We are all adapting to our life inside, as we are familiarising the walls of our homes in this lockdown world. Our daily routines, the way we work and our human interactions have all seen a dramatic change as we continue to take physical isolation measures to ensure the virus doesn’t spread any further. But our online interactions are higher than ever and as we all are increasing our average screen times, there has never been a more interesting time to run a crowdfunding campaign.
What are the tools you need to run an online campaign? A smartphone and an internet connection, some patience and determination to put in the work, and an idea that you’re passionate enough about to see through. Have an idea of the kind of audience you think will be most interested in your project or take the time to do some research on your existing networks to find out some facts.
Read on for some great reasons why you should be building your audience online and launching your next campaign now!
1. Your online brand and presence is something you can be working on anywhere, anytime
As you sit at home in your trackies and t-shirt, you can curate a beautiful online narrative for your personal brand, startup business or latest initiative. There is a wealth of free information available to teach you the basics of promotion via all the different social channels, now is the time to commit your time. We love tools like Canva and Crello that make it easier and more accessible than ever to create beautiful designs and animations that are on-brand and attract more people to your campaign.
Attract followers and supporters via social media, by identifying where your target audience is engaging the most and creating regular content for that platform. Are you a visual artist with some awesome daily drawings or sketches? Post regular Instagram updates or maybe create a YouTube channel with some drawing tutorials. Provide value and personalise your brand, so that your audience will easily recognise and resonate with you in the future. Use post-scheduling tools to plan exactly when and where you will post your content to ensure you can engage with the right people when you want to.
A crowdfunding campaign is a great way to gauge interest in your new product or idea, but if you’re at the very early stages you may want to consider our new Waitlist tool to capture interested users before you launch your crowdfunding campaign.
2. No downside to putting your brand out there
The worst that can happen is that you attract a few new followers or start a conversation about your new project online. Self-promotion is one of those things that can be hard to navigate, when you may not want to be pointing the spotlight at yourself. Find an angle or lens to look at your project or brand so that you feel comfortable sharing content regularly and building your own unique voice.
At Pozible, we believe in the All-or-Nothing model of crowdfunding as you may have known. This allows project creators to build their supporters trust by knowing that their pledges are only captured if their goals are reached. If you don’t reach your target, there are no fees to pay and nothing else lost.
Once you reach your minimum target, you can make use of our great Stretch Targets feature to increase the amount you want to raise and communicate that with your audience. A great recent example of this was the successful project Finders Distillery who hit their initial target of $15K within one week of launching and were able to increase their target goal to raise a total of $22,506 from 179 supporters.
3. Tell your story, lead people through the fog
Be a voice that people listen to in these difficult times, by being proactive and setting the tone for how to conduct yourself during this lockdown. Give your friends and followers a reason to be excited during this time and provide some entertainment, education and reason to share your campaign.
You can do this by creating engaging images and video content, as we mentioned earlier there are heaps of great resources online to get your creative juices flowing. The goal here should be to tell your story in a unique way that will inspire others and compel them to act as well. Be creative and include as much information for your audience to access, so that they can understand your project and the ultimate goal.
A recently successful campaign by our platform partner 10×10 Philanthropy who made a pivot from holding live crowdfunding charity events, run by their team of young professionals to raise funds for innovative grassroots charities by hosting 100+ guests at these inspiring events. They went on to create their first digital campaign which raised $10,850 in total for local organisation Two Good Co to support them in providing nutritious meals to vulnerable people.
4. Easier than ever to start a crowdfunding campaign
Our approachable and charming team are on hand to help with all your questions you may have and to provide you with all the resources you need to plan and launch your campaign. If you want to talk over your idea or just ask some questions about crowdfunding and building an online audience in general, book in a free confidential consultation and we will contact you when it suits you best!
We also have some great checklists to help you along the way once you’ve started your draft campaign. Everything from planning your promotional strategy, building lists of PR contacts and thinking about your launch strategy to get the most engagement in the early stages of your campaign!
5. Encourage people to support local projects and receive great rewards in return!
The way forward and out of this time of #socialdistancing is to create new and exciting opportunities for people to support. Now is the time for innovation and uniting people in a common interest or cause. By educating people on why and how they can donate, and then following through with a great product/service/experience as a reward you are providing value that should be encouraged. Make your supporters feel part of a community and keep them engaged after your campaign finishes.
It’s important to be transparent and upfront with your goal-setting and what you can deliver as well; make realistic promises. If you need to change your schedule or run into any unforeseen hiccups, your audience will be more forgiving if you are keeping them in the loop and providing them with regular updates.
Treat your supporters like your new best friends and provide an easy and reliable line of communication so they can ask questions or you can let them know of any new developments!
