Email v RSS, let us move on...
Since my earlier post on RSS in relation to email marketing, I've come across many related articles...I thought I'd point to some of these...bottom line is that Email as a sales driver has had dramatic success over the years...the debate should move away from RSS v Email and move to how RSS can become part of the marketing mix.
Email v RSS, Email Marketer v Customer Matrix (updated 25 May 2004)
Perspective |
Email Positive |
Email Negative |
RSS Positive |
RSS Negative |
General |
Email Marketer |
Email is trackable (open rates, CTR, etc) down to individual level – ROI is easily understood, mature channel with industry standard metrics Email content can be highly targeted Email can be highly cost effective Email can be highly designed / branded / rich content (if HTML version) Viral (marketing) effects well known
Email can be to easy to forward
Widespread use and knowldge of email (products) |
Once opted out, contact is suppressed / not contactable Opt out rates are on the up (normally due to irrelevant communications) Email blocking / filtering out is increasing Regulation tightening up on opt out / opt in – governance and compliance is becoming harder - risk of legal action by customers Important/critical content / messages can get lost/blocked in fog of spam Spoof emails creating environment of confusion / distrust about email Total number of emails being sent is not sustainable (i.e. number of emails sent out per year as a ratio to the number of recipients and numbers of emails received) |
RSS provision is fully and automatically opt in – zero opt in / opt out governance and compliance overhead – zero risk of legal action by customers RSS content (through topic channels) has the potential to deliver highly relevant content to subscribers RSS is able to deliver designed / branded / rich content RSS does not get blocked / filtered out so that important/critical content is sure to be ‘delivered’. Not just email-type content can be provided by RSS RSS content can be accessed through many devices RSS awareness by software developers is increasing, more RSS integration and ease of use) Strong evidence of ‘viral’ (marketing) effects RSS aggregation becoming common portal feature |
RSS is not intrusive, customers are in control (although marketers should see this as a positive) RSS is trackable, but there are no industry standard metrics yet Customer does not expect to provide any data in exchange for ability to subscribe to RSS (this will change – early websites were free-to-view, many are now require registration) Little evidence to show RSS feeds drive sales, but early signs are good RSS reader is one more application to download and one more user interface to learn |
Marketers (should) recognise, enable and honour customer preferences - medium (email, web, RSS, DM, IM, etc), frequency, content relevancy If marketers really want data (and/or money) from customers through the provision of RSS content then marketers need to provide a proposition compelling / valuable enough for customers to do so Marketers have opportunity to innovate in provision of personalised single RSS feed Marketers should consider providing an RSS option on current emails RSS tracking metrics need to be defined by marketing industry (so marketers can clearly compare & contrast against standard email metrics) Email as a sales driver has had dramatic success over the years...the debate should move away from RSS v Email and move to how RSS can compliment email marketing. Email is here and ain’t going away, at least in the short-to-medium term) |
Customer |
Once opted out, not bothered again (theoretically) Email content can be highly relevant Emails can be blocked to some degree Increased power to customers to report spammers though increased regulation of opt out / opt in laws
Email can be to easy to forward
Email can be easy to add/edit/delete then forward
Email can be highly designed / branded / rich content (if HTML version)
Email can be filtered, sorted, and archived |
Email is intrusive – that is why opt out rates (for irrelevant communications) is on the up Email is trackable (open rates, CTR, etc) down to individual level – potential privacy concerns Email inbox content is mostly highly irrelevant Email subscription often requires the provision of additional PII data Important/critical can get lost/blocked in fog of spam Spoof emails creating environment of confusion / distrust about email Number of emails is increasing – not enough time (nor inclination) to open and read all Email address obtained by marketer, and once given can never (or hard to) be retrieved |
RSS is not intrusive RSS subscriptions can be easily stopped RSS (through topic channels) gives easy access to highly relevant content , and lots of itRSS subscription process usually requires no provision of additional PII data (including email) RSS content can be designed / branded rich (although this may be seen as a negative) RSS channels can be managed, ensuring important/critical doesn’t get lost/blocked in fog of spam RSS is efficient - enables much larger amounts of content to be viewed from more sources RSS content can be accessed through many devices RSS content being provided by more and more ‘providers’ RSS content can be more trusted (e.g. harder to phish) RSS can be to easy to forward via email (standard feature in most readers) RSS can be easy to add/edit/delete then forward via email RSS can be filtered, sorted, and archived RSS integration and add-ins into existing products is increasing (e.g. Outlook) |
RSS is trackable – potential privacy concerns
RSS reader is one more application to download and one more user interface to learn |
Customers want choice of medium (email, web, RSS, DM, IM, etc), frequency, content relevancy Customers expect content for free, without providing data or money), but may be willing to do so if the proposition has real value |
Comments
Anonymous
May 22, 2004
The comment has been removedAnonymous
May 22, 2004
atmaspheric | endeavors » Email v. RSS in the Marketing MixAnonymous
May 22, 2004
TimYang.com ::: aka alotofblather.comAnonymous
May 23, 2004
Robert Scoble commentsAnonymous
May 23, 2004
Alex, this is the first explanation I've seen on Email vs. RSS where someone put it into an easily digestible format. Great work!Anonymous
May 23, 2004
The Shifted LibrarianAnonymous
May 23, 2004
another email negative:
The communications channel (ie. the customers email address) is in the hands of the marketer, not the customer, and once given can never be retrieved. Email address can then be passed on to "partners" and such, and eventually spammers.
