How to Crowdsource Content

There’s no shortage of information available to help you create great content. Crowdsourcing content is not only a great way to get readers engaged with your brand, it’s a tried and true method for creating outstanding content. 

Here are a few examples to consider:

Industry Benchmark Reports: Year after year many world-renowned consultancies, organizations, and think-tanks develop extensive surveys that later become glossy reports touting the collective views of readers and other stakeholders.

Webinars, Twitter Chats, & Virtual Forums: While you may think these events are designed to help you, hosts are also eager to explore ideas that resonate with their base. Polls in webinars often morph into future blog posts as do exchanges in chat boxes. 

Contests: Getting people excited about brands often requires some level of novelty and contests are one of the oldest ways to do it. With social media, companies take contests (and creativity) to the next level by enticing users to post pictures of themselves with products. 

This approach is especially effective as it:

1. Gets an endorsement of sorts from existing customers
2. Introduces the brand to new potential buyers
3. Offers a glimpse into the value that clients get from products or services

Social Media: Social listening can help you get new ideas about how your organization can provide more value to key audience segments. Whether it’s a complaint, cause, or simply a comment expressing interest in a new topic, this information can (and should) drive content calendars. 

Here are a few ways you can get started:

1. Ask questions on social media, in emails, or in person to get your audience’s perspective on whatever you want to know.
2. Issue a challenge and drive engagement by appealing to your audience’s competitive side with games or trivia. 
3. Pay attention. You may find that plenty of content is already out there waiting for you to make it into something awesome. Stay on top of your social media mentions, key stakeholders, and influencers to be sure that you’re not missing your next opportunity.

Wrap Up

Turning to industry leaders, peers, and users not only helps teams with time and resource constraints, it shows a connection to the community and shows diversity in thought. How do you keep your audience engaged? Consider crowdsourcing to enable people to share their knowledge with you.

Last Updated: Jul 28, 2022 11:00 AM

Laura Rives
VP of Sales and Marketing

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