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Common Mistakes | Article #32 : MARKETING BLUNDERS – PART 3

In this next article in our series of marketing blunders, we're going to discuss something that not a lot of people even think about. And yet, it is probably one of the biggest mistakes that Internet marketers can make. Believe it or not, we don't live in a vacuum. Our work, what we do, what we say, all affects those around us. This includes our web site, our advertisements, our forum participation, everything. So it absolutely amazes me when somebody puts up a site, puts out an ad, goes to a forum and doesn't do this one thing.

Ask for feedback.

I mean, think about it. You put up a site. Certainly you went through a lot of trouble to get that site up and running between hiring a programmer, a graphic artist and maybe even an SEO expert. Don't you think the least you'd want to do after you put up your site is also put up a suggestion box or at the very least a page where people can contact you with their suggestions? Don't you want to know if people even LIKE your site? Working in the dark like this is a great way of possibly going out of business.

What about when you put out an ad? Do you tell people to write to you with their opinions? Do you even put an ad tracking URL in the ad to see if people are even clicking on it? Do you have any idea how your ad campaigns are doing in terms of clickthru to sales?

I was once talking with a very successful businessman once. And I asked him in casual conversation how he became so successful so quickly. Know what he told me? He said he asked a lot of questions of his customers. He put out surveys, had suggestion boxes on his sites, posted his email just about everywhere he could with the little blurb, "Any questions, email me at..." He told me that you'd be surprised how your customers will actually tell you HOW to make your business successful by telling you what THEY want. It seemed so simple. The truth is, it works. That's why the Rich Jerk just used this tactic with his new book. He asked his subscribers to tell him what they wanted in his new product.

The point is, you can't work in a vacuum. The world around you is going to react to your site, your product, your personality. If you are deaf to these reactions, or worse, don't even ask for them, you are opening yourself up to potential disaster. Remember, whether you like it or not, the customer is always right. So if a majority of people write to you and tell you that your site looks like crap, guess what? It probably does. It's time to then make some changes. Hopefully they will tell you why it looks like crap so you know what to change. If not, ask them.

The only way to be successful with your business is to know what your customers want.

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