Marketers are constantly asking if RSS marketing works and if this can be proved.

It's time to take a look at some real-life RSS metrics from real-life marketers. These will show you what kind of results you can expect to see from RSS.

I first presented this data at Syndicate Conference in New York City, first conference entirely devoted to RSS.

To make a point, we’ll take a look at RSS metrics from 4 different viewpoints, each demonstrating one facet of RSS marketing and a different way of capturing RSS metrics. This data combined will give you answer of whether RSS marketing is for you, as an addition to e-mail marketing, or not.

1. CLICK-THROUGH RATES FROM RSS FEED TO SITE: THE RSS AGGREGATOR SIDE

RSS statistics should be most relevant when coming from actual RSS aggregators and their vendors, since these people can measure precisely how their users are actually using RSS.

Customer Reader [http://www.customreader.com], who just recently launched a desktop RSS aggregator, which marketers can brand for themselves and then distribute to their readers, supplied us with their latest data. This data is based on 3,500 users of their brandable RSS aggregator and on last [two weeks ago] 48 hours of their reader usage.

The most interesting piece of data is 23% average CTR (click-through rate) from feed to site within last 48 hours, which proves that RSS works in terms of getting readers from outbout message to site. RSS users are actually clicking on RSS content!

Now, what is “feed-to-side” CTR? It simply means that 23% of end-users that subscribe to various feeds, clicked at least once on one of content items in feeds they are subscribed to.

2. CLICK-THROUGH RATES FROM CONTENT ITEM TO SITE: THE RSS SOLUTION VENDOR SIDE

Considering different RSS metrics systems and fact that no marketing tool whatsoever can be measured 100% precisely from outside tracking service side, seeing stats from RSS solutions vendors is important as well.

Article Marketing Creates a Steady Flow of Fresh Content

Article writers, website owners, and site visitors all benefit through articles posted online. Simply put, author’s message gets broad exposure. Sites display their articles (some permanently), along with a link to their website. The ezine or website owner gets constantly updated content (site pages) without paying for it. That makes their website sticky - encouraging visitors to stick around. And readers get fresh, useful information on any topic imaginable.

Plenty is written to help authors write and submit their offerings (See extensive free how-to collected at http://www.promotewitharticles.com). Yet almost nothing tells website owners or editors best way to handle articles they use. Merely slapping a slew of articles onto your site won’t bump your search engine rankings and traffic much. Respect Whole Article Marketing Process

1. Respect Article Writers - Request permission before posting their article(s) - unless it’s from an article bank or permission was specifically granted - Include writer’s Sig (signature) file at end - Ask if that’s their current or preferred Sig - Create a live (clickable) link to author’s website - Notify authors when or where you’ve used their articles (article URL) - Build a relationship so they send their new ones

2. Respect Search Engines - Put each article on its own page, with focused keywords in headings (H1, H2, H3) and header title and tags - Cluster articles around specific topics - Frequently add new content related to your theme(s) - Provide internal links and a site map

3. Respect Your Website Visitors or Ezine Readers - Search for meaty information and organize your site so it’s easy to find - Steer clear of thinly-disguised sales letters - Don’t provide a home for crappy articles - reject poorly written ones - Repair broken links and remove out-of-date articles

Both Types of Website Visitors have Different Motivations