blogging

Small Biz Needs to See the Big Picture, and Look Beyond

October 22, 2010 by Pamela Leave a Comment

Decades ago children learned about neat toys and gadgets by watching Saturday morning cartoons. Parents learned what was safe and worth their money from key publications like Consumer Reports, as well as from local shop owners. When I was a kid, there was more trust in advertising, and salesmen, though still trained to “push” products, seemed to know more about how things worked.

Internet shopping continues to increase, and with that, a plethora of “recommendation” engines are available to help guide us to what we supposedly want. Those of us who are comfortable using search engines, and are savvy enough to do our homework the right way, can often find exactly what we need, from the right company, and at a decent price. Those less-in-the-know, however, tend to rely on big business sites to tell them what to buy.

Social media and supporting content can help small businesses reap bigger benefits.

These engines pose a big problem for small business ecommerce because, even if your company has a stellar track record, the funds many require to be listed or top-promoted are often prohibitive.

Previously Mashable.com ran an article: 7 Services That Will Suggest Things You Like. The top choices are geared toward online entertainment rather than products and where to buy them, but it’s worth the read in order to understand how algorithms are used to tell us what we need to buy. Most services rely on some sort of user input – ratings, reviews, and satisfaction ratios – but often use other unknowns to determine what to display. Even sites that use real shoppers’ data can be misleading.

Shopping engines, and even Google, can be great outlets for smaller businesses carrying niche products. All too often, however, bigger brands and higher priced items tend to be the most promoted, making it difficult for the small guy to truly get noticed.

It’s time for small businesses to let go of the frustration of not having the capital to do whatever they want. Most outsiders will never truly understand the blood, sweat and tears that goes into running a small business. Believe me, it’s the insiders who know all about the mountain of obstacles.

No, we’re better off focusing on what we can do to simply succeed and, hopefully, surpass expectations.

Here’s a few places to start:

Facebook. If you haven’t yet created a Facebook page for your business, you need to. I don’t care if you hate the site and are trying to send a message – 500 million user accounts are screaming louder than you are. I’ve yet to hear one viable argument for a small business not to create and maintain a Facebook page. As well, I’ve yet to hear any “moral issue” story that would be nullified by maintaining such an account. Simply put, if you’re not using Facebook as a tool to build your business, you’re ignoring tons of potential customers, many of which subscribe to no other social media outlet.

Twitter. This social engine can help fill another void: letting customers who don’t want to receive email know what’s new and on sale. Some people are opting to follow brands online in lieu of signing up for email newsletters. By using Twitter to post key information, your offering another means to keep them interested.

YouTube. People in general love watching video. By shooting short, simple videos about your store, your products and things to come, you’re opening the doors to your audience. A short, creative video can help sell you and your products.

A Supporting Blog. It’s not that the mere act of publishing content will bring people to your site in droves. What helps, though, are shares of those posts through social media outlets and other sites like Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon.com and reddit. While there is debate over whether or not any of these sites push significant traffic on a regular basis, each has its own dedicated users. Tapping into that base can only help you in the long run.

Many people stand by sites and services like MySpace and Google Buzz as well. Of course, maintaining several accounts can be time-consuming and cumbersome. For that, I recommend using a multi-service posting tool like TweetDeck.

The goal is to reach people, and, in turn, have them reach out to others. Content sharing is a driving force in today’s marketplace. Small businesses can reap great benefits, so long as they look at the big picture, and are willing to branch out in order to succeed.

Filed Under: Ecommerce, Marketing Tagged With: blogging, facebook, marketing, practical ecommerce, social media, twitter

H 2 Oh? How Little Changes Can Accomplish a Lot

October 15, 2010 by Pamela 4 Comments

Clean water. It’s a staple in every living being’s life. And yet, so many are doing without.

There are more than 4,200 bloggers writing about water today as part of Blog Action Day 2010, many of whom are bringing attention to the filth other countries find in their drinking water, and how there’s a dire need abroad for clean, potable water. I have opted to take a different approach, by writing about what’s close to my heart (and often on my mind) when it comes to the most basic of necessities.

