Crowdtap: You scratch our back, we'll scratch yours
In chapter 9 of Li and Bernoff's Groundswell, they discuss the imporatnce of organizations embracing the groundswell and "finding practical ways to tap into customers to help you innovate now to increase the chances of developing something your customers want". By hearing directly from customers what they want, need or like about your product or business, you increase the chance that your venture will be successful. Social media has provided many opportunities for businesses to reach their clients or potential clients easily and cost-effectively.
Crowdtap does just that for businesses, and give customers rewards and incentives to provide feedback.
Crowdtap's slogan is "Where Consumers and Brands Unite", and that is the idea of Crowdtap in a nutshell. The brands get the feedback they need, and comsumers are rewarded. I was first introduced to Crowdtap by a friend when she sent me an invite to an Old Navy event through email. The invite stated that I was going to receive a free pair of jeans if I went to Old Navy at a certain time and date with my friend. At first I thought it was a scam, but after speaking to my friend I found it was not. She had "earned" it through Crowdtap. Sure enough, one Sunday afternoon, we went down to Old Navy, presented our coupons from Crowdtap, and picked out out completely free pair of jeans.
All that was asked of us was to take pictures of ourselves at the store, post it on Old Navy's Facebook or Twitter page and complete a survey of our exprience with Old Navy and the jeans. Since then, I've also tagged along with my friend to get free scarves, skirts, and even a winter coat.
So how does this all work? It's actually pretty simple. You start off by signing up through the company's website. They will ask you to link your account with a Facebook or Twitter account. They will also ask for contact information. The more information you provide, the more points you are given to start off with. From there, the surveys start. They start off asking your interests, age, gender, and what products you use most often. As you take more surveys, you accumulate more points.
As you accumulate more points, the opportunities to cash in the points for gift cards, prizes and opportunities like the Old Navy event I participated in. In most cases, all that is asked of you is to use Facebook or Twitter to talk about the products you recieve or try out.
My Crowdtap "winnings"
Of course, one has to complete many, many surveys to reap the benefits of Crowdtap. But the surveys are quick, mindless and easy, so the points can pile up pretty quickly. As you move up in levels, more prizes are available to you, as well as opportunites to try out products or services.You can also use your points to donate to a charity of your choice.
An example of a few of the prizes.
Crowdtap understands that in order to get what they need from consumers, they need to give them movtivation. And the brands that use Crowdtap are connecting with their customers and getting feedback in order to develop new ideas and improve the products and services they already have. Crowdtap offers an easier way to get in touch with influential consumers and save a lot of money and time in doing so. Plus, since it is so closely linked with Twitter and Facebook, word of mouth spreads more quickly than in coventional ways of advertising and public relations.
As Li and Bernoff point out in Groundswell, "It doesn't matter what business you are in, if you have customers, they can help you."
So what do you think? Is "Crowdtapping" something you would do? And do you think Crowdtap is an effective way for brands and consumers to unite?
I think it is a sticky business because the companies buy social media this way. You get free stuff all right, but there is a price: and it is your information, and access to your social media channel. If they give free stuff, I am sure they expect the rewards in the form of ROI, return on investment. It is a little like a pact with the devil.
Interesting post, Colleen. I'd never heard of Crowdtap before (although the word "crowd" seems to crop up in a number of social media outlets). The key phrase for me is, "one has to complete many, many surveys to reap the benefits of Crowdtap." When I hear that, my reaction is: I'll never do it!
I don't think it's an effective way for consumers to unite because its seem prominent for just the individual. I have never heard of this site before but I am really tempted to start taking the surveys, but I agree with Jim that it may not be worth it to take so many surveys for so few rewards. I also agree with Bogna that is not okay to allow them to access your facebook or twitter account, but I also do not know a whole lot about how they would use that infomration so I cannot say for sure it would deter me from browsing the site. Great blog topic!
Crowdtapping is the new generation of market research! It is such a clever idea but there are also some negatives to it. There are certain things that online survey websites such as crowdtap cannot do. Traditional market research also has it weaknesses but its strength is that it attempts to have constructive conversation with its audience. Sometimes, online surveys do not allow us as audience members to fully express our opinions on the brand or product. Sometimes, online surveys are only taken by certain target groups and not by the ideal target groups.
Crowdtapping is something that I have deffinitely done before. I strongly believe that we are all a prouduct of the word of mouth phenomena and the example of crowdtapping is an effective way for brands and customers to unite. We all want deals and if possible as many goods for free as we can get. Thus, we do tend to fall for it; however, there are also people with less patience and consider to ignore such marketing strategies.
I think it is a sticky business because the companies buy social media this way. You get free stuff all right, but there is a price: and it is your information, and access to your social media channel. If they give free stuff, I am sure they expect the rewards in the form of ROI, return on investment. It is a little like a pact with the devil.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, Colleen. I'd never heard of Crowdtap before (although the word "crowd" seems to crop up in a number of social media outlets). The key phrase for me is, "one has to complete many, many surveys to reap the benefits of Crowdtap." When I hear that, my reaction is: I'll never do it!
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's an effective way for consumers to unite because its seem prominent for just the individual. I have never heard of this site before but I am really tempted to start taking the surveys, but I agree with Jim that it may not be worth it to take so many surveys for so few rewards. I also agree with Bogna that is not okay to allow them to access your facebook or twitter account, but I also do not know a whole lot about how they would use that infomration so I cannot say for sure it would deter me from browsing the site. Great blog topic!
ReplyDeleteCrowdtapping is the new generation of market research! It is such a clever idea but there are also some negatives to it. There are certain things that online survey websites such as crowdtap cannot do. Traditional market research also has it weaknesses but its strength is that it attempts to have constructive conversation with its audience. Sometimes, online surveys do not allow us as audience members to fully express our opinions on the brand or product. Sometimes, online surveys are only taken by certain target groups and not by the ideal target groups.
ReplyDeleteCrowdtapping is something that I have deffinitely done before. I strongly believe that we are all a prouduct of the word of mouth phenomena and the example of crowdtapping is an effective way for brands and customers to unite. We all want deals and if possible as many goods for free as we can get. Thus, we do tend to fall for it; however, there are also people with less patience and consider to ignore such marketing strategies.
ReplyDelete