BY GORDON WHITE OF EXCEL VENDING
We hear lots of mentions about Crowdfunding these days; in fact, it has become one of the best methods of raising funds, and at the same time testing the market for a new product or service. Many new and flourishing businesses have started as a result of crowdfunding through platforms like Kickstarter.
Crowdfunding is not new, indeed it has been around for hundreds of years, but social media tools have made it more accessible to people and that’s what’s suddenly made it popular. However, it’s not just in the area of funding that we can tap into the enormous power of crowds; market research is one obvious area where the opinion of others extremely valuable…
We posted two designs and asked our followers to choose which they prefer. In less than 24 hours we had over 600 responses.
Excel Vending is exploring the option of changing to paper cups in our vending machines and we’ve decided to tap into our extremely engaged social media community to make sure we make the right design choice. This week we launched a “Cup Final Competition” on our Facebook page where we have posted two designs and asked our followers to choose which they prefer. In less than 24 hours we have had over 600 responses!
This clearly demonstrates the value in having a good engaged community on social media platforms, even for a B2B organisation like us! We’re asking end users which cup they would prefer to see in their vending machines so that we make the right choice. In doing so, we are making them part of the process; this in turn builds trust, engagement and hopefully customer loyalty. We genuinely care what they think, and about what they want.
In return for their contribution, we will have a Prize Draw to win a Cadbury’s Goody Bag, we think it’s a small price to pay when you consider all the benefits, and hopefully they will feel they have played their part, whether they win this time or not.
If you would like to enter the competition, please go to our Facebook page and tell us which design you prefer. The closing date s Wednesday, 19th November at 12 noon. Good luck.
