I believe it is more possible for SaaS than for Target. Depending on LTV, again. If it is B2B, getting that one unhappy customer may mean thousands of dollars for 5 minutes of work.
Target may get thousands of dollars per visitor too, but their margins, I suspect, rather lower than those of SaaS.
Agree. But what if I collect handles of those unhappy on Twitter, and then advertise to them only? Is it still moral or already not? Where is the line between DM and a targeted ad?
(Yes, I remember: âif you have to ask, it is notâ, but it is a rather ivory-tower approach IMHO)
P.S. Iâm listening to the Pre-suasion (new book from the author of Influence), and one of his statements is âwhatever is in focus gets unfair amount of importance in a consumer eyesâ, i.e. if a buyer sees Audi banner from the Chrysler showroom, it very effectively reduces the chances heâll buy Chrysler, because the focus shifted from Chrysler benefits to Audi. I bet Chrysler sales folks were furious.
Here was this guy who is making a Twitter search app, @Find_70. He could do a Hate Search for vendors wanting to target the customers unhappy with the competitorâs products.
This is an example of what Iâm talking about
Someone was having problems with a competitor. I donât see why you wouldnât take a few seconds to respond if you see that as a saas owner. Thatâs 30 seconds well spent in my mind, more cost effective than many other ad options.
Was your original note. A generic cry out into the ether as in your article is different from a customer support thread between a company and a customer.
In any event, keep at it if you think itâs working. I donât think itâs scalable or a very effective use of time. Even if you work around the less sleazy edges you need to contact too many people that way at SaaS prices to make it work.
The wording may not have been right but that was the idea I was getting at. It may not be scalable but when you are small with limited resources (ie bootstrapped) I think it can help acquire customers without being shady.
I learned in life a guarantee is only as good as the person or company making the guarantee.
Sorry to hear you got scammed.
Speaking of twitter marketing - hate when companies plug their sht into a conference hashtag⌠"Hey, #[conference] gang! Tons of valuable tweets, thanks. Bet youâd be interested in [sht] "
Argh!! 
I think itâs difficult to compare marketing campaigns of things like big box stores with a SaaS. Theyâre apples and oranges. There is a new normal with advertising now that we have social media and other tools. The mechanism for delivering the product is also different.
I think the content of your approach may be a determining factor in sleaziness. Wording matters, timing matters. You can reach out to disgruntled potential customers without being a sleazebag about it.
The Target/Wal-Mart comparison isnât very useful. Itâs a completely different business model that has existed for the better part of a century. The reason you donât see Target reps in front of Wal-Mart has more to do with:
A better comparison is public advertising in the form of billboards, TV spots, things like that. And brands have been calling each otherâs customers on those mediums for a long time.
Actually the 3 of the 4 reasons you list are exactly the reasons I donât think you should do it: