Building a Brand? Join the Crowd!

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!

Viral Video Winner and New Contest Announcement!

One thing is for sure: If you’re going to be a successful entrepreneur, you’d have creative abilities.  Not that you have to be artistic.  Creativity comes in many forms.  Whether we’re devising new solutions to old problems, creating blog or marketing copy or designing more streamlined business processes, we entrepreneurs use creativity all the time.  Because we know that creativity is so important to entrepreneurship - and because we like to have a lot of fun, our other site, YoungEntrepreneur.com, recently ran a viral video contest.  After collecting a ton of video submissions from young entrepreneurs who we challenged to come up with a Young Entrepreneur-themed video with viral potential, we came up with a winner, to whom we awarded a $500 cash prize!

Here’s our winner!

What made this video a winner?  First of all, we think it’s hilarious!  Next, the editing is super creative, and the skit itself shows a lot of creativity.  The message in the video is actually pretty clever too.  As an entrepreneur, have you ever had to deal with someone who just didn’t get “the whole Internet thing” or how social media or other tools vital to your business worked?  We all have to some extent, even if it was a family member or friend asking when we’re going to “get a real job”!

Nick Scheidies and Josh Stevens of Next Level Ink are the two guys who put this video together.  These two personify what entrepreneurs are all about.  They’ve each founded and managed several ventures, and while still involved in other projects, they head up Next Level Ink, a Longmont, Colorado-based creative media agency, specializing in audio and video.  They’re passionate about taking each of their clients’ brands to the next level with unique, personalized, and professional media. And because they’re just getting on their feet, they’re able to do it for less.  Also, they are both self-taught when it comes to audio and video production.

Announcing a monthly Viral Video Contest!

Want to get in on the chance to win $500 cash?  We’re excited to announce that we’re kicking off an ongoing Viral Video Contest.  Each month we’ll sort through video entries to find a single winner who will win a $500 cash prize and some great exposure in an article like this one!  Here are the details:

- Create a video - Create a video with a young entrepreneur theme and upload it to YouTube.com.

- Include our logo - Include this image within your video.

-  Submit your entry - Use our contact form to submit your entry.  Just fill out all the fields, typing “Viral Video
Contest” in the Subject box, and a link to your video in the Message box.

-  Rules -

• Entry deadline is the last day of the month, with the first deadline occurring 8/31/2010.  Winner will be notified by the 15^th of the month following entry.
• We will accept one entry per contestant per month.  If you submit more than one video in a calendar month without prior approval, only the first entry will be considered.
• To be considered, your video must be young-entrepreneur-themed and must include the YoungEntrepreneur.com logo within the video.
• This contest is open to everyone, and the prize will be paid in US dollars via prepaid Visa debit card or PayPal at the winners choosing.
• It is acknowledged that judging is 100% subjective, and the decisions of the judges (us) are final.

So that’s all there is to it.  Start shooting, and get your first video to us by August 31, 2010.  You could have $500 in your hands and your business in front of thousands of readers shortly thereafter!

Social Media Marketing - Why It’s Not Enough

There’s little doubt social media marketing can be a valuable resource for both internet-based and brick and mortar businesses.  But it’s just as important to know what it can’t do for you as to know its benefits.  While you’ll see a lot of articles on this site and others touting the benefits of social media, the best strategy is to incorporate a mix of online marketing and traditional marketing techniques.  Rather than replacing all methods of traditional marketing, the two can work hand-in-hand to optimize your overall marketing strategy.  In case you’re not sure why you would want to use anything other social media marketing, here are 5 reasons to consider:

1. Not everyone uses social media - or even the Internet. Every time we post a story on this site or our YoungEntrepreneur.com site about Twitter or Facebook or any other social network, we invariably get comments from people saying they don’t use that network, they don’t like that network, or that they’ve been meaning to but haven’t started yet.  This is proof that not everyone is using social media.  Furthermore, there are still plenty of people who don’t have internet access at all, or just use it to check email.  If you’re a blogger, those people clearly aren’t your target audience, but if you have a more traditional product or service business model, you’ll alienate a lot of potential customers if you assume everyone is online and on the same networks you are.

