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Some points it notes: · 71 percent of US online advertisers used email marketing in 2004, while 77 percent using paid search. · Despite spam and email overload 45 percent see email as a good way for companies to stay in touch with customers. · Customer retention and increased loyalty is
main objective for email marketing among 63 percent of surveyed marketers · 62 percent also see email as a way to acquire new customers. · Email volume in US is expected to rise from over 2 trillion message this year to nearly 2.7 trillion by 2007.
Even though both email spam and email delivery are on rise, end-users are getting used to spam and it's bothering them less than it used to.
The Marketing Sherpa report also notes that 91% of US Internet users use email on a regular basis, while roughly 4% use RSS feeds on any sort of basis at all.
It suggests that publishers do test RSS, but recommends that they not treat RSS as “shovelware for email content” because it is a new medium.
Other disadvantages it notes for RSS publishers is challenge of metrics.
“No deliverability, open rates, hard vs soft bounces. No a/b tests, no usability tests, no offer tests, no recency/frequency tests, and multivariable testing…"
"The kind of data that marketers and publishers rely on to make business, content, and marketing decisions for email campaigns is almost entirely lacking for RSS at this time,” says report.
So if you’re wondering what you should publish - a blog or an email newsletter - I suggest you do both.
Or at least publish a blog with email notification built in. Remember, your list is still your most valuable asset online.
Keep either Email or RSS out of your marketing toolbox and you’re losing out on a significant portion of your audience.
RSS has other advantages that email does not have - like being able to syndicate your content across web. It can be a very useful tool for building link popularity - if you do it right.
As a marketer you do need to start brushing up on your knowledge of RSS and a good place to start is here. http://ebizwhiz-publishing.com/rss-blogging.htm
Priya Shah is the CEO of eBrand360. She writes the Marketing Slave blog and publishes an internet marketing newsletter.
