Those who follow your company care a great deal about it. They are more than just an audience, they are contributors. How do they contribute? Here are some ways your audience can help your company:
Ideas
If someone buys your product or service, chances are they have an opinion about it. If given the opportunity, they will share it, you just have to listen.
Open forums up on your website or social media asking for feedback from your customers. Take this feedback seriously, don’t just say thank you. Use it to further develop and improve your business. Your audience will feel great that their ideas influenced your decisions, making them loyal customers or even brand ambassadors.
Afterall, these are the people you make your product, or develop your service, for. There’s no easier way to improve how your customers view your company than by taking their advice.
Funding
Believe it or not, some businesses can’t afford to do everything they want to – shocking, I know! That doesn’t mean there are no other options. Thanks to new websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, your audience can help fund your project.
In an Indiegogo campaign, supporters donate to your project, and receive a gift in exchange. You decide the gift. Remember, the better the gift, the more likely you are to receive a donation. Don’t look at it as charity, or a sign of business weakness. If your audience cares enough about your product/service, they would love to feel like a part of something you create.
Resources
In the age of the prosumer, user-generated content is king. From blog posts to works of art, audiences love to put their own spin on a product, or show how much they love using it. This creates opportunities for your company.
When someone creates something for a business, they love to tell their friends, especially if it’s visible online or in marketing collateral. A user blog series generates more than just content for your blog. Users will share it on their own social networks, increasing your reach and brand recognition. This may even help you find more contributors.
Next time you look to outsource work, look at your audience. They are smart, they care about your business and they want to help. You just have to ask.