Blog Action Day is an annual event held every October 15 which unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking a global discussion and driving collective action.

Living in Hurricane Alley there’s a ritual we follow each and every year. Stock a toiletries bag, double-check the first aid kit, have a few changes of clothes and other necessities packed in the event of an evacuation order. Have on hand some decent canned goods, and, most important, have a sufficient supply of drinking water. Unfortunately, many people choose to ignore the warning signs, and, when a storm hits, within hours they’re gathered by the thousands, lined up and waiting for aid trucks to deliver ice and water.

How much water do Americans waste each day? The number of gallons varies by report, with the minimum being 25 gallons. We can always use less. Challenge yourself.

We had more than a week’s notice that Hurricane Katrina would likely affect South Florida – more than enough notice to stock the pantry and fill the jugs. Yet, as soon as the winds subsided, hundreds were calling local radio stations asking, “Where are the relief trucks? Where’s our water? Where’s our ice?” It was amazing how many had disregarded the warnings and advisories, only to wind up standing in line at gas pumps for 8+ hours, desperate to crank up generators so their kids could watch TV. This was in Miami, a city accustomed to the threat and reality of hurricanes making landfall. Yet, what we experienced was nothing compared to other areas.

All those warnings, and, following the storm, six days without power (again, nothing compared to others). My family stood in line not once. We didn’t have to boil water, run a generator (we don’t even have one), or hang out in grocery store parking lots demanding they open their doors. We were prepared.

When the earthquake hit Haiti, I couldn’t help but think back to that uncomfortable, yet not dire, week we spent in Miami. After all, Haiti had no warning, and on a good day, a minimal supply of “clean” water.

When devastation hits others, we’re quick to react with our wallets. We are, after all, a very giving society. But it’s the big picture we’re missing – that, with just a little planning, devastation doesn’t have to be so… devastating.

In America we’ve not experienced long-term neglect when it comes to this precious resource. When tragedy hits, we have it trucked in. Easy, right? We do this without thought of how much water and oil (yes, oil) is wasted to manufacture all those bottles, build and operate all those trucks and thus produce a “drinkable” supply when we already had one before floods and storms hit.

We waste water like there’s no end to it – letting it run for minutes to heat up our showers, flushing after even the lightest of tinkles, and, worst of all, letting all the excess go right down the drain.

In Florida, my husband and I are on a well system. There’s been lots of concern, debate, and even arguments, about the potential of the wells going dry. For the powers-that-be, the fix for this is to carry out initial plans to construct water treatment plants, despite the fact our population is less than half of what was expected prior to the economic downturn and housing market crash. One argument for the city system is that when power goes out, so does the well pump, leaving consumers using – gulp – pool water to flush their toilets. This, somehow, is viewed as a big issue?

A $20 stainless steel bottle will save you tons of money, conserve water & help the environment.

The problem starts right at home, with us. Preparation for disaster isn’t enough. We need to pay attention to our wastefulness every day. The good news is, conserving water and leaving a smaller carbon footprint isnt difficult at all.

From composting to filtering water at home and using stainless steel bottles, there’s a lot of green (that’s nature and bucks) to be saved. Believe me, filtering tap water, making your own soda (I have a SodaStream) and replacing chemicals with natural ingredients (like vinegar and baking soda), isn’t an inconvenience. When you consider how much is wasted in the processing of packaging and “ready to eat” goods, it just makes sense. Having extra on hand in case of unforseen emergencies – as well as preparing for known urgencies – does even more. It saves you a great deal of headache and worry.

Once you’ve found your groove – that is, once you’ve ditched all those cheap, plastic bottles and unnecessary packages of things that just aren’t good for you – count up your savings. Then, take a portion of it and give to a worthy charity, one that’s helping to bring clean water to those who need it the most. Because, for most of America, the resources are already there – we just have to start respecting them.

