SpinSix Strategic - Marketing Design

Content syndication (in this case, Web-based) is a method for making the content on your Web site (such as news headlines, blog posts, video, or Podcasts) available to other Web sites or Internet users. Similarly, a data feed is simply a mechanism for making data available to other sites. For example, a product data feed could be used to share product information, such as product images, pricing, etc. to other sites. This allows them to always display the most up-to-date and accurate information with no human intervention on their part once the feed is set up.

For the Web site distributing the content or data, content syndication provides a way to gain exposure and, in the case of a partner or affiliate program, the ability to promote specific products and services and detailed data via other Web sites. For the Web site displaying your content feed, syndication enables them to provide content to their site's visitors that they do not have to produce or manage. In the case of affiliate programs, this provides Web sites the ability to earn revenue by promoting your products and services.

For individual users, syndicated content such as RSS feeds offer a way for them to access information published by you on an ongoing basis without having to supply you (the publisher or marketer) with their personal contact information (email address, mailing address, etc.). It also means that your information can be "pushed" to them passively, meaning they will see your content and consistently be reminded about you without their having to expend the effort or remember to visit your Web site. As such, content syndication is a powerful tool for engaging both prospective and current customers whom you might not otherwise be able to keep engaged.

Web feeds benefit publishers by letting them syndicate content automatically. The most common formats for reading syndicated content/data are RSS (which stands for "Really Simple Syndication") and Atom. However, some product data feeds are structured in a proprietary way, requiring customized integration.

SpinSix offers content strategy, development, and management for both RSS and Atom formats, as well as custom data feed development and integration for e-commerce sites and affiliate programs.

See Also:

Content Management System Integration, Copy writing, Dynamic/Personalized Content, Web Content Strategy and Development, Writing for Search Engine Visibility