A couple weeks ago, my friend Stepan wrote a post about using new media/blogging as customer service. About using new media not only to get your message out, but to work on it and maintain it on an ongoing basis. It’s a good post, and he makes a good point. EVERYTHING you write is your startup copy. That includes your frontpage copy, sure, and it includes your blog and your twitter. But it also includes your Blog comments sections, and your twitter @replies. It includes stagnant content you put out there, but it also includes content you put out there dealing one-on-one with clients (or potential clients).
Some people get this… and a lot of people put time into it. That’s good. But time is not enough. It’s not enough to just do new media as customer service. You have to do it well. I know, wild.
For an example, take CrowdSpring, a Chicago based startup that matches companies looking for design help with designers looking for work. The twist with them is that they allow people to post a job, and allow designers to do the work beforehand… the company picks the one they like best. Keen freelancers know this as ’spec work’ - designers (or writers) doing work, and only getting paid if they get picked (and often getting ripped off if they don’t). It’s basically asking a professional to do free work (which they may be paid for later)… something that just doesn’t happen for say, car mechanics or brain surgeons (to name a few).
The other day, former-freelancer Andrew Hyde got on them through his twitter account, and through his blog. He even called them evil. That’s decently big stuff… Andrew is a pretty influential guy (at least in his circle), and along with the people (like me) who joined up with him (in calling out spec work), there was a decent blip against CrowdSpring. Certainly something they had to be on top of. And to their credit, they were there. They contacted Andrew, me, and others through twitter, and tried to smooth things.
But, they didn’t do it very well. They were nice and courteous, but they didn’t bring much substance. They didn’t really defend their concept, and couldn’t really counter Andrew’s claims of evil-ness (at least not substantially). They didn’t blog about it, they didn’t ask to write a guest post about it. Last I checked, they didn’t even comment on Andrew’s blog. Instead, they tweeted about ping-pong, and rapped about SEO.
That’s cool, mind you. I’m the last one to criticize people for playing ping-pong (it’s one of my favorites). And really, I’m the last one to jump on a company. I generally like CrowdSpring. They have a decent (albeit slightly off-center) idea, a good design, and good website copy. They seem like good guys. But I think they dropped the ball a little on this one. I don’t bring it up to pick on them (I think they’ve had enough of that for the time being). I bring it up to illustrate something that goes beyond them, and goes to a lot of startups all around the Interweb. You need to do new media as part of your startup writing. But you need to do it well. The same rules apply - you need to provide substance, and you need to provide value. Being nice is nice. But you need more.
So.. do that. Do new media. Keep track of what people are saying, and respond. But please, respond well. Write good copy in new media. Do that, and you’ll have a better brand, top to bottom (and that’s good).
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Brian and thanks for posting this. crowdSPRING is a young company - just 9 weeks out of the box and we recognize the steep learning curve we are on. And for us, “learning” is what it’s all about. We are busily learning about operating a startup; learning about our customers (both buyers of creative services and the artists who provide those services); learning about new media and how to navigate those; learning about customer service and how best to provide it; and learning about the many audiences we must speak to.
Andrew Hyde did a really nice job of articulating one of the issues which percolates around our business model and we will continue to try to articulate our own stance on that issue. We believe that crowdSPRING can speak directly to a hugely under-served, under-dog community of creatives and provide opportunity for them. There will always be designers who compete in the traditional bricks and mortar model and it is not our goal to undercut that way of doing business. But, we also recognize that there is an incredible groundswell of worldwide creativity and we want to give voice to this group. We have artists from small towns in India who can’t find clients; students building their portfolios and looking for a break; stay-at-home moms wanting to practice their craft; and literally thousands of others who just want to create for the fun of it (not to mention the fees they can earn and the clients they can find). Threadless, iStockPhoto and others have taken the first steps in this new world and we are working hard to build on this, too.
It bothers me when some use examples such as auto mechanics and surgeons when discussing the creative industries. True, these traditional brick and mortar professions have no tradition of speculative work, but these are not fields that rely on creative concepts. Talk to any small architecture firm and I guarantee that they will tell you how they must submit detailed concept sketches when they bid for work. Ask any owner of a motion-graphics shop how often they are asked by agencies to submit working concepts when competing for an account and they will shrug and tell you that it is par-for-the-course. Visual artists create new bodies of work in the hope that someone will come to their gallery and buy a painting or sculpture. Filmmakers produce entire movies funded on credit cards just praying that they will be invited to participate in a film festival and maybe, just maybe, find a distributor.
Whew. Having said all of that, I also want to tell you how much I enjoyed reading your post. We are working so hard to reach out to all sorts of people and listen to what they tell us. And, we are putting money where our mouth is. This past Monday our new Community Manager, Angeline Vuong ( http://twitter.com/crowdSPRING ), started with us. She is tasked with listening and responding and is already hard at work helping our brand. We recognize that we will never convince some of the value crowdSPRING offers to creatives and buyers of creative services, but we will always be available to listen and to learn.
Thanks again,
Mike Samson
co-Founder
crowdSPRING
Nice Mike. Thanks a ton for stopping over here, and thanks a ton for taking some time to explain your concept. Like I said, this post was never about dumping on CrowdSpring - I actually kinda like you guys. It was about using new media to do good customer service. It’s something I thought you didn’t do a week ago, but obviously, something that you’re doing now. I’m real glad to see it.
I’m real glad to have this interaction with you too… and I look forward to watching you grow. It’s always a process (I can certainly attest to that), and there’s no expectation (from me) of perfection. Best of luck, and let me know if I can help in any way.
Brian