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: blogging, my life

Want More Comments? Can the Registration

October 5, 2010 by Pamela 6 Comments

No registrations results in more comments.

There’s a reason why you won’t see me commenting much at some high-profile sites. They require registration.

Count me among those who feel registration is just another word for “prepare to be frustrated” when it comes to commenting on a story or blog post. Sadly, so many sites still don’t get it…

Here are the top reasons people don’t comment at sites that require registration:

Screenshot of commenting at mashable.com

Systems like DISQUS provide much more value. A single login allows users to comment and react to posts across thousands of sites. Is yours one of them?

Time. More often than not, it takes longer to register at a site than it does to type the comment itself, even if it’s a few paragraphs.
Email. Since the bulk of registration methods require the user to confirm by clicking a link in an email, the email program must be opened.
One-time visit. If a user isn’t a regular at the site, he/she doesn’t see much value in registering.
Speaking of value – most sites provide little or no value for registering. The process is often used to better identify humans, but that’s largely a benefit to the publisher, not the user. Where’s the give-back?
Email lists & notifications. Some registrations result in users getting discussion alerts automatically. Others add them to the site’s email list. Visitors should always have the option to check whether or not they receive notifications.

There are alternatives to requiring registration, which still cut down posts generated by bots and automated spammers. Some of the most popular tools are:

Akismet. This popular WordPress plugin scans comments in real-time, eliminating a significant amount of spam. It’s not 100% foolproof, but it does catch the bulk of auto-generated and inappropriate comments. Using this method requires that you check your blog frequently to remove any bad messages which get posted. In my experience, a six-month run using this feature alone resulted in only one spam post making it through.

CAPTCHA. Users must enter the letters/numbers displayed on the screen to prove they’re not a bot. This feature, however, is becoming less popular. When users have to try several times to get the words or numbers correct, the chances of them leaving increases.

Comment Systems. Systems like DISQUS and Intense Debate automate the process of both posting and moderating comments. Users create an account with the system (or login using other social media accounts, like Twitter) and their full counts of posts and “likes” are tracked across the web. These tools are increasingly popular because once a user is logged in, he can just post a comment at any site using the system and an avatar, email address and web site URL is already linked via his profile.

I prefer DISQUS over Intense Debate for a few reasons:

Intense Debate links to a WordPress account. Unfortunately, once an email address is linked via WordPress.com, changing parameters on the profile is difficult.

DISQUS is more widely used by most of the guru bloggers I follow.

The profile features of a DISQUS account are simpler, and so is the commenting method. Users can click on other users’ profiles to see what else they’ve had to say (you can see my DISQUS profile here).

When choosing a commenting system, make sure your top priority is encouraging visitors to get involved in real discussions. The simpler the process, the more comments you’ll receive, and, in turn, the more loyal vistors. You’ll also generate additional traffic via search engines, as comments themselves become searchable.

Filed Under: Ecommerce, Tips Tagged With: blogging, conversion, traffic

Microblogging Extreme

September 26, 2010 by Pamela Leave a Comment

Leo Laporte still uses Twitter, despite it taking attention away from his own site.

TechCrunch writer Paul Carr thanked readers for social media memories last month when he announced the complete shutdown of all his social accounts. Yes, that includes Facebook and Twitter. He compares reliance on microblogging (like tweeting rather than actually blogging) to becoming a digital recluse.

He also shared his thoughts on Leo Laporte’s angst over a mishap with Google Buzz, also reported in August.

Leo Laporte is the genius behind TwitTV – he’s highly respected and rightly so.

Despite issues with microblogging taking attention away from his own site, Leo Laporte still relies on it for some methods of communication.

On August 22nd Leo noticed that nothing he fed to Google Buzz had posted publicly since the 6th. Since he uses a tool that also posts to Twitter, he was mute there as well. His rather uncomfortable revelation was that no one really noticed. Though, I’m willing to wager it’s more a case of no one saying anything to him. After all, there’s no “poke” button on Twitter. Still, Laporte’s frustration is understandable, though I have to ask, why didn’t he notice the issue much earlier? I use automation tools to post many things, but I do follow up frequently to make sure such posts hit the public stream. I can’t imagine going 16 days without checking my own accounts.

