Guest Blog by Brandon T. Adams www.keystothecrowd.com
It’s a Whole New Era
As recently as five years ago, if you needed funding for your product you were going to have to grovel. From seeking a little help from mom, dad, grandma or old Uncle Moneybags to going through the arduous process of applying for a loan, getting a start-up funded required a ton of legwork without any idea whether or not you were going to get what you needed.
In the “olden days” you had to scramble. With the advent of crowdfunding – it has literally EXPLODED in the last couple of years – you now have an opportunity to work smarter in getting funding for your project.
4 Steps to Success
Keep in mind; each of these steps is necessary to succeed with crowdfunding. I’m including the key points in bullets.
F = Forethought
- Prepare your campaign at least 45-60 days before your launch date.
- Create a landing page or website for more information and updates on your campaign
- Capture email contacts so you can send updates about your campaign and present special offers to encourage day 1 pledges
Put together a professional video, have pictures, text, and audio on your campaign page explaining idea and your story.
U = Utilize Marketing Plan
- Promote your campaign to the max and let the world know about it.
- A great source to use for getting a lot of attraction on day one is Thunder Clap.
- Have a goal to reach 30-40% of your total funding goal within the first 48 hours of your campaign.
- Leverage your audience and other people’s audiences through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, periscope, and any other social media platform.
- Beyond social media try to get on TV, Radio, Podcasts, in Newspapers, and any other media outlet.
N = Narrative
- You need to tell a great story!
- The best way to tell a great story is through a great quality video that is 2 ½ to 3 ½ minutes long at most.
- The video must be entertaining whether you make it funny, emotional, or inspirational.
- Tell your story and let others know why they need to back your campaign.
- Don’t beg for the money but instead show them why your product or business is so irresistible and they won’t want to miss out on it.
- Explain 3-4 major features of your idea and be seen as an expert you has the capability to deliver everything you are promising the crowd.
- Beyond the video have plenty of content below that supports your video and tells your story even more.
D = Deliver Value
- Offer discounted product and exclusive offers that you only offer during your crowdfunding campaign.
- Be creative and give customized swag, autographs, consulting packages, or if you have any celebrity friends get them to hang out with the backer for a day.
- Think outside the box and offer things that you can deliver with your own sweat equity. For example you can offer 1-hour consultations, coaching packages, online products, or even offer to come speak to the pledgers community.
- The more reward levels the better: You should have at least 15-20 pledge levels with the smallest being a $1 and the largest being $10,000.
Bio: Brandon T. Adams is an Entrepreneur, Author, and Founder of www.keystothecrowd.com. Learn more about the FUND formula here: http://www.amazon.com/Keys-The-Crowd-Unlocking-Crowdfunding-ebook/dp/B011DG59L4
