Launching a crowdfunding campaign can be a lot of fun. It’s a great learning experience that gives people opportunities to expand and change their lives. It can also be stressful though. Crowdfunding takes a lot of work and preparing for a campaign can be difficult if you are disorganized. People often launch projects that don’t get a lot of attention and look to super successful campaigns asking, “Why can’t mine get that kind of recognition?”
There is no foolproof formula for crowdfunding. A lot of it has to do with how good the idea is. Or how large a creator’s budget is for PR and other services. Still, there are some low cost methods that are used by small crowdfunding campaigns to large businesses that can help you build up the momentum you need before launching. Following these steps will help you launch a campaign that almost takes care of itself:
1. Register your domain name
Registering a domain name is easy. Just get an idea of what you want your website to be called and choose a registration service. You just type in the domain you want and it will tell you whether it is available, give suggestions, and rates. There are a lot of different services available but this Lifehacker post lists five of the best. Keep in mind your domain name should be simple and easy for people to remember!
2. Design your logo
You have your domain name set up, so now it’s time to give your project or startup a logo. The idea with the tips so far is to start branding yourself with easy steps that will help familiarize people with your project. Again, the logo should be something pretty simple and easy to recognize. It should also be different – you don’t want to design a logo that just reminds someone of another company. Make sure to include your own personality! There are several sites that offer free services for designing logos, like LogoGenie, and Logomaker.
3. Start using social media
I know a lot of creators try to do this part but sometimes fall a little short. You put together a shabby Facebook and/or Twitter page. Add a few friends, post some basic information, and ask people to spread your page. This really isn’t enough. Even though you may have just decided to pursue your dream through crowdfunding it helps to make it look like it’s something you’ve focused on for years.
Start a few months ahead of time. Make it pretty. Share things, interact with people, and get opinions. Putting that time in and showing you are engaged and invested in your project is a good way to impress people who do come across your accounts.
4. Set up your website
Consider your website your project’s true ‘home’. Yes, you may be launching on Indiegogo in a few weeks, but that campaign won’t last forever. If you’re crowdfunding project is just the beginning of a larger business endeavor I suggest you set up a website so people will always know where to go for up-to-date information. You should try to adopt a common look for your website, logo, and social media pages to keep things consistent and visually appealing.
5. Add an email newsletter sign up
This is an excellent way to set up emailing lists for later on when you have launched your campaign. Have this option somewhere that is easy for people to see and sign up for. Then you can send small updates on the progress of your project, when you are going to launch, etc.
You can also share interesting content related to your project – anything that will keep people seeing your name and associating it with good things. Just don’t bombard people’s inboxes. A good rule of thumb is trying to only send out emails you would want to open yourself.
6. Share your idea
Start getting your idea out there early on. Just because there isn’t a campaign up yet doesn’t mean you have to keep it hush hush! Tell your friends, family, and co-workers. Contact members of the media like journalists and bloggers (ones who actually write about something related to your project!) to see if they would be interested in covering it.
Try to find an interesting angle like the story of how the project came to be, how unique your product is, or some outrageous rewards you’re offering to spark their interest. Encourage those who like your idea to share your website and/or social media.
7. Make a video
Putting together a good video is an important step in the crowdfunding process. It should be high-quality, short, informative, and really catch people’s attention. You can check out this CrowdfundingPR post for more tips on how to successfully make a crowdfunding video. Post your video anywhere you can: your website, social media, YouTube, etc. A short and intriguing video is a great way to catch busy people who don’t have time to read a long project description.
8. Decide on your rewards
This step is critical for a few reasons. Knowing which rewards you want to offer backers and how they will be manufactured is a big part of figuring out where you should set your goal and budget. You should also do this with spare time before you launch to get feedback and find out whether people will actually be excited by the rewards you have planned.
9. Launch!
Now it’s time to launch. Notify your growing fan base that the time has come; your crowdfunding page is going live and will be accepting pledges! Keep up with your website, social media, and promotional materials like videos, updates, and guest posts on blogs related to your category. Let people know when you’ve reached milestones like the halfway point, a large funding day, big media coverage, etc.
Conclusion
With a little thoughtful planning and preparation anyone can put together a campaign strategy that comes across in a professional way. You may not need to be any kind of expert to run a crowdfunding campaign but it is important to look put together to convince people to give you their money and trust that they will get what they expect in return. Remember not to stress too much. Put together a schedule and follow it – make sure you’re doing enough but make sure you have some down time. For more on Kickstarter success and common mistakes to avoid check out this CrowdCrux podcast!
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