Back to Paul, who’s shut down all of his. Like Laporte, Carr plans to refocus his attention on blog entries, because both are realizing they have little to show for their efforts. When you microblog (e.g. tweet) you’re not only saying very little, you’re also not building a stronger foundation for your own web site.

In a quest to determine the strength of his own foundation, Carr was shocked:

“Throughout my earlier archives, I was able to find lengthy, sometimes surprisingly personal, posts … as I clicked forward through the archives to more recent years… the number of posts in each monthly archive dropped off a cliff, particularly where details of my personal life were concerned.”

Carr goes onto explain that his use of Twitter is what shook the foundation and, in turn, resulted in a history needing to be rebuilt.

While I respect both of these pros, I humbly… disagree. Here’s why:

It’s not micro-blogging that replaces lengthier posts (blog entries and articles). It’s laziness. Sorry, but if you’re serious about what you do, and are passionate to write about things and share ideas, then micro-blogging is used merely as a layer atop it all. It’s like those cute little flowers that adorn the top of a birthday cake. They aren’t necessary for you to enjoy the cake itself, but they sure do help gain more people’s attention, no?

I think Carr’s decision to shut down completely is extreme. After all, Twitter itself introduces you to people who may never come to know you otherwise. I may not have thousands of followers (I have just over 450 as I write this), but analytics shows me that a plethora of daily visits come from Twitter sharing. With microblogging, I’m able to reach a much wider audience.

Priorities need to be analyzed and re-analyzed regularly. In the ecommerce world, I constantly remind store owners to test their online stores – place orders, use all the features, kick the tires – because history shows that only a tiny fraction of shoppers will take the time to tell you when something’s wrong. The same goes for creating goals and prioritizing what we do each day.

We all have to recognize our weaknesses, and find ways to minimize or work around them. I’m forgetful. It’s not that I’m unable to obtain information, but rather lose sight of what needs to be done when I’m distracted. While at the office, I write it all down. When I’m not, however, I know my limitations. I’m not ashamed of this, and even tell my clients while talking on-the-go, “please email me a list of what we’ve just discussed so I won’t overlook anything.”

It is possible to blog, tweet, buzz, post updates to Facebook, etc. and still get the job done. For some, a decrease in blogging is due to the fact that it’s so much easier to sit back and type 140 characters or less. But I still don’t see how tweets and the like “replace” actual blog posts. In fact, nearly half my ideas are spurred by those microposts. So what we say on-the-fly can often be turned into a more in-depth statement accompanied by images and graphs.

Carr makes an interesting statement:

“And then along came micro-blogging – and, with a finite amount of time and effort available, the blog generation turned into the Twitter (or Facebook) generation. A million blogs withered and died as their authors stopped taking the time to process their thoughts and switched instead to simply copying and pasting them into the world, 140 meaningless characters at a time. The result: a whole lot of sound and mundanity, signifying nothing.”

Yes, micro-blogging converted quite a few bloggers into note-jotters. Perhaps some of them wanted it this way – after all, there’s a tremendous Twitter audience. But I say any blog that withered and died as a result still boils down to priorities. Like most things, you can blame society, not the service.

I also don’t see the accounts I follow and the things I post as mundane, signifying nothing. In fact, there are many more things getting done in the field I work in and things I’m passionate about – things that, otherwise, might never come to fruition. I’ve met people I wouldn’t have met otherwise – making some fabulous connections with people whom, via just a website, might never have been as approachable. I’ve also found many more ways to “give back” – as people I’ve come to know shed light on atrocities that have yet to become as newsworthy as they deserve to be.