RSS positive: no such dynamic is supported in the base architecture.Anonymous
May 23, 2004
There are several additional positives for email from the customers' perspective. For example:
) Easily forwarded to friends and colleagues.
) Easy to add comments to forwards.
) Easy to edit forwards to only include the info you want to show to your friend/colleague.
) Can get fullly formatted newsletter in a medium that you are checking every day anyway.
(There are several more, but these were some of the points to come out of our recent usability study of how users deal with email newsletters, see http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20040217.html )
A negative for RSS for most mainstream users:
*) One more application to download and one more user interface to learn.
For expert users, email has the additional advantage that it can be filtered, sorted, and archived, but most users don't know how to do any of this.Anonymous
May 23, 2004
With regards to Jakob comments:
RSS is integrated both via existing applications (Outlook) as well as through a web client. So no application to download or interface to learn. When my email bell goes off, it's email I need to respond to not another newsletter or spam. By the way, Bloglines allows me to forward, using email, an article I receive via RSS so how is that any different?
Fully formated email: Real Simple Shopping provides consumers with a personalized RSS feed of their favorite marketers email promotions. The fully formated marketer newsletter is available on the web site. The RSS feed provides a brief description of the promotion and in some cases the consumer can click directly to the marketer's site by-passing Real Simple Shopping.
Alex.. great stuff!Anonymous
May 23, 2004
Alex,
An inspired matrix, thanks for your insights (again!)Anonymous
May 24, 2004
http://weblogs.asp.net/alexbarn/archive/2004/05/22/139461.aspx...Anonymous
May 24, 2004
A wee little table showing the pluses and minuses both for marketers and for customers....Anonymous
May 24, 2004
Ya conté hace un par de días que a Bill Gates le gustan los blogs y la sindicación. Bitacoras.com enlazó ayer un par de reflexiones bastante interesantes al respecto. Una, de Antonio Ortiz en Error500: Microsoft sigue rondando los weblogs:Anonymous
May 24, 2004
I'm turning into a linkbot at the moment...Anonymous
May 24, 2004
Alex Barnett has a phenomenal chart tracking some of the benefits of RSS over email, but the key takeaways for...Anonymous
May 25, 2004
Thanks to all for the comments here...
Have updated the Email v RSS matrix today to incorporate Jacob Nielsen's </gulp>, Stuart Watson's and EricShceid's input. Thanks to Steve Rubel & Scobleizer for picking this up originally...(also had a request to have this chart included in a forthcoming book!)Anonymous
May 25, 2004
Hello,
I am wondering if you would be willing to allow me to publish your
brilliant RSS v. e-mail chart in my forthcoming book, News Feed Fun for
Information Maniacs (Tech Fun Books). It would be under a heading of
"have fun arguing with the marketing guys about e-mail vs. RSS." ;-)
A more or less current outline of the book is available at
http://www.wfzimmerman.com/article.php/20040415135336765.
Cordially,
W.F. ZimmermanAnonymous
May 25, 2004
W.F No problem at all!
