Here’s a synopsis of an excellent article by Jennifer Alsever that appeared in BNET, How to Get Your Customers to Solve Problems for You:
Crowdsourcing is a technique that sophisticated companies use to translate the enthusiasm of their most highly-engaged customers into valuable marketing, branding, or product-development insight. You can do it, too. Use these techniques to harness the intelligence of customers that love your business, talk about your business, and better yet, will do free work for your business in today’s increasingly democratic, user-generated, social-networked, marketplace.
Step 1 – Decide If You Really Care What Your Customers ThinkCrowdsourcing isn’t for everyone, so make sure you have the fortitude required to make the effort pay off. Humility, a thick skin, and a receptive management culture are key prerequisites. “Be prepared to see and hear some things you might not want to. The people who participate may really like your business or your product, but the way they articulate it may be very different than what you’d do yourself,” says Chris Arnold of Chipotle Mexican Grill.
Step 2 – Learn Who Loves You (and Who Hates You)
Your customers can do a lot for you, if you first take the time to listen to what they have to say. Cull your call center and feedback databases to identify outspoken consumers who have a history of repeated interaction with your firm—be it positive or negative. You can also introduce yourself on forums dedicated to your company, your industry, your product category, or your customer segment. Be humble and be transparent. If you work for Acme Widget, then register as “AcmeWidgetRep,” explain your role within the company, and make it very clear that your goal is to solicit input from people who use your product.
Step 3 – Make Engaged Customers Feel Special
People will do many things for a business for free, simply because they think it’s fun. Products and companies can become hobbies unto themselves, and many consumers will derive satisfaction from feeling like an insider at a company they’re passionate about. In return, you should give them recognition, exclusive perks, the opportunity to interact with senior company managers, or free products.
Step 4 – Bring Customers Inside the Tent
The world is full of smart people, and if you plan it right, your customers can become a valuable talent resource, much like consultants, contractors, and outsourced partners. In return, however, you must take their suggestions seriously, which may mean sharing information about product or marketing plans that you normally keep locked away.
Don’t expect to control them; just let them be creative and be themselves. It’s fine to lay out ground rules about how much control you’re willing to cede, how much information you’re willing to share, and what will happen to the work participants create. When soliciting creative input, for example, it’s reasonable to maintain exclusive rights to video distribution or advertising submissions—just in case a customer generates an offensive ad on your behalf. For trade secrets, invite a small number of VIP customers to work more closely with you, and be sure they all sign non-disclosure agreements with their real names and addresses. The important thing, however, is to think differently about the way you structure and manage your operations to ensure that your crowdsourcing initiative can realize its full potential.
For much more on this topic, check out the complete source article.
