Crowdfunding can be a difficult task, but thanks to these experts, they've done all the hard work and have given their advice on how to make a crowdfunding campaign successful.
1) "If you launch your campaign with zero audiences, you are launching to crickets" - Khierstyn Ross
This is true. As popular fundraisers have already built an audience who are waiting to purchase your product. Generally, the audience is built prior to 6 months before launch via email marketing techniques. This is the phase where all the planning takes place. You can also be in touch with influencers as well. A good fundraiser makes the audience excited before the launch, this leads to the campaign kicking off for a good start. After the campaign is live one can use other strategies to keep the momentum going.
Crowdfunding platforms like Milaap, Ketto surely have their own audience due to their popularity, but, it is important to have your own audience for a successful campaign start.
2) "Make friends with your backers" - Cory McAbee
The best time to make friends is now. Be truthful and sincere to the people who contribute towards your project. Befriending them allows you to get an honest feedback about your project. It helps in spreading the word quick among their circles.
3) "You have to stay focused on the core product and what you're trying to bring to market" - Andrew Beltran
Staying focused on the product allows you to find different ways in promoting your product. It can be promoted on platforms like Facebook or Twitter. Many campaigners have also tied up with influencers to write a review about your product. This will direct the audience from the influencers page to your crowdfunding page.
4) "Don't just assume people will write about you because you think your product is cool" - Salvador Briggman
If you think your product is cool, it's good because you know what your product is capable of doing. But, the people who are willing to contribute don't know about your product as much as you know. So, one must not only launch a campaign successfully but also understand the different ways to market it effectively. One must understand this simple question: "what is that which makes people take action".
5) "A kickstarter campaign isn’t something you can just do, you must spend a lot of time planning." - Paul Farago
Planning is the backbone of every successful crowdfunding campaign. A campaign must have a team who can help with different things like engaging the audience, email follow-ups.etc One must be ready with a campaign strategy 6 months prior the launch. If the campaign is planned correctly and everything goes as planned, then one is bound to achieve success in their campaign.
6) "Something we’ve done really well with our campaigns is that we are extremely transparent." -Peter Dering
One of the most important things to become a successful fundraiser is being transparent. No one likes shady crowdfunding campaigns which do not give out much information. Always try to be open and transparent about your product with your backers. Trust is the most important factor that plays a crucial role in converting your audience to backers.
7) "The single best strategy to prepare for any type of crowdfunding campaign is to perform an in-depth competitive analysis on as many competitors as possible" - Robert Hoskins
Competitor analysis is a useful practice used by many successful campaigners. One must source inspiration from various crowdfunding campaigns which are similar to theirs. Taking note of the various ways in which they've attained success, their methodology and the ways they've advertised their product.etc All these things are important to know, so that, it gives a clear-cut idea on how a successful campaign works.
8) "Convey the magic of your project and why you are determined to deliver what you have promised." -Nikolaj Hviid
Respond to emails, respond to calls and respond to all the messages that you get. It is important to gain the trust of the backers and show that you're still determined to achieve your goal.
9) "The best campaigns I've worked with tell a specific story to a specific group of people." - Clay Hebert
The specific group of people mentioned here is the audience or the tribe who are eagerly waiting for the launch and are excited as much as you are. Many famous people like Seth Godin, are building up their tribes, since many years, that should give you a reason on how important is audience building.
10)"You should be able to describe your product in a sentence no longer than a tweet."- Michael Raven
When reaching out to different people, it is important to be clear and concise about your product and your agenda. A tweet spans 140 characters, one should be able to describe their product in less than a tweet. It cuts away all the jargon related to your product.
