Building a Brand? Join the Crowd!
Posted on 30. Jul, 2010 by Matthew Toren in Business, Entrepreneurship, Internet
Most start-ups and entrepreneurs will by now have heard of “Crowdsourcing.” It is the Web 2.0 phenomenon that sounds almost too good to be true. It’s a simple way to find hundreds, even thousands of contractors who are on hand, ready and willing to work for your company. Crowdsourcing typically involves outsourcing a range of small task to a large, undefined group of anonymous workers.
Both new and established businesses have been taking advantage of having an entire crowd of employees at their disposal, for a fraction of the cost of hiring just a few. Crowdsourcing provides a pool of workers who are willing to help companies with, for example, their marketing, social networking and branding.
Why Everyone is Crowdsourcing
Start-ups and established businesses alike are using crowdsourcing as a quick and effective way to establish their company’s brand, and companies are really starting to see the value in treating potential customers as contractors and vice-versa. Crowdsourcing allows companies to let customers design and shape the brand which the company will become. In a sort of “casting call” move, companies can open their doors and put their contracts out for anyone to claim and complete. The advantage of this is that companies find and hook their customers right from the start, by letting them have creative input from the get go. In this regard, Crowdsourcing is a true product of Web 2.0.
Benefit from a Pool of Creativity
There’s good reason small businesses are choosing to crowdsource their projects, rather than simply outsourcing them or submitting them to a bidding site. With traditional outsourcing services, ultimately, there will only be one person doing the work. That means only one set of ideas, one mind, one source of creativity. There are numerous sites such as Amazon Mturk, Cloudcrowd, crowdSPRING and 99Designs, all of which allow companies to submit various types of projects. The companies then get to choose between a range of finished products, not simply a variety of bids.
One of the biggest advantages to using crowdsourcing is that companies benefit from the work and creativity of many for the price of one. Even if, ultimately, only one project or design is chosen. Sites such as 99designs and crowdSPRING allow start-ups and entrepreneurs to post design projects for members to complete on. Once the competition time is up, the buyer gets to choose the logo or design he or she likes best. This kind of competition means that there are always plenty of quality designs to choose from, so crowdsourcing is a great way for buyers to take advantage of an entire pool of creativity, inspired by competition.
Try it Before You Buy it.
Before purchasing anything of value, you always like to sample it before you turn over your hard earned cash, right? So why would something as important as your company’s brand be any different?
With crowdsourcing, you can decide on exactly what you want done, and then harness the creativity of an entire crowd to get it done right. You can name exactly what you want and how you want it done, and then sit back while a bunch of eager people get to work on it. Rather than having to choose and commit to one designer, you can cut straight to the chase and choose from the actual designs.
Most Importantly
A lot of entrepreneurs and start ups are operating on a tight budget. Crowdsourcing offers an economic solution to getting a brand out there quickly and effectively. It is a fantastic way to get a business on the map, by quickly contracting out work such as logos, banners and article writing. It is also a great way to find an entire pool of talented people willing to perform tasks for your company, and it gives designers a chance to complete in a global creative environment and to get their work recognized.
So if you’re looking for a little help with your branding, consider crowdsourcing as a resource to get it done right – for less. Have you used crowdsourcing for branding or another part of your business? Tell us about it in the comments!
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19 Responses to “Building a Brand? Join the Crowd!”
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CJ - AffiliateGroundz.com
30. Jul, 2010
Great stuff man,
I know that a good looking logo can make the difference between whether a site looks professional or looks amateur and that perception is definitely passed on to your crowd.
Getting a professional logo designed is definitely something you don’t want to skimp out on. Because the worst thing you want to do is build a bad name for your brand.
CJ
Credit Girl
30. Jul, 2010
Wow, that’s pretty cool! I’d never heard of this. Will definitely have to look into it though. It seems like it could be a really great way to network, too, though.
Jake Adams
30. Jul, 2010
What a cool resource for anyone in new product development. A great alternative to paying some marketing firm thousands to create your identity. Thanks.
JohnAtBlogtrepreneur
30. Jul, 2010
I agree with all of the above. This is a great resource for small business. Although more and more big businesses are using it to. Which gives the concept even more credibility.
cleaning services
01. Aug, 2010
This is a fantastic concept. I will have to look into it further nd see how I can apply it to any of the sites i work on.
Thanks
Andrew @ Blogging Guide
01. Aug, 2010
I’ve done outsourcing but not crowdsourcing. What will happen to those not chosen, will they not get paid?
Uzi Nutt
02. Aug, 2010
I have some experience with Seo crowd-sourcing. There is a little problem that their approach to the problem is generic. But sometime you know about your business more than them.
Bidet
02. Aug, 2010
Wow this looks like a great idea, I never heard of it before but it looks like a cheap way to increase brand visibility, thanks for sharing this.
JohnAtBlogtrepreneur
02. Aug, 2010
@Andrew: Yes, that’s the way it works. Only the ‘winner’ gets paid anything. The beauty of that is only the best are rewarded, and others are able to hone their skills on their way to a payday.
Escort Agency London
03. Aug, 2010
@Credit Girl – I will join your advocacy with this. May I?
Computer Tips Tricks
03. Aug, 2010
This is a fantastic idea and concept. I’m especially agree with you that most entrepreneurs start up with tight budget, but yet I believe they can be good with Crowdsourcing.
Tej Kohli
04. Aug, 2010
Yeah that be true that IF you success to make a good Brand than you will success in market
Carlton
05. Aug, 2010
Crowd sourcing is really a cheap and effective way of getting things done.
Laptop Briefcases
05. Aug, 2010
I’ve heard of crowdsourcing before but I was skeptical. It seems that when you are hiring anonymous people there is a greater chance they will not deliver good work. That is fine if you are crowdsourcing design. If you are instead crowdsourcing link building or some other SEO activity, I would be worried about people being too spammy or producing ineffective links.
Promotional Codes
06. Aug, 2010
I haven’t tried crowdsourcing yet but it will definitely help small business owners in this economic crunch. Overall, it’s a great concept or we can call it “competitor of outsourcing”. It’s not only an inexpensive way to increase brand’s visibility but it’s also a great way to create a network.
car battery
07. Aug, 2010
Crowdsourcing definitely has the edge over outsourcing, mainly because it makes them more involved in your business. But like mentioned above, it’s best to keep it away from the activities that are best done yourself or by really trustworthy people you know.
Harshit Singhal
07. Aug, 2010
Crowdsourcing is a ogod way of having your things done & is definitely better than outsourcing
PS3
08. Aug, 2010
Never heard of crowdsourcing before, i might just have tot take a look at it!
I suppose for SEO you wouldn’t want them to do link building in case they get spammy links and make your brand look spammy.
Matt Smit
10. Aug, 2010
As a graphic designer, I know first hand that people that participate in crowed sourcing are either not skilled and/or trying to get some work for their portfolio. A good design or branding solution requires extensive research and dedication and any self-respecting creative entrepreneur would not engage in a project with only a chance to win the bid. The end result of such pro-bono work is a lower quality solution and none of the creative collaboration that can happen when you work with a dedicated creative professional.