Crowdsourced Research for Collecting Data from Diverse Audiences
The practice of engaging a large group of people in responding to a defined problem is called Crowdsourcing. This technique is adopted from open innovation and co-creation. When a group of people gathers to find solutions to a certain problem, the brand can benefit from new and unique ideas that emerge.
Crowdsourcing involves the following techniques:
● Invite ideas: Customers are invited to discuss and debate ideas with respect to products, services, new launches, etc, that result in the discovery of better ideas in an engaging and entertaining way.
● Data collection: Crowdsourced content can make the user experience nicer for all by constantly giving the audience the right to contribute. A good example is Wikipedia where the pages can be edited by anybody.
● Paid freelancing: Sometimes crowdsourcing needs to be paid for. To engage people to openly share their ideas for your benefit may incur some expenses.
● Online reviews: Reviews that can be written by everybody is also a form of crowdsourcing. Reviews play a crucial role in determining the sales of a product or service.
● On Social Media: Social media is a fertile ground for discussions and debate. A close observation of trending conversations can enable a company to gather sufficient information about its target audience.
Crowdsourcing Pros:
● Faster thinking: Crowdsourcing allows room for speedy thinking through the sheer volume of people thinking about the same problem at the same time.
● More expertise: Companies can step out of the conventional thinking methods inside the organization and get exposed to new and innovative ideas via individuals with greater expertise in the area.
● Reduce burden: Crowdsourcing takes the burden of thinking off the shoulders of the management which may be small especially in new companies.
● Creative Ideas: New and creative ideas emerge when many minds think together but are unlike each other.
Crowdsourcing Cons:
● Misunderstanding: If the definition of the company’s problem is not clear, each one would interpret it differently and think on a completely opposed tangent.
● Misused: Information gathered through crowdsourcing is available to all, which means that your competitor can access it before you.
Crowdsourcing is a great way to understand the raw emotions of your audience towards your products or services. The results of crowdsourcing are bound to be effective if done with the necessary precautions in mind.
