I remember bringing up this topic recently while having a drink with some Internet marketing friends here in KL. If you feel strongly about this topic, do leave a comment.

Our conversation centered around buying software. We noticed a BIG difference between buying software from Internet marketing gurus, and buying software from developers.

Let’s take membership site software as an example. Depending on what it’s supposed to do, membership site software can be quite complex and intimidating to the non-tech user, especially newbies. So you can either buy the membership site software from an established developer like Amember or you can get a membership site from an Internet marketer, for example the Butterfly Marketing script.

Buying Software from Developers

By “developer” I mean a person or company (usually made of programmers) who develop a particular piece of software and sell it online. One thing I noticed is that their software tends to be very well coded, does what it’s supposed to do perfectly, and seldom crashes. Even if it does crash, there is usually a good deal of online support available.

However, the downside is that these developers seldom understand the complexities of online marketing and therefore do no develop the applications that users want. Amember for example, still does not have a OTO or One-Time-Offer plugin, and their affiliate program interface is pretty sad. Reporting functions are lame too.

But Amember does what it’s supposed to do – which is protect folders and files while accepting membership payments – extremely well. It’s also, in my opinion, pretty easy to use.

Buying Software from Internet Marketers

The Internet marketing group seems to understand online marketing much better, and develop their software with the purpose of making it easier for users to sell more products, get more members, train more affiliates and get more viral traffic.

However, most Internet marketers seem to operate from the hit-and-run business model – let me explain. When Mike Filsaime launched Butterfly Marketing, a vital part of his system was the membership site script. It was not the first to have features such as OTO, but it certainly did OTOs and upsells / downsells better than any other script.

After the initial launch and hype died down, it seems that Mike Filsaime had already moved on to other projects and any new development to the BFM script was abandoned. A great product no doubt, but the fact that it’s no longer being developed would mean that support becomes limited, and as a result it would not make sense trying to use the script in the long term unless you’re a programmer.

Anyone who’s tried to use the Butterfly Marketing script however would notice how disorganized the system is, and the lack or documentation and support. Also, a lack of a parallel community that supports to develop related applications and guides for the software.

The Verdict

Unfortunately as far as buying marketing software is concerned, it seems that you cannot have your cake and eat it too. If a developer makes a really good piece of software that has all the features I want plus more in the pipeline, I would prefer to be his customer.

I’ve been using Amember for over a year now and their support is always great. The only reason I may want to move away from them is if they do not have features that I really need.

Internet marketers who develop software do a good job as well, but it seems that their dedication and attention to keep on supporting their creation is simply not there. Although a few exceptions like John Delavera (Fantasos), Jonathan Leger (3 Way Links and Instant Article Wizard) and  Brad Calen (Keyword Elite and SEO Elite) have the best of both worlds, in reality most Internet marketers would eventually abandon their software in search of easier, faster money.

Your opinion?