To argue for a mass switch back from Tweeting to Livejournaling (or Bloggering, or Movable Typing…) in the interests of the permanent record is as ridiculous as campaigning for everyone to abandon instant messaging and return to letter-writing. The fact is people are busy (or lazy, depending on your view of humanity) and for the vast majority, immediacy will always trump posterity.

But for those of us who have had reason to look back at the past few years – like me writing my book, or Leo having “woken up to a bad social media dream in terms of the content I’ve put in others’ hands” – the realization is slightly terrifying: by constantly micro-broadcasting everything, we’ve ended up macro-remembering almost nothing.

Filed Under: Marketing, Mistakes That Kill, Social Media Tagged With: blogging, microblogging, Mistakes That Kill, social media, twitter

10 Quick Ways to Get More Traffic

September 7, 2010 by Pamela 3 Comments

If you’re like me, you’ve already read scores of posts and articles telling you how to get more traffic to your web site or online store. The problem is, most articles include methods that are cumbersome, time consuming, cost additional money or simply don’t make sense. To those saying we need to stop everything we’re doing and adopt all new strategies, I say phooey. Chances are, the things you’re already doing are a start in the right direction. You just need to backup a bit, and think about the bigger picture.

Here’s ten, quick ways to gain more traffic:

Comment on the articles and blog posts you read. Most sites include a field to enter your site’s URL. By becoming a part of the conversation you stand to gain a few clicks. Just be professional and interesting.
Upload a Gravatar (Globally Recognized Avatar). Default avatars simply don’t cut it when you’re trying to gain exposure via profile posts and comments. By tying an avatar to the email address you post under, you’ll stand out more. However, people respond more to images of other people rather than unknown company logos. So head over to Gravatar.com and upload a great picture of yourself – it’s totally free. If you want to integrate your business logo, do so as an overlay.
Add a signature to your forum profiles. Most forums support signatures, though some require you be an active member before it will display. Keep it brief, including the name of the site, a clear tagline and the URL. Avoid using terms oft perceived as spam, and steer clear of heated debates; it’s too easy to get sucked into topics that do more harm than good.
Update your social media profiles. Be sure to include the URL to your site, and exactly what it is you sell. Seasoned Twitter users, for example, rely on profiles to determine if they want to follow an account.
Keep your Twitter timeline in check. Depending on the tool used, anyone clicking your username will see 10-20 of your most recent tweets. This means you need to be careful about having too much fun or being too business-stuffy for any extended number of posts. If you just tweeted out a bunch of useless information, people are less-apt to follow you. If your last 20 tweets were all rants, the same applies. You need a happy medium, and mixing business with pleasure works on Twitter.
Put some soap in your mouth. I don’t care how angry something makes you (and, keep in mind, politics and religion don’t often mix well with marketing efforts), there are words to avoid using. You already know what they are… All I can say is, refrain. No one will be offended if you don’t spew cuss words. It’s that simple.
Share cool things, even if semi-competitive. People want to follow and do business with folks who are honest. That means you should be sharing things that have nothing to do with your business, as well as semi-competitive articles and posts. For example, I am a webOS (Palm) advocate, but I’ve no problem tweeting about my iPod, even though the Palm Pre has a built-in music player. I also have no problem re-tweeting killer profile sites built by a competitor. To completely dismiss everything that may compete with your business in even the smallest way may not be obvious, but when you engage with followers, well, it gets noticed. In short, if you love it and think others can benefit from reading it, the only filter you need is: Does this outright hurt my business? If it doesn’t, tweet away.
Thank others for their input. A simple thank you tells writers and tweeters that you’re reading what they have to say. This can result in follow recommendations, support and possibly even converting them into shoppers.
Submit testimonials. If a product or service has helped you, tell the company. If someone’s article was put successfully to use, share your results with him/her. You don’t have to be definitive with financials (percentages are nice), but commenting can lead to bigger and better things. For example, I’ve spotlighted users and businesses which I discovered solely because they were engaged in discussions on my own site.
Update your business card. Include links to your social media profile (or to a page on your site that lists them). Go the extra mile by including a QR Code or Microsoft Tag. For many, it’s easier to just follow someone than it is to bookmark a web site. By following you via social media, people are more apt to remember who you are and eventually act on their initial intent – to visit your web site. Then, pass them out. I can’t tell you how many times I’m asked what I do whilst in a waiting room, at the grocery store or even at a local club. One person can bring you many; never underestimate word of mouth.

