10 Steps to Achieving a More Successful Crowdfunding Campaign

10 Steps to Achieving a More Successful Crowdfunding Campaign

Crowdfunding campaigns can get more results, backers and success if you work at it with all your heart! Sometimes, you might have a product or service that just sells itself! But for most people, they'll need to work at promoting their crowdfunding campaign to drive traffic to it and get those initial backer contributions. Let alone reach your asking goal! So here's 10 steps to achieving a more successful crowdfunding campaign. For those that are new to it and want some help with getting backers!

1. Getting Noticed
Every crowdfunding campaign should have a clear objective as to why that crowdfunding campaign exists and what the reason for it is for. At the very least, it should say what it is, what it's for and why people would want to back it. Some of the basic things it should answer are what people viewing and reading it will wonder which are;

• What is the money being raised for?
  
• What makes it unique to everything else.
  
• Why should people back it and donate.
  
• Why does it deserve peoples attention.
  

2. Picture Perfect
Pictures speak a thousand words and using pictures and images in your campaign will get it more results. Some people only use one or two images (some use just one) and then they wonder why they're not getting any bids/backers for it. But it's been proven now that campaigns that have more than 3 images in them were more successful than those that only use one or two. You should use real photos of people if possible. Photos that have bright colors in them and show your proposed product or service in as many ways as possible so that people can see it in all the best light!

• Use real photos of people, and or your product, service in action.
  
• Use photos/images that have vivid, bright colors in them.
  

3. Say it With Video
Did you know that crowdfunding campaigns that have videos in them are 5x more likely to succeed? Videos are such great ways to let people see your product or service in action. More than that, if you have a video of a real person talking about it, that will help people to relate to it from a human perspective. Through your video you should demonstrate and show off your passion for your product/service or cause you're trying to raise funds for. You should have it tell your story but in a way that is very engaging and always use a Call-To-Action at the end!

• Always use real compelling videos in your campaigns that thoroughly explain everything about your project.
  
• If possible, try to use a real person talking in your video as that will see more results and close with a CTA.
  

4. Before You Launch
Before you launch your crowdfunding campaign, whether it's on GoFundMe, IndieGoGo, KickStarter, FundRazr, or another crowdfunding site. You should first talk to people you know, or those that know about you and the cause, product or service you're looking to get off the ground to ask them for their support and even maybe to be your first backers which you can use to help it succeed when you do launch it. If you can just secure 20% of the amount you need to launch, you'll be 90% more likely to reach the goal of the amount you need.

• Talk to people first like friends, family, colleagues etc to get some initial support before you launch.
  
• Try to secure at least 20% of what you need before you launch your campaign as you'll be 90% more likely to succeed.
  

5. Set Realistic Goals
A lot of crowdfunders set their goals way too high. We think this is because people are just greedy or just don't know what to ask for. Most crowdfunding campaigns that ask for too much don't often see that much success by way of backers etc. But those that don't set it too high will see more results. You will have to explain in your pitch where your money will go to and how it will be used. People will think about this and work out that you're asking more than you need and just wont back you. So be realistic and set it at what you need and not what you think you should get!

• Be realistic in the goal amount that you need to launch your project.
  
• Don't overdo it and ask for way too much more than you need.
  

6. It's Time
Once you've got everything down about your project and know everything you need to get it off the ground, it's time to build your crowdfunding campaign. As said, you'll want to make sure it encompasses and explains everything about your project so that people know everything about it like why they would want to back it, what they will get from it or how it will help people etc etc. It will want to contain real photos of the product or service in use if possible. Along with photos and videos of real people using it and talking about it give it that human element that people can relate to.

7. Build an Audience
Crowdfunding campaigns that get contributions and backers within the first 24 hours are much more likely to succeed and get all the donations they need. So now you have your crowdfunding campaign page up, it's time to build an audience to it. The first thing you should do is tell your friends and family about it and give them your campaign URL. You could reach out to them by sending a personal email to them and asking them to be the first to contribute and back it or to just share it with their friends on social media sites etc. That's then your next job, to promote and advertise your crowdfunding campaign everywhere such as on social media sites, forums, blogs and portals etc related to either crowdfunding or what your campaign is about.

• Share your campaign URL with friends and family and ask them to back it or just to share it on.
  
• Promote your campaign on social media sites and everywhere else using marketing, promotion and advertising services.
  

8. Activate Your Community
You will want to share your crowdfunding campaign URL on every social media platform and site you can get on from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube etc etc. Your social reach is a good indicator of how well your campaign is likely to do. If you have 100 friends in your network then you are more likely to succeed over having just 10. So share and share and share some more. Keep sharing and asking friends and people to share it. The more people that do, the more traffic you'll get, and the more chance you have of getting backers on board for it!

9. Communication Counts!
Remember that communication is the key thing to the success you have. Do you have a random backer? You need to thank them for their contribution! Always be very diligent in responding to peoples questions and comments if they place any and never ignore people no matter how obvious their question might seem. You will also need to be active on every social media site you use where you are promoting it since people are likely to ask questions on those about it as well. Remember, it's one thing to have a Facebook page about your campaign, but it's another to engage the supporters that like that page and ask questions etc.

10. The Buzz Factor
You will want to build up buzz about your campaign and keep them buzzing! Some ways you can do that are by building momentum up by adding new rewards and sharing news coverage about it. You can also share the process involved by sharing images and videos of the product in action and add in any new developments about it too. Also celebrate any success you have by announcing things like milestones you've set and achieved and let other people share in the joy of that success when you have finally reached your goal! 

Conclusion
It's not impossible to raise funds for your crowdfunding campaign but it's not always easy either! It really depends on whether people think your project, product or service is going to be a valuable and helpful one to people or not. That and having a very good campaign page that explains everything about it and also by following these tips here.

Do you follow these tips when launching a crowdfunding campaign?

What other tips do you know of to find more success with your crowdfunding campaigns today?

Thanks and to your success!

Mike.