Guest post by Francesca StaAna
If you're short on ideas or are struggling to come up with new content, then you should definitely look into crowdsourcing. Known as the practice of posing a problem or question to a group of people to gather answers, crowdsourcing can be very effective in generating content. On top of that, it also encourages dialogue and if done correctly, it can even increase exposure for your brand.
Try it out for yourself. The following ideas are tried and tested ways of getting more content, customers, and engagement through crowdsourcing:
Crowdsource your next blog post - Crowdsourcing is a great way to get over a slow news day or to bust writer's block. If you're having a hard time writing that blog post or article, then consider letting the crowd take care of it.
Visit Q&A sites such as Quora or LinkedIn Answers, and ask a question about whatever it is that you need to write about. A lot of users on these websites are more than happy to share their thoughts, and you're likely to collect a variety of useful answers.
Obtain permission from the sources before re-posting their input, and give proper credit to the individuals that shared their answers. Additionally, be sure to notify them when your post goes live, so that they can also get a chance to share it with their network.
Crowdsourcing blog posts is a great way to kill two birds with one stone. Aside from gaining new insights or ideas, the people that shared their answers and contributed to your post are often more than happy to spread the word, giving you more exposure in the process.
Here's one caveat though: There are some people that participate in Q&A sites solely for marketing and link building purposes. With that said, be sure to fact-check all the answers that you receive and ensure that the contributors are telling the truth, and not just giving answers to get a link or a mention.
Include testimonials from clients - The best way to advertise your brand is to let your happy clients do the bragging for you. Invite your customers to share their experiences with your business and collect any positive comments or mentions via Facebook and Twitter to be included on your website.
Often, having clients vouch for your is so much more effective than fancy advertising and marketing tactics, so don't be shy when asking for testimonials. If your clients are too busy, offer to write the testimonial for them and just show it to them for approval.
Generate ideas through social media - Need a tagline for your next marketing campaign? Or maybe you're looking for ways on how you can serve your customers better. In any case, if you have questions on how to improve your business, sometimes there are no better people to ask than your customers, fans, and followers.
Seek answers via Facebook or Twitter to gather insights from users. It's fast, easy, and way cheaper than conducting a focus group.
Create a contest out of it - Make crowdsourcing fun! If you're having difficulties getting answers or simply want to stir things up, consider conducting a contest that lets users submit content of their own.
Be creative. Ask them to submit images or videos, and be sure to incentivize sharing to get more people to join.
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Author Bio: Francesca is the founder of Credible Copywriting and specializes in writing blog posts, web content and press releases for startups, Internet companies, and mobile app developers.
Image credit: James Cridland