Best Practises For A Successful Crowdfunding Campaign

Are you ready to turn your wildest ideas into reality? Crowdfunding can make that happen, but it takes more than just a good idea to make it a success – a well-planned crowdfunding campaign is the answer.

You see, I took the bold chance to crowdfund my first book.

In case you do not know what crowdfunding is, here’s a definition (even if, if you are here, you most likely know what it means, right?).

crowdfunding is simply the process of raising capital for a project upfront by receiving monetary contributions from a large number of people via an online platform. The supporters “pledge” their monetary support in exchange for a reward. Rewards can be a product or service, or even just a public acknowledgment of thanks.

In total honesty, I thought crowdfunding was easy — anyone could get money to fund their dreams.

It appears that crowdfunding is not always resulting in success, as 4 out of 5 campaigns do not succeed.

While the 17,000 projects launched in the UK in 2017 was 2% down in 2016, the total pledges increased by 5%, according to The Crowdfunding Center. There is still a way to crack the code!

You see, when I first approached the idea of crowdfunding the book, I simply did it because it was the only way I could justify spending the money to, well, birth the book in the first place.

Some people look for investments, yet since I run a community and I strongly believe in the power of engaging with your audience, I just knew that asking my community to support me was the way to go.

 

“It feels good to be in a community. Community, above all, is bigger than individuals — we are something much more than individuals when we are part of a community. And this is how things ought to be.”

tony blackshaw

In this guide, we’ll share some of the best practices for a successful crowdfunding campaign, so you can get the funding you need while having a blast!

Some of the perks of a crowdfunding campaign

Not sure if your idea will fly?

Crowdfunding will quickly give you that answer.

While many people fear a failed crowdfunding campaign, the astute business owner knows it’s a much better alternative to investing thousands of dollars of money, and months or years of time, into a business or project upfront, only to have the venture fail.

A successful campaign gives you the confidence that there’s a market for your product or service BEFORE you run off and create it and better still, it will harness a group of passionate supporters who believe in your vision and will cheer you along every step of the way.

You can engage with pedgers by thanking pledgers and keeping them updated at every step of the journey, including (especially including) the weeks and months after the campaign has ended.

Measuring the success of a campaign is simple: you will know quite simply by whether it reaches its target or not.

An unsuccessful campaign can also be successful as it’s confirmation that your project may never have had legs.

Finding that out in the early stages of your project is much better than discovering it after years of work and funds!

As I know most of us will be wanting to fund our dreams at some stage, I thought I’d share with you what I learned along the way.

Do: share, share, share

Remember the old saying “it takes seven interaction before we take action”?

Well, it’s true.

Make your crowdfunding campaign the core of your focus for the next 4 weeks — I recommend 4-week crowdfunding campaigns to create urgency.

Seriously, sharing every day is NOT enough, even if you may think so. Make it inventive, creative and unique. Maybe share a testimonial from someone who loves your company, or a story linked to your crowdfunding. Get creative and get to work.

Here’s how you can break it down:

1. 50% of your content should be all about your audience. Share key ideas and milestones related to your campaign, establish yourself as a guru on the topic, and get people pumped about your knowledge.
2. 40% should focus on the impact of your campaign and success stories. Give the lowdown on what happens when you reach your funding goal, share specifics on materials, decisions, and success stories of those who’ll benefit. Show potential investors the amazing benefits of supporting your project.
3. Only 10% of your posts should be about the call to action (CTA). Too many “participate now” messages and you risk coming across as spammy. Instead, add a sales-driven CTA at the end of a thread or piggyback on value-added content. And remember, no one likes a pushy salesperson!

Do: find ways to engage with pledgers

Videos are a great asset. Investing time into video trailers for your campaign will pay dividends.

A video trailer can be homemade or professional — either way, a crowdfunding video will get a more personal approach, and clearer way to share your message. Seriously, it works!

Throughout my campaign, I had a philosophy of “no pledger left behind”.

• I’ll list and tag, where possible, every pledger in social media and provide regular status updates.
• For every person who shares the campaign in social media I also personally thank them for the share. This makes them feel appreciated and further inspired to share the campaign.

Experiment with live events

Hosting a live event for your crowdfunding campaign can give you the boost you need to get backers on board. You can go for panel discussions, Q&A sessions, or even interactive workshops. The sky’s the limit!

Live events are where it’s at when it comes to engaging with your audience, showing off your work, and building hype for your campaign.

1. First up, pick the format and theme of your event. Consider what’ll grab your audience’s attention, showcase your goals, and share the love.
2. Next, pick a platform and set a date and time for your event.
3. Promote your event like crazy through social media, email, and other channels.
4. And don’t forget to encourage your audience to spread the word too.

When the big day arrives, engage with your audience, answer questions, and give them all the feels so they can support your campaign.

Do: have amazing rewards

Can you go away and beyond with your rewards?

Do not be stingy, this is NOT the time! I would seriously say, get creative with your reward ideas (a little side note, be aware of the cost of those, bigger rewards are always better than loads of small ones).

Some of my rewards included a copy of the book, a free online course, a free month of consulting and so much more.

Not all rewards have to be physical, if you can trade your “time” and focus on experiences, you may save some money along the way.

Don’t: get stuck in the ‘all or nothing’ mentality

I personally love Crowdfunder, as it allows me to keep everything I crowdfund, even if I do not hit my target. If you are a small business, this is such an essential step — it will make it less stressful for you, and much more beneficial in the long run.

So many campaigns fail simply because the campaign creator gives up before the campaign is over, not realising that in many cases, the bulk of support flows in during the last few hours.

Without a doubt, I think the biggest mistake is choosing a flexible funding campaign over an all or nothing campaign.

Don’t: give up the 2 days before it ends

Those are the most crucial days. This is the time to go all-in, as people will be willing to support. Most crowdfunding campaigns end up being funded during the last 48h of the campaign, so keep it up, you got this! Every time I felt lost I reminded myself: “fail to plan, plan to fail”.

The main reason why campaigns fail is simply a lack of preparation.

You can’t make improvements to your campaign or compensate for a lack of preparation you’ve hit the launch button.

I also think that many crowdfunding campaigns fail because the creator makes the campaign about THEM rather than the CAUSE. People love to get behind a cause.

Fail to plan, plan to fail

Running a successful crowdfunding campaign can be a wild ride, but with these tips and tricks, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your fundraising goals.

• Crowdfunding is the process of raising capital for a project upfront by receiving monetary contributions from a large number of people via an online platform in exchange for a reward.
• Four out of five crowdfunding campaigns do not succeed, but there is still a way to succeed.
• Crowdfunding is a good way to test if there’s a market for a product or service before investing time and money into it.
• Engage with pledgers by sharing progress updates and thanking them.
• Break down content to focus 50% on your audience, 40% on the impact of your campaign and success stories, and 10% on the call to action.
• Create a video trailer to share your message and get personal with potential backers.
• Host a live event to engage with your audience and showcase your goals.

Remember to keep your backers engaged, stay true to your vision, and have fun along the way! Who knows, your campaign might even build a community of supporters that stick around long after the funding period is over.

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