Crowdsourcing is becoming a favorite content marketing move of many brands because of how it lets them access a vast, inexpensive resource of new, intellectual, and effective ideas. Not to mention, it encourages interaction between brands and their consuming public, as well as among fellow community members. The sense of collaboration that people get from contributing content makes them become more invested in the brand, which ultimately translates to higher engagement and loyalty levels for the company.

In spite of these, crowdsourcing presents risks that everyone involved here should be aware of, especially your content moderation team. And those risks are usually related to intellectual property.

Unlike internally sourced materials and those made by third-party agencies, crowdsourced content is not made within a company s scope of employment. User-generated content (UGC) comes with a high risk of infringement and ownership issues because of the following:

•     Anonymous contributors may submit unoriginal materials.

•     Participants, particularly winners of content-driven competitions, may live in a country where creativity laws contradict your local property and authorship mandates.

•     Issues may arise if minors participate in your crowdsourcing activities.

What you can do

For the possible problems that your company may face when you crowdsource, it s an absolute must to weigh the risks against the opportunities you can gain, no matter how rich the market insights and contributions you will get. To ensure a smooth implementation and prevent legal threats, here are some actions that you can take:

• Modify your platforms

The channels and tools used in creating, receiving, and publishing UGC should be fine-tuned according to property laws, business standards, and community terms.

• Review laws of participating countries

Know the extent of creative freedom that your contributors must abide, as well as the restrictions imposed in their countries.

• Use an Adult Verification System

An age gate will confirm if a person wanting to access your site is old enough for the themes and content presented there.

• Provide examples or templates

To make it easy for moderators to screen submissions, show examples of the type of content you want to accept. The samples should be the standard that users must match or exceed.

Crowdsourced content is indeed becoming a powerful asset for content marketing success. Getting top quality submissions, however, requires stringent content moderation processes. Get to know the rules that you and your community must follow in order to achieve your business goals.