Whilst creating a crowdfunding campaign may not seem like rocket science, if it’s not successful your company could miss out on thousands of pounds worth of investment. When it comes to your business, it’s probably not worth taking the risk – read over our five simple tips to make sure you get the most out of your crowdfunding round.
Social Media
Frankly, this one shouldn’t need to be said – a start-up company without a solid social media presence is a no-go right from the off. Social media is a free platform to sell your company, advertise your brand, reach out to potential customers and attract new business – it’s essential. When investors see your crowdfunding page on a platform, offer easy links to your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn so they can get a sense of what you’re about. Let your company’s personality shine through on each site, and update it reguarly to show that you’re staying on top of it. Use it to engage with people and create a brand presence. Through social media, its easy to reach out to smaller online websites and magazines that cover crowdfunding and business news – it could be that they need your story as much as you need the publicity. Trend hashtags, engage on Facebook, set up online Q&As and webcasts to get people involved.
Shoreditch Grind have successfully raised 159% of their target. Their tweets are displayed below:
[twitter-timeline id=628562291378753536 username=Shoreditchgrind]
A good video
Most crowdfunding sites offer the chance to put a video on your page – this can be a great advantage, so use it. Clearly, when raising money over the internet you can’t demonstrate your business or product to each investor individually; the next best way to persuade people of the value of your company is through a persuasive marketing video, effectively demonstrating exactly what it is you do. It is the chance to create an engaging visual definition of your company and get potential investors involved. Whether your video is emotional, comical or clear and factual, a video is an indispensable way to demonstrate what it is that your company does. And even better – there’s no need to invest in a professional to do it for you; there are plenty of video editing sites and apps available for free that, with a bit of creativity, will do the job just as well.
Restaurant chain Filmore & Union have just finished a crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube and managed to raise 86% more than their funding target. Here is their promotional video:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kklk1Ax7OdQ?feature=player_embedded&w=640&h=360]
Communication
Whether it’s good news or bad, it is essential to make sure your backers and potential backers are kept in the loop. Post regular updates on your crowdfunding page, and make sure you keep the process going after the campaign has ended – people want to know where their hard earned cash is going. Interact through thank-you emails and social media, ask questions and increase engagement through two-way dialogue.
Introduce the team
Make sure there are clear profiles of your key team members on your fundraising page. People love to put a face to the name, and it creates a personal point of contact so that investors can go direct to members to find out more. It’s all about making your company accessible and engaging – nothing works better in business than cultivating strong personal relationships.
Personality
Last – but definitely not least – give your page some personality. Tell potential investors the story behind your company, build an image of how you started and show them where you want to go. Dry facts and figures may be necessary, but without a hook to pull someone in it’s unlikely that potential investors will even get round to reading them. Have a sense of humour, captivate their interest and engage your investors and make sure you illustrate your company in a way that means they just can’t resist investing.