These actions don’t require much additional time and, ultimately, should enhance your own online experience.

Have some quick tips of your own? Tried any of these ones? Why not…leave a comment?

Filed Under: Ecommerce, Marketing, Social Media Tagged With: blogging, marketing, social media, twitter

The Reality of Blogging for Sales

August 23, 2010 by Pamela 3 Comments

Blogs can help boost sales, but you need to understand some things...

In May 2010, I posted tips on Blogging for Sales. Since then, many clients and visitors have asked for more posts on this topic. After all, small business ecommerce sites commonly have to pull extra weight to compete with the big dogs. This includes using methods to keep people inside the web site, especially when it comes to wanting to know more about what you sell and related issues.

While I’ll definitely be continuing discussions on this topic, I want to make sure online store owners realize how a blog affects an ecommerce site, and just how dedicated you need to be.

Consider these when building and working on blogs that are part of an ecommerce domain:

Client RetroPlanet.com blogs frequently about all things retro. They include images and memorable stories in each post.

Expect to see a higher bounce rate on blog posts than on other types of pages.

The bounce rate of a page is measured by how many visitors land on that page from the outside and then leave the site, never clicking through to any other page.

Unless one of your posts is trending across the Internet – and thus, is being shared by thousands – chances are you’re not going to get the number of visits you expect. A low percentage of people will actually convert to visiting the store. Why? Because web actions have changed. Sites like Twitter and Facebook are used to constantly feed us links and action-requests. The result is lots of single page loads. But activity? Not so much.

Expect to see more people “Liking” and Tweeting about the page, but not commenting.

We are seemingly more pressed for time than ever, or, at least, we want you to think we are. Actually, it’s more a matter of quick-share social media icons doing the work for us. The result? More shares, but less comments – which actually tend to do more for authenticating a specific post, as well as helping with Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

What can you do? Use anti-spam tools so your blog doesn’t require registration and moderation of comments. Encourage visitors to comment by asking questions.

Expect less click-throughs to products and services.

With everyone in such a rush, clicking a link is a “second” that seems like an eternity to some. Now’s the time to be creative, emotional, and compelling in your copy to make the visitor want to read more. Simple, honest psychology will prompt more people to click links to your products and services.

Expect less use of navigation.

While on store pages visitors rely on navigation (top, left, right, bottom) to locate products and services they want, in a blog they’re more inclined to simply read the post. The blog is a great place to put stellar ad graphics that link to the store. Want a better return? Link to category pages or key landing pages created just for blog readers. Some visitors are inspired by ads that hype free shipping or discounts, while others are prompted by unique product lines.

Don’t expect hordes of email subscribers

Nowadays people think twice before subscribing to newsletters and such because they have trouble handling the amount of messages they already receive. This is why alternate tools, such as RSS feeds and Facebook pages are gaining in popularity (especially on mobile devices).

If you have a Facebook page for your company, install the Networked Blogs app, which posts headlines and summaries of blog posts right on Facebook. And be sure to configure RSS feeds properly – by including copyright info and share links – so those types of readers can still spread the word about your site.

These are just some tips to get you started, and so you know what to expect, including updates you should be making to supporting content. Remember, also, that it takes time to grow a true following, so don’t be discouraged – overnight successes are few and far between.

Image: screen capture from RetroPlanet.com

Filed Under: Ecommerce, Marketing, Social Media Tagged With: blogging, Ecommerce, marketing, social media

Should I Offer RSS Feeds?

July 14, 2010 by Pamela 3 Comments

Should you offer RSS feeds of articles and blog posts?

