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Marketing Your Crowdfunding Campaigns

A photo of a group of people marketing and planning their crowdfunding campaign

Successfully marketing a crowdfunding campaign requires a lot of planning. But once you’ve created a campaign page, set a fundraising goal, and drawn up a marketing strategy, you’re ready to start spreading the word!

Creating an Effective Crowdfunding Campaign Page

  1. Have a clear and concise elevator pitch.
    Your project page should start with a clear and concise elevator pitch that tells potential backers what your project is, why it’s important, and how it will be executed.

    Write in the active voice and be clear about your project’s objective and what makes it so compelling.
  1. Use strong visuals.
    People are visual creatures. Use strong visuals on your project page to capture attention and convey your message.

    Strong imagery and video go a long way to appealing to an interested backer’s emotions while crafting a story.

    The Volterman wallet remains among the more popular (and cringe-worthy) Kickstarter videos of all time.

    Why it works.
    It’s cheeky. For me, it’s the obvious voiceover of the main character (and also the fact I lose my wallet so much!). And having an annoyingly memorable catchphrase, I’m not Superman; I’m Volterman helps a lot!
  2. Be clear about your goals.
    Be clear about your fundraising goals and how the money will be used. Potential backers want to know that their money will be put to good use.
  3. Tell a story.
    Your project page should tell a story that engages potential backers and convinces them to support your project.

    You want to emotionally connect with your audience. If you’re emotionally invested and connected to your Crowdfunding project, find a way to channel that emotion in your messaging.

    Make people feel something, dammit!
  4. Offer rewards.
    Offer rewards to potential backers to incentivize them to support your project. Choose rewards that are relevant to your project and will appeal to your target audience.

    I discuss this a little bit further down in this article.
  5. Use social proof.
    Social proof is a powerful marketing tool. Use it on your project page to show potential backers that your project is popular and has the support of others.
  6. Be active on social media.
    Social media is a great way to promote your project and engage

Setting a fundraising goal

A photo of two people reviewing their crowdfunding goals and performance indicator chart.

What are you raising funds for? How much do you need to raise for your project to be successful?

But what are you going to do with those funds? What will you create? What is your promise to your campaign backers?

Setting a fundraising goal

  1. Realistic Your crowdfunding goal should be realistic. It should be based on your project’s costs and your ability to promote your campaign.
  2. Achievable Your crowdfunding goal should be achievable. If you set your goal too high, you may not reach it. If you set your goal too low, you may not raise enough money to execute your project.
  3. Flexible Your crowdfunding goal should be flexible. You may need to adjust your goal as your campaign progresses.
  4. Relevant Your crowdfunding goal should be relevant to your project. It should cover your project’s costs and allow you to execute it as planned.
  5. Time-bound Your crowdfunding goal should be time-bound. Set a campaign deadline and ensure your goal is achievable within that timeframe.

Developing a Marketing Strategy

Image of a board with sticky notes with various crowdfunding goals and initiatives on it

When developing a marketing plan or strategy for any project, you need to start with the end in mind—you need to identify your success metrics and work back from there.

Example of a Crowdfunding Marketing Strategy

I like to keep things laser-focused and simple. Thus, it’s easier to begin working backward and setting various tasks and milestones to help you achieve your campaign’s ultimate goal.

Our goal is to raise a substantial amount of funding so that we can produce something valuable for our backers, and the proceeds will provide substantial benefit.

Goal: Raise $100,000 USD
So that we can: make 200 weight blankets for our project backers
And create: a thirty percent profit (or $30,000) to put towards warehouse expansion to create more weighted blankets.

Your idea of what you’re creating is just as important as why.

You don’t need to follow the formula above. However, I believe setting a clear goal and understanding what benefits it creates for your business and your backers make the planning and marketing exercise easier to tackle and a little less nebulous, and a lot less vague.

Tactics for Marketing Your Crowdfunding Campaign

Image of person playing chess to signify crowdfunding marketing tactics at work

You must understand your audience to make the most of your marketing tactics. You need to put on your ideal customer’s hat to understand what matters to them and motivates them to take action!

Understanding Your Backer Segments

Understanding your audience segments will help you create better and more specific marketing messages that attract the right people to your crowdfunding initiative and persuade them to back up your project.

Marketing to the right audience at the right time with the right message is key to a successful crowdfunding campaign.

Ask these questions:

  • Who are the folks who will back your campaign?
  • How old are they?
  • What do our backers do for a living?
  • Why will our backers care about this campaign? What emotional string does our campaign tug for our backers?
  • What matters to our backers? Are they nerds? Do they care about financial literacy? Do they go nuts over tech? Art?

Understanding your audience will help you craft the perfect campaign that piques the interest of your potential backers.

Crowdfunding Marketing Tactics

Use the following tips to keep your campaign top of mind.

  1. Create a social media profile for your campaign.
    Make it easy for people to learn about your campaign by creating a social media profile for it. Use this profile to post updates and promote your campaign.
  2. Utilize email marketing.
    Email is still a powerful marketing tool. Use it to reach out to your network and promote your campaign.
  3. Create rewards levels for your campaign.
    Creating various reward levels can help you get greater buy-in and donations from your backers. Offering unique rewards such as rare merchandise, bespoke products like illustrations, hand-crafted goods, etc., or limited edition products will incentivize your backers to spend more on your campaign.
  4. Use video to grab attention.
    People are more likely to watch a video than read text. Use video to tell your story and capture attention.
  5. Create a press kit.
    A press kit is a great way to get media coverage for your campaign. Include photos, a press release, and other relevant information.
  6. Reach out to influencers.
    Influencers can help you reach a larger audience. Identify relevant influencers and reach out to them to promote your campaign.
  7. Use paid advertising.
    Paid advertising is a great way to reach a Paid advertising is a great way to reach new and interested audiences. Use it to promote your campaign on social media and search engines.
  8. Use crowdfunding platforms.
    Crowdfunding platforms are a great way to reach new audiences. Choose a platform that’s relevant to your campaign and promote your campaign on it.
  9. Create a landing page.
    A landing page is a great way to capture leads and promote your campaign. Use it to drive traffic to your campaign page and collect email addresses.
  10. Host an event.
    Events are a great way to promote your campaign and get people involved. Host a launch party, a fundraiser, or another type of event to spread the word about your campaign. Consider using Meetup.com to schedule an event to get more eyeballs on it.
  11. Get creative.
    There are endless ways to promote your campaign. Get creative and try something new to reach your audience.

Wrapping it Up

Creating a successful campaign is still an endeavor with no guarantees.

Even the best executed, most well-conceived campaigns fail. But if you take the time to research your audience, define your goals, and execute, you stand an excellent chance of delivering a successful Crowdfunding Campaign that delights your backers and stakeholders alike.

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