There are many ways you can use of RSS feeds to expand your business. Below are some examples that are commonly used ( be wary though, RSS can sometimes be exploited, so do diligence is advised).
Twitter - new tweets can be made automatically after you have made a post. There is many possibilities to use this technique, but one of the most popular ways is to use Twitterfeed.
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: design a special widget related to your blog. The widget could then be displayed on their own blogs or even on their desktop. This can easily be done with Spring Widgets or Google Gadgets.
Offer downloads - compile a PDF document, or offer a video. Publishing a podcast, radio or other media is also a good idea.
Create affiliate branded RSS feeds: Let affiliates display your blog content and let them be rewarded for it. I've created a custom feed for my affiliates, which contains the affiliate's ID.
Find deals for your business: Who doesn't like to save money? Save on your next business purchase. There are lots of ways you can track sales and deals from stores like Amazon. For Internet Marketing related purchases, you can save a feed like the one from Deal.com to your RSS reader.
Track packages: Track your own packages with SimpleTracking.com or let your customers know if you sell a physical product.
Track latest questions on Yahoo Answers: Answering questions on Yahoo Answers can be very effective to promote your business. Subscribe to the RSS feed of the category you're interested in so you'll be notified when a new question you can answer comes in.
Track your own or other blogs' comments: Sometimes email notifications quit working. But the RSS always does. If you are using a WordPress blog, your comment feed is usually: http://yourblog.com/?feed=comments-rss2 or http://yourblog.com/comments/feed/
Competitor watch: Find out what competitors or other marketers are doing on social networks, blogs, video and more using FriendFeed.
Track what's going on in your industry: Do a search on Yahoo or MSN for a keyword or phrase you'd like to watch. Using Firefox or IE 7, an RSS feed icon will appear. Click to subscribe.
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.
Notify clients of service status: This works well for businesses who offer a service like web hosting, online shopping carts. Publish a system status feed and let customers know they can be alerted of status changes immediately.
Twitter - new tweets can be made automatically after you have made a post. There is many possibilities to use this technique, but one of the most popular ways is to use Twitterfeed.
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: design a special widget related to your blog. The widget could then be displayed on their own blogs or even on their desktop. This can easily be done with Spring Widgets or Google Gadgets.
Offer downloads - compile a PDF document, or offer a video. Publishing a podcast, radio or other media is also a good idea.
Create affiliate branded RSS feeds: Let affiliates display your blog content and let them be rewarded for it. I've created a custom feed for my affiliates, which contains the affiliate's ID.
Find deals for your business: Who doesn't like to save money? Save on your next business purchase. There are lots of ways you can track sales and deals from stores like Amazon. For Internet Marketing related purchases, you can save a feed like the one from Deal.com to your RSS reader.
Track packages: Track your own packages with SimpleTracking.com or let your customers know if you sell a physical product.
Track latest questions on Yahoo Answers: Answering questions on Yahoo Answers can be very effective to promote your business. Subscribe to the RSS feed of the category you're interested in so you'll be notified when a new question you can answer comes in.
Track your own or other blogs' comments: Sometimes email notifications quit working. But the RSS always does. If you are using a WordPress blog, your comment feed is usually: http://yourblog.com/?feed=comments-rss2 or http://yourblog.com/comments/feed/
Competitor watch: Find out what competitors or other marketers are doing on social networks, blogs, video and more using FriendFeed.
Track what's going on in your industry: Do a search on Yahoo or MSN for a keyword or phrase you'd like to watch. Using Firefox or IE 7, an RSS feed icon will appear. Click to subscribe.
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.
Notify clients of service status: This works well for businesses who offer a service like web hosting, online shopping carts. Publish a system status feed and let customers know they can be alerted of status changes immediately.
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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