2. Wider reach. When you spread your marketing between online and “legacy marketing” strategies, like print, radio, and TV, you reach a wider audience.  Again, assuming everyone is looking at the same medium is folly.  Billions of dollars are still being spent on non-internet campaigns, because they still work, as long as they’re approached right and well-targeted.

3. Consistency. People don’t typically schedule when they’re going to be on Twitter or the specific time each day when they’ll check their Facebook page.  On the other hand, people listen to the radio during drive time, and a great number of people read the paper or magazines and watch TV at specific times each day.  When you need to get your message in front of your audience at least seven times on average before they act on your marketing, traditional marketing helps make sure that happens.

4. People don’t like it when you sell on social media. As we pointed out in a recent post, and several comments confirmed, those who try to sell on social media too much turn off their audience.  On the other hand, we all expect to see ads in print publications, hear ads on the radio, and see commercials on TV.  No one expects these media to be ad-free, so they’re a great opportunity to be as salesy as you want without putting people off.

5. Traditional is tried and true. Twitter and Facebook are both wildly popular right now.  With hundreds of millions of people on social media, we can’t even imagine them going anywhere.  On the other hand, that’s what people thought about MySpace just a few years ago, and while it’s still around, few serious businesses are devising MySpace strategies today.  The point is: Social media is forever changing, and what we think is here to stay today is “so yesterday” tomorrow.  Traditional marketing has been around for decades, and it shows no signs of disappearing in the near future.  While newspapers have suffered great losses in recent years, magazine subscriptions are actually way up, and broadcast advertising is still fairly strong.  It’s also very measurable, so you know how many people you’re reaching with your message.

Again, we love social media marketing and the potential it brings.  In fact, there is no business that cannot benefit in some way from marketing through social media.  It’s just that social media isn’t the only basket you want to have your eggs in.  An approach that includes the best of all the marketing channels gives you a wider reach and the best results.

What kind of marketing are you using for your business?  What has worked, and what hasn’t? Share with the community in the comments!

5 Steps to Solo Brainstorming Success

When we think of brainstorming, it’s usually something we think about doing with at least one other person.  But there aren’t always other people around.  Or sometimes those around you aren’t the right people for brainstorming.  But as entrepreneurs, we sometimes need the spark that can be lit with a good brainstorming session, and we can’t wait for circumstance to be ideal.   We’re not talking rubbing sticks together kind of spark either.  You want a douse-it-with-gasoline-and-toss-a-flare-on-it kind of spark!  So how do you get the spark going on your own?  Here are some tips for fueling your creative thought processes, even without the help of a brainstorming partner:

1. Prepare to buckle down. You don’t want to have to stop and start unless absolutely necessary, so prepare for your brainstorming session.  Make sure you have notepads and pens (if you’re going to use them), snacks, something to drink, and reference materials, like a dictionary and thesaurus (of course, online versions are fine if you’ll be using your computer).  Also, if you don’t have it, consider getting More Words that Sell.  Even if you’re not brainstorming about marketing or sales, the lists in this book will get your creativity flowing.

2. Be a shut-in. Go somewhere quiet, where you won’t be disturbed.  Turn off the TV, the radio, your phone, and anything else that might distract you.  If you’re going to use your computer during your brainstorming, close out your email and any notification apps you have installed.  Also close any browser tabs that you won’t be using.  If you’re not used to that kind of solitude, it can be a little scary, but don’t worry.  It will do you good in more ways than one to get away from all the noise.

3. Write until your hand hurts. Ok, or type, but there’s something about writing that drives creativity.  Maybe it’s that you’re actually creating something tangible when you put ink on paper, or that it’s not as easy to erase.  In any case, what’s important is that you begin to create - whether on a notepad or your laptop.  You’re not going for anything concrete or perfect.  Just start writing.  Whatever comes to you, get it down.  You can go back later to sort and weed out.  One key is to ignore any voice in your head that might be telling you something is dumb, not worth writing down, or won’t work.  Remember, while absolute clarity on goals and objectives is important, this isn’t the time for that.  The idea is that one “dumb” idea might spark another brilliant one, and if you snuff out the spark of the dumb idea, the good one will never have a chance to grow.

