Author: Robin Bowman, Senior Business
Editor
Crowdsourcing is yet another example of how the Internet is
great for bringing together those vital visitors to any business -
the willing seller and the willing buyer.
What Crowdsourcing can do for a small business is to strip away
a lot of the hype and packaging that often goes along with
outsourcing a service.
Not only that, it can also allow a business of limited resources
to become one with a huge amount of resource able to tap into a
vast network of experts for minimal extra cost. 
So, how does this magic work?
Like most great ideas, the concept is so simple it's child's
play.
In its simplest terms, Crowdsourcing involves taking a task,
usually a single task, normally performed by a supplier or someone
in-house, and throwing it out to a vast community of
people.
Often this community will be willing to undertake the work in
the hope they win a set prize - usually cash - and/or the chance of
future work.
You fix a price or a prize and publish your brief on a
Crowdsourcing site. People around the globe can then pitch for the
work, often by actually completing a task, and you select the one
you want - or none. Usually there's a charge for posting your
challenge and the prize money must be lodged with the host
site.
The key attribute of the platform is that it allows people to
bid for work from anywhere in the world, so giving you access to
talent in otherwise isolated places you would never normally be
able to tap into.
Controversy lies in the fact that, because of the way
Crowdsourcing often works, most people doing the work will be paid
nothing for their time and effort. Critics argue that only
lesser-skilled people would carry out work in this way; but for
many simple business needs, the format seems to work. Many
businesses say they actually find they get new and exciting work
that wouldn't happen if it was done in house.
So, what are some of the ways an SME could use
Crowdsourcing?
Here are some ideas. There are Crowdsourcing sites out there for
many, many services, just do a search and start using the power of
the crowd.
- Market research - several Crowdsourcing sites will conduct
customer surveys.
- Designing and building websites.
- Website maintenance.
- Copy writing
- Logo designs and artwork.
- Develop a product - even large corporations do this, Dell is
one example - asking customers to contribute to product development
with their suggestions.
- Offer sales leads with a commission or a referral fee as an
incentive.
- Recruit off-site workers for specific tasks, usually small one
offs.
- Naming of products or services.
- Testing a product's usability.
If you're new to the whole concept for Crowdsourcing and aren't
sure how it may help your business, search for 'Crowdsourcing
examples' on Google. There's a lot out there.
Just remember - it's great to save money by using Crowdsourcing,
but having access to a huge amount of creativity is probably just
as important - you get what you pay for, in other words.
Also, make sure you are specific about your needs - be clear and
you'll have much more chance of getting appropriate results.
Robin has been a journalist for more than 20 years,
during which time he has held several senior media management
positions in both Fleet Street and Hong Kong. Robin recently
returned to the UK after being based in Italy for six years. He has
a passion for business innovation.
The content of this article reflects the views of
the author and may not necessarily reflect the views of Premierline
Direct
