Internet Marketing - Matt Bailey [120]
Second, RSS depends upon a significant knowledge level of the visitor. To subscribe to the RSS content of the blog, they have to know what that means and how to do so. Also, it means that they have a reader (or RSS feed aggregator) either installed or available to them to add the RSS feed. They also would have to know which RSS feed to subscribe to for the reader (ATOM, XML, comments, posts, and so on). Unfortunately, this does not describe the average Internet user.
Third, RSS is mainly a delivery mechanism. RSS readers are rarely pretty; they were mainly functional. With the rise of Facebook and Twitter, which accept RSS feeds, the information can now be delivered in an attractive and understandable format, but most readers have no idea how it was transmitted or sent to their social media services. Social media not only took away the popularity of RSS; they co-opted it as a delivery mechanism to their own publishing platforms.
Visitors know what email is, and they understand how it works. Also, as a marketer, I would much rather have email addresses than RSS subscribers. Email addresses are worth much more, because they are a qualified list that I can approach and have value specifically as a list generated from the website or other form of marketing.
The old sales adage “Sell to the customer how they want to be sold” holds true in this instance. Don’t waste your visitor’s precious time by selling a technology; use technology to sell your company, and allow potential and current customers to access information the way they are comfortable accessing it.
USAToday’s sports blog Game On offers two very clear ways for users to subscribe to information (Figure 11-15). Those who do not understand RSS do not have to search the site for alternatives.
Figure 11-15: USA Today’s Game On subscription block
One of my favorite blogs for entrepreneurial inspiration is Pamela Slim’s Escape from Cubicle Nation (Figure 11-16). On her blog, she shows clear icons to subscribe to her updates via RSS, Facebook, or Twitter. However, she also provides a specific area for email sign-ups by inviting visitors to receive a monthly newsletter.
Figure 11-16: Escape from Cubicle Nation provides various ways for readers to be updated.
Having an RSS option is good, but realize that only a small percentage of users know what it is. Based on your market or industry, the percentage could be higher or even lower. If you are in the technology or journalism industry, then the usage of RSS is more prevalent than in any other markets. Other than that, the percentage of users who have readers will now place your RSS feed in competition with every other blog and website to which they subscribe. The fight for the visitor’s attention still takes place, whether in the reader or in the inbox.
Wednesday: Overcome Obstacles
One of the most valuable tools in the arsenal of the marketer is the ability to overcome objections or to take weaknesses and make them strengths. In verbal communication, this is a true gift to those who have to sell in one-on-one situations. Online, this ability needs to address the obstacles in the persuasive process. What marketers tend to forget is that sometimes your own website may be its own obstacle.
If your message is not clear or if there are graphical elements competing with the purpose of the site or the ability to clearly communicate the content, then the site is creating an obstacle to the visitor. Your job is to find those obstacles that are creating confusion, blocking the purpose, or distracting the visitor from the information they need.
Communicate a Clear Purpose
It is a good idea to conduct regular visual assessments your website. A visual assessment is the technical term for gaining a colleague’s opinion about the page or about