Really Simple Syndication is a means with which to broadcast feeds (alternatively call streams, webfeeds, channels, etc.) to the general public. These feeds provide content, and/or brief summaries with associated metadata, to the end-user with links back to the full or expanded content. The end-user will have a reader or aggregator to subscribe to a feed as well as review the content. This could be as simple as their web-browser or a dedicated application for RSS media.

Over the years there have been other forms of syndication, but none ever achieved a fraction of the success that RSS has obtained thus far. With the variety of rich media (blogs, podcast, photocast, vodcast, etc.) that can now utilize an RSS feed, its popularity will only increase as will the opportunity to expand your brand with these new technologies..

Blogs were the first popular form of communication to leverage the benefits of an RSS feed. News providers and journalists began using this means to publish their material. The benefit of this method was once the reader discovered the feeds they could subscribe to them and keep track using one of the news readers. It alleviated the need to fire up the browser and surf multiple sites to obtain the information that was of interest. RSS feeds allowed the user to subscribe to an unlimited number of feeds and read them all in one location effortlessly.

Another advantage to this direct-to-consumer communication was the ability to have a means to hear back from the reader. Blogs, by their very nature have a conversational feel to them; they are the first statements in a conversation with the ability for the reader to comment in real-time. This two-way dialogue provides the consumer a way to receive the information/message while also providing valuable feedback with an immediacy that can create a dynamic forum of ideas, opinions and insight.

Blogs are a great way to inform, educate and entertain the public. It is a quick, effective and easy way to keep your customers up-to-date with your company by centralizing the latest news, your press releases, and even deals. There is a low overhead for implementation while providing an effective means to keep your brand in front of your consumers.

The next step in the evolution of RSS media was the podcast, driven in large part by Adam Curry; former MTV v-jay and technologist. A podcast is a audio broadcast that uses the same means of syndication to deliver its content. The benefit of the podcast was the ability to sync these broadcasts to your iPod and listen to them on your schedule. For example, I listen to ABC News' Nightline every morning at work rather than stay up and watch the show. I have also subscribed to other audio content that I sync to my iPod and listen to while traveling. Podcasts have allowed me to stay informed and entertained on my schedule.

Podcasts are a tremendous method to engage your consumer regardless of your business. From consultants offering advice to travel destinations providing sound-seeing tours of their properties, a podcast offers a more robust way to connect to your consumer. The ability for it to be taken on the road with their iPod is an added value for implementing this means of communication. As an example, a resort destination could compile a walking tour of the property a potential visitor could listen to before arriving in order to familiarize themselves with the area, or even base their decisions to actually book their travel.

More recently we see video content using this same distribution model with vodcasts. This allows your brand to presented in a familiar package of a television spot, full broadcast or long-form presentation. Like the podcast, these can be synced with an iPod and viewed at a later time while commuting, traveling or connected to a televisions.

These are probably the richest in content of all of the RSS media. You could develop a recurring show based on your core capabilities to engage an audience. Offering insight, information and ideas via a medium that is akin to television in the late 1930’s; wide-open opportunities. Leveraging the great qualities of storytelling combined with the familiarity of TV broadcasts and the immediacy of the internet offers unlimited potential to any business.

The production costs with all of these RSS media options increases the more rich the product becomes, although it can pale in comparison to broadcast production standards. The value provided back to any organization leveraging these technologies is unlimited. From multi-national corporations to non-profits and religious institutions, every organization can benefit from using RSS media in their marketing plans. If you would like to learn more about these services and how we can craft a personalized plan for your company, please contact me.

Tags: insight, software, web, programming