Crowdfunding is all about marketing your campaign or project. It doesn’t matter whether you are seeking donations for a charitable cause, or instead asking for an investment in an actual business. There are tens of thousands of projects and campaigns seeking funding at any given moment. You need to stand out from the crowd, and that takes careful planning.
- First you need to reach (gain access to) your target audience
- Then, after you’ve reached them, you need to persuade them to contribute or invest in your cause or idea.
Either one of these alone will not suffice. You may be able to gain the attention of hundreds, or even thousands, of potential crowdfunders. However, if you can’t convince them to provide you with crowdfunding then it means nothing. Conversely, you may have the best idea in the world – and even the most incredible marketing pitch and video to go with it. But if you can’t get your idea or pitch in front of anyone, it doesn’t matter how great it is. Unless you are a celebrity or social media guru, chances are you won’t meet your crowdfunding goal without some help. The occasional project that goes viral without any outside assistance is the exception rather than the rule. Therefore, you need to know your strengths and weaknesses and use every angle to your advantage.
Use Social Media
- If you are on social media sites, don’t be afraid to contact your friends or followers. Crowdfunding is not for the timid.
- If you are not on social media sites, then you need to get on them immediately and connect with people you know. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are the biggest social media sites, but there are dozens of others with a niche but large and loyal user base (such as Pinterest and Reddit). Consider these, too.
Create a Standalone Website Beforehand
- If you already have a website or blog, write about your project or idea. If you don’t have a website, then consider creating one. Learn some SEO and optimize the webpage for search engines. It’s just one more way to connect and reach people around the world.
- You may want to crowdfund on your own website instead of using a crowdfunding platform. Or maybe you want to do both, supplementing your primary campaign with a smaller one on your own site. There are plugins, widgets, and tools that you can use for crowdfunding on your own (such as Selfstarter.us – an open source crowdfunding solution).
Know Your Audience and Industry
- Are you creating a tech product? Consider attending meetups, hackathons, or other events nearby. Raising funds for a charitable cause? There are certainly other people, groups, or organizations trying to solve the same problem. They may want to help or get involved, so reach out to them.
- Learn your product or industry. If your idea is new or doesn’t exist yet, then maybe there is a good reason why. There could be a major flaw in your idea, or some barrier to entry in your industry that is hard to overcome. If you don’t address it in your initial crowdfunding pitch, your potential backers may dismiss your idea as unrealistic or impractical.
- Learn about other crowdfunding projects that are similar to yours. There are so many projects and platforms that have already succeeded or failed (you can learn about many of them on crowdfundingblog.com). Furthermore, the major crowdfunding platforms usually organize campaigns by industry, and let you sort them by “most successful” or “most funded.” Use these features and spend time learning what worked and what didn’t.
Consider Using a Crowdfunding Service
- There are now paid services dedicated to building your crowdfunding campaign and marketing it from beginning to end. This can include creating professional advertising and pitch videos, attractive crowdfunding page designs, and even interacting with your crowdfunders on your behalf. There are also individuals and companies that know the process and offer consulting services. Although we haven’t used them, we know that they exist and new ones are being created all the time. Like any business or project, sometimes it helps to talk to experts and specialists.
This is only the first of our series on crowdfunding tips. Check back soon for more.
