a podcast, then it should be easy to start offering PDF documents or video downloads via RSS.
Brand RSS feeds for affiliates - Allow affiliates to display your blog posts, and reward them by embedding their own private affiliate URL. I've use this technique, and have some good success.
Search for special deals in your niche - this can offer your readers some good money-saving deals. Sales can be tracked via a private affiliate account from major online retail outlets like Amazon.com. For deals related to Internet marketing, find a feed like deal.com, and add it to your RSS reader.
Track packages: Track your own packages with SimpleTracking.com or let your customers know if you sell a physical product.
Yahoo answers - If You use Yahoo answers to promote your business by answering consumers questions, you can subscribe to an RSS feed that specifically notifies you if a question comes up that is related to your field or product category.
Blog tracking - There are times when e-mail servers as a delays or are under maintenance. An alternative to e-mail is using RSS. Most blogging accounts Offer the option of an RSS feed. For example, if you use WordPress blog, the feed will usually be located at http://yourblog.com/comments/feed/ or http://yourblog.com/?feed=comments-rss2.
Competitor watch: Find out what competitors or other marketers are doing on social networks, blogs, video and more using FriendFeed.
Stay updated with your industry: a nifty little option when using MSN or Yahoo, is the ability to subscribe to feeds based on the keyword you submit to the search engine. The icon usually appears in the browser bar with IE7 and Firefox.
Advertising - I haven't done any advertising on RSS myself, but I have displayed ads in RSS feeds. I've noticed that click through ratios have enhanced, sometimes better than actual site visitors. Try using FeedBurner, Text-Link-Ads or Pheedo for this type of service.
Service status update: keep your clients and customers in the know by displaying your service status via RSS feed. This is especially useful for those that offer web hosting, shopping carts or payment gateways.
Twitterfeed: This is a great little tool, used to update your twitter account each time you make a new post on your blog. This is all done automatically.
Facebook: Create updates when you make new posts. There are applications you can use to do this. I've found Facebook apps to be very flaky but one that seems to work is My Blogs.
Widgets - create a widget that updates with your blog, so others have the option to display the feed on their own blogs or even their desktop. Example applications include "Spring Widgets" and "Google Gadgets".
File delivery: If you are already publishing a podcast, then it should be easy to start offering PDF documents or video downloads via RSS.
Brand RSS feeds for affiliates - Allow affiliates to display your blog posts, and reward them by embedding their own private affiliate URL. I've use this technique, and have some good success.
Search for special deals in your niche - this can offer your readers some good money-saving deals. Sales can be tracked via a private affiliate account from major online retail outlets like Amazon.com. For deals related to Internet marketing, find a feed like deal.com, and add it to your RSS reader.
Track packages: Track your own packages with SimpleTracking.com or let your customers know if you sell a physical product.
Yahoo answers - If You use Yahoo answers to promote your business by answering consumers questions, you can subscribe to an RSS feed that specifically notifies you if a question comes up that is related to your field or product category.
Blog tracking - There are times when e-mail servers as a delays or are under maintenance. An alternative to e-mail is using RSS. Most blogging accounts Offer the option of an RSS feed. For example, if you use WordPress blog, the feed will usually be located at http://yourblog.com/comments/feed/ or http://yourblog.com/?feed=comments-rss2.
Competitor watch: Find out what competitors or other marketers are doing on social networks, blogs, video and more using FriendFeed.
Stay updated with your industry: a nifty little option when using MSN or Yahoo, is the ability to subscribe to feeds based on the keyword you submit to the search engine. The icon usually appears in the browser bar with IE7 and Firefox.
Advertising - I haven't done any advertising on RSS myself, but I have displayed ads in RSS feeds. I've noticed that click through ratios have enhanced, sometimes better than actual site visitors. Try using FeedBurner, Text-Link-Ads or Pheedo for this type of service.
Service status update: keep your clients and customers in the know by displaying your service status via RSS feed. This is especially useful for those that offer web hosting, shopping carts or payment gateways.
About the Author:
If you're looking to pull more profit out of your business blog, check out the IM Blogging Bootcamp. This 4-week intensive program designed to get you actively and effectively blogging to reach more of your prospects and convert more of them into lifelong customers.
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