How to compete with crowdsourcing

Joe — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:56:41 +0000

For the majority of freelance designers and design firms the rise of crowdsourcing is quite unsettling. The growing demand for cheap commoditized design is growing and severely undercutting the industry. This article on Sixrevisions got me thinking about this issue and how it relates to my business and other designers in my position. While I’m not going to write on the evils or merits of the crowdsourcing trend, I do want to share some thoughts that I had while thinking about my own business and what I need to do to compete.

1. Face Reality

Sometimes, truth hurts, but, it’s best to face it head on. The fact is, crowdsourcing is not going away anytime soon. From the business side of things I can see why it is gaining steam: low cost & choice. This is very appealing to small businesses with tight budgets, especially in lean times. For this reason, I think that this segment of the industry is going to be around for a long time. That’s the reality. Accepting this, I think, is the first step to readjusting to the new reality marketplace. Whining about it wont help anything.

2. Focus on Your Value Proposition

We all know that this is important in any kind of business. It’s what sets you apart from the rest of your competitors. It is what keeps your clients coming to you again, and again. Now, more than ever, it’s time to refine and refocus your value proposition. What makes your business unique? What value can you bring that the crowdsourcing sites cannot bring? Why is that worth the cost? These are questions that I am currently sorting out again in my own business. It can be a difficult task, but well worth it in the end.

3. Focus on Client Relationships

One of the huge negatives of croudsourcing is the lack of relationship between the designer and the client. As you probably already know, business is ALL about relationship. Why do I go pay double to get my haircut by my hairdresser rather than go to supercuts? Because I like my hairdresser, she’s nice. She gets me a cup of coffee (good coffee, not some instant crap) when I go to get my haircut. She asks me about what’s going on in my personal life and takes an interest. This is all pretty basic stuff. But it keeps me going back. Why would I go somewhere else? Even if she raised her rates, I wouldn’t even think of not going to her. Focusing on building quality relationships with clients that go beyond just the work that’s being done can add tremendous value to your services. Raise the bar. Care more. Remember the little things. This crowdsourcing cannot compete with.

4. Expand Your Skill Set

You’ve heard the term “Jack of all trades, master of none” before I’m sure. In this day and age, however, I think it’s to the designer’s advantage to know a bit of everything. Specialize in something, for sure, but don’t plateau. Expand your skill set to accommodate your client’s future needs. It may mean branching out into UX design, or learning a new scripting language. These things can make you more valuable to clients. If you’ve already formed a strong relationship with them they will be coming to you to solve their problem. It would be a shame to turn them away because what they need is not in your skill set.

5. Don’t Give Up

There will always be Walmart, and there will always be Neiman Marcus, and there will always be a market for both. I see this time as an opportunity to contrast my strengths with crowdsourcing’s weaknesses. I’m embracing the market reality, telling people about the real value of my services, taking excellent care of my clients, and adding more skills to my skill set. This is how I plan to compete.

How about you? Do you have plans on how you are going to compete? Or is crowdsourcing a non-issue to you? I’d love to hear what you think.

Don’t Abandon Your Site.

Joe — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 00:13:13 +0000

There’s a saying that goes a little something like this: “A website is never complete, only abandoned”. This statement is becoming more true as time goes on. Back in the early days of the web it was quite normal to put up your table based website with a bunch of info on your business or endeavor, and call it done. Much like a print brochure. These days, that is a poor strategy in many ways.

With the arrival of the blog and many different content management systems, it is quite easy for a website owner to add valuable content to their site regularly. Valuable, fresh content is what the internet is all about. Users are searching for fresh information in your area of expertise every day. It would be a shame not to take advantage of the many options that you have when you own a website.

Get a blog

If you don’t have a blog that is connected to your site (e.g. www.yoursite.com/blog), it would do you good to get one. This is the easiest way to update your users with relevant content that they are looking for. Having your blog directly connected to you main website has it’s advantages as well. When people visit your blog they are already, technically, visiting your site. They are only a click away from your main site. We use WordPress on this site for blogging. It’s easy to use and has loads of flexibility and functionality.

Build a loyal following

Having a regularly updated site keeps your user base coming back for more. I know that I am very loyal to a handful of sites because of this very fact. They have updated information constantly (almost on a daily basis) and articles on subjects that I am interested in. This is the superiority of the web to print. Imagine if you updated your brochure or printed a new ad in the paper every day. The cost would be huge!

Get on it!

So if you have a newly designed website, or an old one that needs a little love, show it some. Get in there and write an article or update a page on your site that has real value to your users. A website is a tool. If you use it properly, it will pay off.

Malleck Design :: Blog » Business