The world of marketing says: It’s not your business, if the customer doesn’t use your product/service. Your job is to attract, and to get them to buy. You can’t control what the customer does. I disagree. I’m saying it’s your business to get customers to consume. If not all your information/services, at least a chunky bit.
Do you agree? Or disagree?
Is it your duty to get customers to consume?
What would be the problems? And the benefits? Why would you even bother getting customers to consume?
9 responses so far ↓
1 Chris Garrett // Apr 20, 2007 at 7:52 am
I would say you can’t force consumption, and if you try too hard then it could cause resentment, but you definitely should encourage it.
Give you an example. I bought a PPC course. I tend to get around to reading stuff on the weekend, I made the mistake buying it monday. Guess what? Daily nagging emails. Sure way to get me to cancel and get a refund.
I didn’t buy a mom or a boss, I bought courseware!
2 Sean D'Souza // Apr 20, 2007 at 9:36 am
Hey, we’re talking consumption. Nagging? That’s not really consumption, is it? I mean, think about it: What encourages consumption?
Curiosity? Something you read on Page 65 (like the Brain Audit). Or a better education of what you’re about to ‘consume’. Reminders are part of that consumption, yeah, but nagging….nope.
Everyone tum-tums to a different beat. You can’t force consumption, but you sure can make it move really smooth.
And you’re right. Mom/Boss is out. And there’s always such a thing as being a pest.
3 Ray Drossaert // Apr 22, 2007 at 4:34 pm
I think it is your business to at least encourage them to consume if only for two reasons:
- repeat business
- feedback
Your customers won’t come back for more if they haven’t tried it in the first place. And if your encouraging to consume fails, at least you have established a channel to get feedback on why they didn’t consume in the first place.
Of course it also depends on what you’re selling
4 Barry Morris // Apr 22, 2007 at 7:25 pm
This topic has been on my mind. I know that I feel an obligation to help my customers get the most out of my book. I relaize that the post-conversion support processes should’ve been a larger part of the product creation strategy.
It’s one thing to convert, but true consumption, like consuming a fine meal, always leaves the customer with a good feeling and the desire to return.
5 Sean D'Souza // Apr 23, 2007 at 2:59 pm
I’m not sure it depends on what you’re selling, Ray. I’m pretty darned sure, that every product or service can encourage consumption.
6 Sean D'Souza // Apr 23, 2007 at 3:00 pm
Barry: Yes, there’s an obligation, but all fine things take time. The core is creating a sequence to begin with. And then over time, add to that post-purchase sequence.
7 Ray Drossaert // Apr 27, 2007 at 5:39 pm
@Sean: You’re right of course, but I was thinking about people that buy something not in order to use/consume/enjoy it but to brag about owning it (or reduce their anxiety of not having it). Think ‘teens’ for example. Then again, that could be called consumption as well…
8 Sean D'Souza // Apr 30, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Even something that’s ‘brag-driven’ is consumed. So when you buy a fancy car, product etc., you’re more likely to consume it. In fact, that’s probably a factor we haven’t looked into.
Namely that ‘the brag factor’ actually increases consumption. Because what’s the point of buying something to brag, and then not using it?
So yes, maybe we need to look at how to ‘increase brag factor’ as well.
9 Ray Drossaert // May 1, 2007 at 6:12 pm
The ‘brag factor’ does indeed increase consumption, but in my reference to teens I was thinking more of the ‘insecurity factor’. A few years back, one of our girls “had to have” a rather expensive pair of trousers. Nagged about it for weeks. Once we finally bought it, she *never* wore it. Not once. Those who brag about it consume, the insecure don’t it seems.
Sadly, this is a rather big factor in ‘teen marketing’, and some companies target this insecurity.
Leave a Comment