Alex.Anonymous
May 26, 2004
A nice comparison of the marketing uses of Email v RSS. The title is deceptive, since the argument is that...Anonymous
May 26, 2004
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May 26, 2004
The comment has been removedAnonymous
May 27, 2004
That's true, however RSS can be as well. Basically, RSS and e-mail are only channels, the back-end is what makes content targetable, and the back-end usually doesn't care what channel content is delivered through.Anonymous
May 28, 2004
eBookit.org | digital scripta manent :: La tabella di Alex BarnettAnonymous
May 28, 2004
Comme un lecteur de Pourriel.ca le souligne aujourd'hui, il devient de plus en plus prilleux de communiquer par courriel avec un groupe de clients ou de partenaires. Que cela soit cause du ras-le-bol des utilisateurs ou des effets indsirs...Anonymous
May 28, 2004
Rok,
Agreed: See the RSS Positive columns in E-Mail Marketer and Customer perspective above:
"RSS content (through topic channels) has the potential to deliver highly relevant content to subscribers"
Alex.Anonymous
May 30, 2004
http://www.danavan.net/weblog/archives/email_v_rss_compendium.htmlAnonymous
May 30, 2004
lockergnome.com/rss/resources/Anonymous
May 30, 2004
joueb.com/news/576.shtmlAnonymous
June 01, 2004
website-analyst.co.il/lucdesk/lucdesk.htmlAnonymous
June 04, 2004
sippey.com/blogAnonymous
June 04, 2004
Alex Barnett??????E????RSS?????????????????????????????????????Anonymous
June 04, 2004
http://georgiasla.blogspot.comAnonymous
June 11, 2004
handakte.deAnonymous
June 15, 2004
davidtouvet.comAnonymous
June 15, 2004
http://blogism.org/mtblogAnonymous
June 15, 2004
edbrill.com/ebrillAnonymous
June 16, 2004
emailmarketingblog.deAnonymous
June 16, 2004
http://cydome.de/mpietroforteAnonymous
June 16, 2004
http://openinformation.org/blog/index.php?p=34Anonymous
June 18, 2004
http://www.ewerx.com/news/2004/06/webfeed_vs_newsletter/Anonymous
June 21, 2004
streamlinewebco.com/blog/_archives/2004/5/25/75766.htmlAnonymous
June 22, 2004
Alex Barnett hat einen hervorragenden Artikel in seinem Weblog verffentlicht. Eine detaillierte bersicht von RSS und eMail. Lesen:Email v RSS, let us move on......Anonymous
June 24, 2004
http://ideasiteforbusiness.com/emailshorts.cfmAnonymous
June 24, 2004
http://www.adverblog.com/archives/000877.htmAnonymous
June 24, 2004
http://www.mediafact.nl/weblog.php?id=C0_34_1Anonymous
June 26, 2004
http://remix.weblogs.us/archives/021974.htmlAnonymous
June 26, 2004
http://themobileplanet.com/blog/index.php?itemid=27Anonymous
July 03, 2004
http://wiki-thoughts.blogspot.com/2004/05/email-and-rss-compared.htmlAnonymous
July 11, 2004
RSS will ruleAnonymous
July 20, 2004
RSS readers are a wonderful thing. You can read as many blogs as you wish in the same program. I've been using NetNewsWire Lite for a few months now and keeping up to date has never been easier. I knowAnonymous
August 10, 2004
The comment has been removedAnonymous
September 07, 2004
Can RSS Save Email Marketing ... My opinion: most certainly, but its better done in tandem with email. Theres some things that just do better with a graphical layout format, and RSS is not very good at summarizing things just...Anonymous
October 14, 2004
Courtesy of Alex Barnett (an Online Customer Experience Manager at Microsoft, whatever one of those might be), here's a useful matrix comparison of email and RSS for direct marketing purposes, with links to relevant articles. He makes an interesting...Anonymous
November 30, 2004
Carnet de notes » Blog Archive » Newsletters versus RSS : mais qui va triompherAnonymous
December 03, 2004
From Paul Chaney at RMG: More on the RSS vs.Anonymous
December 15, 2004
Mais finallement comme le dit Alex Barnett sur son blog : passons d'une confrontation entre RSS et email, à une intégration du RSS dans le mix-marketing. Un lien à visiter absolument tant le tableau dressé est riche ! ...Anonymous
December 21, 2004
Back in May 2004, Alex Barnett posted a GREAT Email vs. RSS matrix on the pluses and minuses for content creators (publishers, marketers, enterprises) and end-users...Anonymous
December 22, 2004
A good comparison from inception to delivery IMHO - but then again - what do I know?:...Anonymous
January 20, 2005
Learning to apply a new technology is easier when it is presented in comparison to something you may already be familiar with...Anonymous
January 20, 2005
