Time for the Internet Marketing Industry to Get Its Act Together
I'm not talking about product content, by the way. I may not find something of use but maybe you will. If I don't think a product merits the purchase, I'll just ask for a refund.
I'm talking about an industry where cash is king and the customer is too often a distant second.
Here are examples I have experienced from different marketers, some of whom are "IM gurus", over the past 2 months:
#1 - I spent a four figure sum by a 'leading marketer' on a product with online and offline content. The offline content - a big, heavy box - was sent to my billing address, not my shipping address. Caused by a problem with the Marketer's fulfillment system. The product is sitting 3,500 miles away in another country at a house I won't be visiting for another 4 months. No resolution yet.
#2 - Signed up for an IM membership upsell. *Zero* content until almost a month after launch (and billing)!
#3 - Membership cancel request ignored repeatedly; at the same time the marketer continues to send regular JV mails out.
#4 - High end (read: expensive) product member areas (eg forums & member-only blog posts) are abandonded by the marketer a few months after launch as he moves onto next product. (He continues to sell the product).
#5 - Products designed to make marketer's life easiest, not the customer. Example: videos only available for viewing online, no download option.
Each of the marketers above are known on these forums.
Have I had good experiences in the same time period - absolutely. I've gotten some *great* products with great support.
But it's still too hit and miss. Too many product launches and products where the customer experience *post-purchase* is not the primary concern.
I'm not down on Internet Marketing. Far from it. There are great marketers with great products out there. But this is a rallying cry. There is much room for improvement when it comes to how we think about the customer.
The next time we launch a product, let's over-deliver.
"It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled. -- Mark Twain