Get More Sales Series - RSS Feeds

Well, as promised a few weeks ago, we are going to discuss RSS feeds. These feeds allow you to track new information from specific sites, or to post your information from one site to another. Because your info is getting around on the web, it increases the keyword hits and your google/yahoo rankings, plus it brings that customer who may never have found your original site but found your RSS feed on another site. I will try to give you some more information on the "techy" stuff related to feeds and how they benefit you, but for now, let's get started on creating them.

First, just to get the hang of it... Let's place an RSS feed on your social network.

So, here it is broke down into simple steps-
1. Choose which social network you want to place your feeds on
2. Go to the social network site, go to my page, and then click on add apps under your avatar on the left column
3. In the search box for Applications- type RSS feeds
4. An RSS feed application will pop up, click on add to my page.
5. Once it is added it will direct you back to your page or allow you to add the settings or feeds directly from there. Either way, click settings/edit and several empty URL boxes should appear. This is where you will add your feeds. Keep this screen open.
6. Choose what feeds you want to add. Since this blog is for online sellers, lets add the feeds from one of your selling sites. I will use Artfire as an example, but all selling sites will have an RSS feeds icon somewhere on their page- if you can't find it, type RSS in the search box. It looks like:


7. As an example, go to my artfire page at http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=276101 Go to the RSS feeds icon in the left column and click it (orange and diagonal white striped box, see example above).
8. Once you click on the icon, it will take you to your google or yahoo page and ask you how you want to save it. On Google, you do not have to actually save it, just look up at the left hand corner and the feed will be highlighted there. You can right click, copy and then go to your social network RSS feeds and past it there. See the example of my Artfire feed at the following URL: http://www.google.com/ig/add?feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.artfire.com%2Frss%2Fstudio.php%3Fid%3D37556

You can add several feeds to your page, and set how many feeds you want displayed through the tools on the RSS feed application. Once you have set this up, click save. Your feeds will then be shown on your My page of your social network. You can move this RSS box by clicking and dragging it to a different spot on your My Page.

That is it. Now you have added RSS feeds to your My Page of your favorite social network. Your latest items added to your store will also be updated on your My Page of your social network site.



I would love to hear from anyone who has done this? Did it help your sales? Were the instructions easy to follow? Share your experience with us here.