4. Mind-map it. To really enhance your note-taking and idea flow, consider using a mind map.  If you haven’t used mind maps, do yourself a favor and look into it.  Mind maps are a very easy technique that will make a world of difference, whether during brainstorming, planning or any kind of note-taking.  Take a look at this video that does a good job of explaining mind mapping.

5. Wrap it all up. Once you feel like you’ve exhausted your brain, you should have a whole bunch of notes and ideas to go through.  Obviously brainstorming is only effective if you take something from it, so don’t delay in going back over everything.  While you might be mentally drained right away, set a time in the very near future to scour your notes and narrow down what you’ve put together into something useable.  If you used mind maps, this won’t be that difficult.  If you simply wrote notes, your goal is to pull out the useful information and put it into a form you can use to move forward.

Whether you’re trying to come up with business ideas, marketing plans, or content topics, you’ll be surprised at how much you’ll gain from these sessions.  And the great thing is that the more you do this, the easier it will be, and the more you’ll get out of it.  So, what are you waiting for?  Get to brainstorming now, even if you’re going it alone.

Flickr - The Best Kept Social Networking Secret?

Chances are good that when you think of social networks, you think of Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, and when you think of Flickr, you think photo sharing.  We recently posted an article on paid and free image sites, in which Flickr was included (with a few caveats) as a great source of free images.  And this is, for the most part, the extent to which entrepreneurs see Flickr as useful to their businesses.  After all, you can’t use Flickr for marketing, right?  Well, actually, you can.

First, think about the stats: Any site with over 40 million users, an Alexa rank of 32 (23 for U.S. traffic), and over 4 billion photos uploaded, is worth taking a closer look at.  If there is any way at all to tap into that kind of user base, it makes sense to do so.  The good news is that there is a way.

Because Flickr results are heavily indexed in search engines, often surpassing other non-image links, Flickr can be a powerful SEO tool.  However, Flickr is one of the least-utilized SEO tools around.  Part of the reason companies overlook this powerful resource is because of the time it takes to set up and maintain a photo-stream in such a way that optimizes SEO and social media results.  But again, if you can access the power of this tool, it’s worth the time.

Tagging, descriptions, and grouping of photos
For each photo you upload to Flickr, you can create custom tags and descriptions. These can include pretty much anything you want, so can be optimized to ensure your company’s photos are found in searches relating to your chosen keywords.  Descriptions can also link directly to your website.  You can create picture sets within your account as well, further optimizing search results and providing an additional opportunity for detailed descriptions with links.  Additionally, Flickr gives you the ability to geo-tag your content - an important feature for any business with physical locations.

Ongoing maintenance and optimization
An important part of optimizing your Flickr account, both within the Flickr community and for the search engines, is through activity in some of the thousands of Flickr groups.  Posting pictures in relevant groups is vital for proper optimization, so it’s a good idea to post your pictures in groups that will serve to enhance your position, such as industry-specific or product-specific groups.  Because pictures get buried quickly within groups, and (unless you have a pro account) a picture can only be in ten groups at once (and many groups have rules about how many pictures you can post in their group at any given time), ongoing maintenance should include moving your pictures on a regular basis for optimum exposure.  You’ll also want to monitor activity on individual pictures and adjust your efforts accordingly, ensuring search engines and Flickr users are easily finding your account.  Perhaps the most important part of Flickr though, is the potential for network building.  Flickr is, after all, a social network, so connecting with other users is critical to a successful Flickr campaign.  With this in mind, build a network of connections through “favoriting” others’ works, adding contacts, commenting within groups and individual photo-streams, and responding to comments on your account.

If you work it right, you can effectively be seen as an industry leader within the community, and that, more than just about anything, can have a dramatic effect on your business.  Of course this all might sound like a lot of work, but really, once your photos are uploaded, an hour a week or so should be plenty of time to devote to Flickr.  It’s not like Facebook and Twitter, where an account without a comment for a few days is seen as dormant.  In any case, it’s one more possible tool in the ever-expanding bag of tricks that is social network marketing, and one that just might pay off big!

Image attribution: EXKARRAVELHO via Flickr.com

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