Contrary to general opinion, RSS meets needs of even most demanding direct marketer, actually providing most of what e-mail marketing does, except for strong push factor.

Most direct marketing reasons against RSS are in fact result of inadequate understanding of RSS by most marketers.

a] Scheduled and autoresponder messages

There are already a few services and software packages on market that allow for scheduled and autoresponder messages via RSS feeds. Once your visitor subscribes to your special RSS feed, he can receive a pre-determined set of messages in a specific time frame, determined by you. Use these messages to welcome your new reader to your RSS feed; thank your new customer after purchase, send him additional information about ordered product and give him opportunity to buy an additional product at a lower price tag a couple of days later, and so on.

b] RSS metrics

RSS can in fact be tracked: track anything from number of your subscribers, their reading habits, their reading frequency to your click-through rates and activities after clicking-through from your feed. This includes tracking which of your RSS feeds are performing better, are more interesting to your readers and drive more sales ... and same for individual content items.

c] Message targeting

Though it’s wonderful to get all those hits to your e-commerce web site, hits don’t mean much unless you convert them into sales. This is especially true if you are paying for, and not converting, clicks.

If your website is suffering from “Conversion Rate Blues”, consider following steps for improving sales and ultimately, profits:

1. Make sure your website is optimized to attract people with highest potential to buy

When I first designed my log furniture website, Log Cabin Rustics, I unwittingly targeted an audience that wasn’t perfect one for my site. As things turned out, I didn’t even rank for my two top key phrases, log furniture and log beds, in search engines. I managed to get pretty high on scale, however, for log cabin related searches.

People who build log cabins are a target market of mine, since many of them eventually purchase log furniture to go with their home. The most likely immediate customers, however, are those who actually searched for term “log furniture” rather than “log cabin”. When I re-optimized my site for search terms I thought would bring highest conversion rate, visitors to my site were more likely to buy because my site was selling what they were searching for. My efforts paid off, when my conversion rate (and sales) doubled in month or two following my changes.

2. Add a personal, trustworthy touch to your site

I don’t personally care to have my picture posted on front of my website, although many people do. I do have my name prominently on site, together with information about why I sell log furniture and my business background as a CPA. I have found that a personal touch goes a long way towards selling log furniture. Many of my customers spend $2,000, $3,000 or even $4,000 on their log furniture order, and some of them have waited years to get furniture they want.

They didn’t find what they wanted in their local area (they must not have many white cedar trees in Texas), but they found it on my site. There’s just one problem, however. They wish they could touch furniture, slide drawers in and out, look for drips in finish, and generally evaluate quality before drop that kind of money. I have had people drive 4-6 hours to visit my store on more than one occasion for that very reason, and frankly, I don’t blame them. I’m pretty picky about my furniture too.

This is where I can help my customers. I use primarily local suppliers, and finished furniture that I sell is finished right in our building. I can and do inspect much of furniture before it goes out. Our finishing department does a pretty good job, but if I see something I don’t like, I have them sand it down and get it right.

Some people I sell furniture to place their order online or with one phone call, but many of them talk to me several times before they place their order. They start to feel like they know me, and I start to feel like they are my friends. The last thing I want to do is ship a suite of log furniture from Michigan to Caifornia and have it come back because customer isn’t happy. And I don’t want to let down my friends. When customers understand this, they trust me to deliver what my site promises, and that translates into sales.

There are many ways you can build trust in your website. When I realized my conversion rate was not what it could or should be, I went out and researched topic on web. By reading a number of SEO articles on topic, I came up with a checklist of things to do on my site. My list included:

• giving name and contact information for owner of site • telling a personal history of business • showing pictures of your factory, office, semi-truck or anything else that makes your business real. If possible, give an online office or factory tour. • getting a secure security certificate and posting it on your site, and • posting a privacy policy, warranty information, and product testimonials

3. Include a detailed FAQ on your site