What's in it for me?

This screen is part of a Web Feed Reference section for the Web Feed Generator. Please ask us if you cannot find the answer to your question.

Many people visit your Web site once and never return. Like a holiday romance, it's nice while it lasts but a poor return on your Internet investment. News feeds stretch your Web site out over time and help build a long term relationship with the people that use your site. This should build a greater depth of understanding of your products and services, and greater trust in your business.

The benefits you get from providing a news feed will depend on the nature of your Web site and how you promote the service. Rather than limit the scope of what can be done, it may help to compare news feeds with other forms of marketing communication, to give you an idea of the possibilities.

Direct mail

News feeds are like direct mail because end users opt-in to the service and periodically get promotional information from you. One key difference is that you do not have to manage an address list.

The opt-in nature of news feeds means that customers have an express interest in your site to start with, and close integration with the Web means that you can use your site to fully support the news feed.

Word of mouth

News feeds are like literal word of mouth recommendations or email networks amongst friends because of the incidental, privileged notification scheme and immediacy of the news format. Notification via a news feed means that your customers are the first to get the information and they are more likely to visit the Web site and tell other people about it.

Advertising

News feeds are like advertising because they can be used to present targetted information to customers that are already committed to you, and encourage them to visit your Web site. The text-only format of news feeds makes them similar to classified advertising, but integration with the Web means that promotions can be supported with graphical and multi-media presentations.

See our illustrated service overview and summary service benefits to get a better understanding of our service.

See also:

• What is a news feed?