One of the most challenging parts of working in marketing is figuring out what exactly your customers want. Well fret no longer and take solace in my words when I say that there are ways of unearthing those innovative ideas that will tickle your customers’ fancy. The answer, my friends, lies in crowdsourcing.

Rather than spending countless hours (and most of your marketing dollars) researching your target audience, why not ask them? I can’t think of a better way of getting inside consumers’ minds than to let them tell you what they are thinking.

Take Starbucks for example. Starbucks utilizes crowdsourcing to perfection with its Web site, MyStarbucksIdea.com. On this site, registered users can log in, share ideas, view other ideas and see what sort of improvements are in the works. What a great way to connect with consumers and empower them to help craft the future of the company. Talk about creating brand loyalty.  And the best part is that it’s free!

So the next time you are banging your head on your desk in frustration because you can’t seem to figure out what your customers want, just ask them. For B2C and B2B marketing alike, effective communication depends on how well you can satisfy your customers’ needs.

Have you encountered any great crowdsourcing techniques?