Netting the big idea
In searching for the ‘big online idea’ for us to work on, we have had to decide where to look and who to invite to submit their ideas. So, where do you start? Surely a net cast more widely will ensure a broader, better range of ideas. Or will it just ensure more of the same? A more targeted approach should ensure quality but who do you target? Who are the holders of great ideas? There is no clear answer to these questions. This is just one more challenge confronting us on this adventure.
And so, in the spirit of great adventuring we need to take a chance. We make a calculated guess informed by some known facts and fair hunches. If we apply the 1% rule, only a tiny proportion of those who see our ads or receive our emails will actually have an idea for the internet, and a smaller percentage still will take the time to submit it. We overlay this with the reality of the number of ideas we could manage to effectively sort through, and the type of ideas we think we might receive.
The result is a multi-pronged approach. Through email we are inviting ideas from:
• our global staff
• a random selection of clients globally
• Web 2.0 enthusiasts; the bloggers, journalists and thinkers who actively share their thoughts regularly online.
To further widen the search we will advertise for ideas on all our websites thereby targeting more clients, prospects and the public generally. In the more public domain, the invitation is expected to snowball and become a topic of conversation in the blogosphere, drawing those who have little or no affiliation with any of our businesses to consider submitting their ideas.
Closer to home, our team of six will also undertake our own research to ascertain what the big opportunities are, and where our efforts might prove most effective.
With each of these channels we hope that an increasingly broad net is spread to result in the right idea landing in our catch. Now, like all good fishermen, once the net is cast we need to sit back and wait.
