I was reading a press release on PRWeb that asked the interesting question that titles this blog entry. So, is RSS the replacement for email marketing? The press release answered the following:
As of now, marketers need to find ways of using RSS as a
supplement to e-mail delivery, such as using it to announce their
e-mail e-zines, providing targeted news feeds as a compliment to their
e-mail communications, using RSS for high-importance customer updates
and so on. RSS, a
standard that allows companies to communicate directly with their
customers without fear of spam or e-mail filters, is quickly gaining
popularity.
This comes as no surprise, since RSS can be implemented at a low cost
and can be used for various business purposes, such as PR, direct
marketing, online publishing, customer relationship management,
e-commerce, search engine optimization and sales facilitation.
However, many recent studies show that RSS is still only achieving
marginal penetration and has a long way to go before companies can
completely shift outbound communications to this content delivery
channel.
A recent Jupiter Research study found that only 3 percent of the 4,000
internet users surveyed actually use RSS. A research study from
Forrester Research claims that only 2 percent of all online households
in America are using RSS. A Pew Internet & American Life Project
report notes that only 9 percent of Americans online have a good idea
of what RSS feeds are.
The press release brings up some interesting points. I would answer Yes, Yes and Yes.
Yes RSS will replace many campaigns that have previously been conducted by email. Yes RSS will be utilized more and more by Marketers to get their messages out to key clients and prospects. And yes RSS will only gain in its adoption by the general public.
Keep your eye on RSS. As fast as it is changing the way things are done if you don't follow it you may miss an opportunity.
