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In Part 1, we explained why RSS is the next big thing online. In Part 2, we look deeper into how marketers can use the new technology to improve customer relationships. First, we review its potential impact as a marketing tool, including three business examples where it can be applied with powerful results. Second, we speculate about how marketers will apply its unique capabilities in the future and provide the steps you must take to get started.

Delivering messages that get the attention of our target market is getting tougher and tougher. As consumers are overwhelmed by the quantity of information online, they filter the content they receive and consume. Concurrently, as Search Engine Optimization looses its mystery and becomes widely used by marketers, popularity and relevancy vie for attention. RSS allows consumers to select sources of messages they want to receive continuously and allows marketers to deliver content that elevates their importance among consumers.

RSS essentially enables automated web surfing. Customers identify and continuously "pull" information from sources that are relevant, rather than manually search the Web for content at a specific moment in time.

Here's how it works:

Feed providers create content that is then turned into XML code. That code identifies it in a consistent manner for the aggregators, who in turn distribute the relevant content identification to the end user who has previously subscribed to it. The end user then clicks on the content that interests them.

Figure 1--Content Syndication Process through RSS

Impact of RSS

Impact on Messaging
RSS adoption will drive increasing message credibility. Every RSS feed must possess content the reader wants to receive. Promising discounts and special promotions may fail to work in many instances (consumer packaged goods and other frequent or repeat purchase items may be the only exceptions); in most cases marketing messages will require increasingly more valuable content to motivate readers to receive a marketer's RSS feed.

New content--new forms--new searches
Like RSS, blogging allows extremely easy publishing. Blogs are simply on-line logs or diaries. There are literally millions of them out there on every subject imaginable.

Like traditional web sites of the past, you have to visit a blog to see its newest content. The problem is that the individuals who run most blogs have other things to do besides write their every thought (with the notable exception of teenagers and young adults who find time to publish every waking notion)

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