There’s debate over whether using Real Simple Syndication (RSS) for a business site’s blog or articles is beneficial. Some argue it keeps avid RSS subscribers away from the sites the articles are meant to promote, while others say these feeds do more for business than simply publishing content on a single domain.

Previous action against an app in the iPhone catalog by the New York Times calls us to take another look at the purpose of RSS and whether or not it’s good for business.

I subscribe to dozens of RSS feeds on my mobile device. It's a major timesaver, and without the feeds, I wouldn't participate as much or as often.

RSS is defined as a tool that “republishes” content, but not in the sense of “free” syndication on for-profit sites. RSS allows you to “feed” content from your site in a simplified format so readers can subscribe to the content and read it in a separate environment (usually a newsreader via a browser, through locally installed software, or through an application on a mobile device). While there are some web sites that attempt to completely re-publish articles from RSS feeds, the primary use is for individual subscriptions.

RSS is different than referring links from sites like Facebook. On Facebook, people manually post the links. With RSS, the content is automatically loaded in the subscribers preferred application in real time (or when the subscriber clicks to load current articles). RSS, however, can also be used to auto-publish your own articles to a Facebook profile page (this requires authorization that you own the content).

In June, the New York Times contacted Apple after Steve Jobs showed off a newsreader app that pre-packaged the newspaper’s RSS feed. The reason? The app wasn’t free – it costs $4 – hence it violated the Times’ terms of service, which restricts charging for distribution of their content. Apple immediately removed the app from the catalog, but later reinstated it. The argument was simple: Users themselves can subscribe to a feed without violating terms, and users were paying for the application, not news content.

For years, RSS feeds have been favored by power users and business people because it allows them to subscribe to many news and company sites and peruse headlines and information from one, central location. And while in its earlier stages, the majority of content was strictly text, today most readers also parse images and video/audio linking and integrate social media share icons. It saves a great deal of time, because users don’t have to continuously load dozens of web sites via their browser bookmarks.

Mobile devices have made RSS feeds much more popular. On a smartphone, a user can subscribe to feeds, then navigate them at their leisure – from anywhere. Some applications allow users to categorize feeds based on topics of interest, or “favorite” specific articles for future engagement.

But… Should You Offer an RSS Feed from Your Site?

The primary advantage to offering an RSS feed is readership. RSS Feeds make it easy for anyone to scan articles and posts across hundreds of domains. Thus, you stand to gain more readers. Since more people would be seeing your content, that will result in more “shares” across social media platforms, and thus, additional readers you might have never reached via other marketing or advertising efforts.

Some community-driven sites also push headlines and summaries via RSS feeds. For example, on LinkedIn Groups, an admin can subscribe to an RSS feed that posts content to the groups’ news board. The information fed includes the headline, a summary (if available), and a direct link to the full article (in this case, to your web site).

There is a downside, though, dependent upon how you configure the feed. Ideally, users want to read the entire shebang on their reader or device, but that also means they might never visit your actual web site. Offering up just a headline and summary will stream in some users, but overall readership would drop because it’s inconvenient to launch a browser – especially on a mobile device – to read the rest of the story. Web sites that rely heavily on advertising have struggled with the pros and cons for many years.

A happy medium is presenting entire articles, but with embedded footers that prompt the user to visit your site to make comments, see related articles or share the story. This allows you to continuously brand your site’s offering (products or services), while also promoting community interaction.

Of course, it all really boils down to the content. If you engage people, they’re much more likely to return,and bring their friends with them.

Filed Under: Ecommerce, Marketing, Social Media Tagged With: blogging, Ecommerce, marketing, rss, social media

Blogging for Sales

May 19, 2010 by Pamela Leave a Comment

My Panera Lunch - It's just an image to break up lengthy text

Hosting a product or store-related blog not only inspires shopper interaction, but done right, it can help increase overall sales. There are some key strategies, though, and without them, you’re probably wasting a great deal of time.

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Filed Under: Ecommerce, Mistakes That Kill, Tips Tagged With: blogging, branding, Ecommerce, marketing

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