If the Shoe Fits...

Use a crowdsourcing approach to grow your business

You may wonder why Rob Langstaff, the one-time president of Adidas Japan and Adidas America, would leave one of the largest and most successful shoe companies in the world to go off and start his own business. Simple: He recognized that the market lacked men's footwear that could work in both a casual and business setting. So in June 2008, Langstaff launched RYZ Footwear to fill this niche.

Langstaff quickly built his business through "crowdsourcing" — the act of taking tasks traditionally performed by an employee or a contractor and outsourcing them to a group of people or a community. In other words, he allowed his customers to become part of the production and decision-making processes. In the case of RYZ, Langstaff decided to produce an entire line of shoes designed and voted on by customers themselves. At the company's website, users can create their ideal shoe by mixing and matching a variety of materials and designs. According to Langstaff, by directly involving his customers in the production of his product, he was able to generate "a lot more diversity and range of ideas" that appealed to his particular audience. RYZ is now the envy of the industry.

Crowdsourcing is an affordable, easy way to get your customers to interact with your brand, empower them, and keep your company from losing touch with what your customers really want. Social media is the perfect crowdsourcing tool. For example, you can ask fans of your blog for feedback on your products or services. If you're launching a new product or service, ask your community what they would pay for it. It helps take the guesswork out of finding the right price tag.

You can even offer prizes or discounts as part of your crowdsourcing effort. For example, Netflix awarded a prize to the customer who came up with the best algorithm for their movie rating system. The bottom line is that people love expressing their opinions and being asked for help. Like RYZ Footwear, your business can gain an incredible amount of support from letting your fans take charge.