Pour bien comprendre la différence qu’il existe entre l’email et le RSS, on peut consulter le tableau comparatif d’Alex BARNETT expliquant les avantages et les inconvénients respectifs de l’utilisation l’email et des fils RSS pour communiquer avec ses clients. La majorité des points de son tableau renvoie sur des articles plus approfondis.Anonymous
January 20, 2005
if you follow this area. RSS has huge unrealized utility, no doubt. One won't replace the other, however.Anonymous
January 25, 2005
The comment has been removedAnonymous
March 06, 2005
Blogs and RSS are a cost-effective customer acquisition tool - soon to be an indispensable marketing strategy. But where do they fit into the marketing mix? I've listed below the more popular online lead generation techniques employed by marketers today....Anonymous
March 08, 2005
Excellent article by Bill Flitter on Pheedo's blog. I particularly like his point that blogs can be compared to white papers as a way to showcase your company's expertise. But blogs go a step further. He writes: "However, blogs allow for an ongoing conversation. They can be updated more frequently allowing you to contribute more information and further your position...Anonymous
April 04, 2005
M&A NEWS April Fool Actually Fools Apparently, Shawn Collins' stunt was able to fool... for at least a little while... a few people and earned blog entries from other notables like super-duper affiliate David Lewis. Notably, the folks at Abestweb were fooled fairly well... expressing confusion days later. Urchin AND Webtrends Acquired Overshadowed by the Allmighty Google, Webtrends is to be sold to private equity fund Francisco Partners for $94 million. Some of the more interesting analysis and commentary...Anonymous
April 27, 2005
M&A NEWS April Fool Actually Fools Apparently, Shawn Collins' stunt was able to fool... for at least a little while... a few people and earned blog entries from other notables like super-duper affiliate David Lewis. Notably, the folks at Abestweb were fooled fairly well... expressing confusion days later. Urchin AND Webtrends Acquired Overshadowed by the Allmighty Google, Webtrends is to be sold to private equity fund Francisco Partners for $94 million. Some of the more interesting analysis and commentary...Anonymous
June 01, 2005
Jacob Nielsen's written up a look-back article on the 10th anniversary of his widely read Alertbox column...Anonymous
June 03, 2005
A missing email positive (and associated RSS negative) is that content is customizable down to the individual. RSS is one size fits all. On filtering and sorting its important to note that emails can only be sorted as atomic units while RSS can be sorted on a feed item level, a positive for RSS.Anonymous
June 25, 2005
Seattle Times quotes&nbsp;Scott Gatz, the senior director for personalization products at Yahoo in reaction...Anonymous
November 02, 2005
Some propose that email and RSS should be combined into RSS email. Instead of simply using an email client to read RSS feeds, users would actually send and receive RSS messages.
An RSS email system would force each user to add every correspondent to a white-list. It would create a great deal of additional network traffic, stressing bandwidth.
And worse, RSS email would present serious archiving problems for organizations that are required to keep copies of all communications.
The full story is at <a href="http://www.emailbattles.com/archive/battles/email_aacjifjcfh_dg/">Email Battles</a>.Anonymous
February 04, 2006
This blog posting is great. Your views are very true. Everyone should start thinking as you are doing.
Andrea Jasperson
http://www.emailmarketing4unow.comAnonymous
March 26, 2006
PingBack from http://corpblog.shadowbox.com/2006/03/26/rss-vs-email/Anonymous
May 19, 2006
A subject of discussion among the early adopters. The debate is increasingly heated. The conservative faction insists the problems of spam and unnecessary email can be reduced through common sense; Ready for the rebirth of email? - Information World Review.Anonymous
May 31, 2006
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January 11, 2007
PingBack from http://www.costpernews.com/2007/01/11/social-media-will-save-email-marketing/Anonymous
July 12, 2007
PingBack from http://markiteer.wordpress.com/2007/07/12/email-andor-rss/Anonymous
August 08, 2007
Email v RSS, let us move on...Anonymous
September 04, 2007
PingBack from http://dmiracle.com/conversation/if-you-blog-do-you-need-an-e-newsletter/Anonymous
September 21, 2007
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