A smart campaign structure
No matter how smart your idea is, people will only invest in your crowdfunding project when they believe it’ll be successful. Do you send your campaign to your entire network when there’s no money on the progress bar yet? Then maybe many people will think: “Nobody has made a donation yet…it’s probably not a good idea, so maybe it’s better to wait”. Just like an empty terrace or a lonely sidewalk street artist without an audience. It’s smarter to start silently and to approach your friends, family and loyal fans personally, so you can make a good start. In the second stage you’ll trigger a larger network of colleagues, members of your sports club and Facebook friends to participate. In the last stage of your campaign you can reach people that you don’t know yet by using local media. These three steps, taken in the right order, will turn your campaign into a success.
”It is hard work. Some people think that when you start crowdfunding, the money will be rolling in. That is really not true. You have to work very hard for each euro. If you are really motivated and you are focused on making your campaign happen, then it will happen. Otherwise it won’t.”
Stage 0: Before going online, make sure your first donors are standing by.
Before you go online, you can do a lot of things in advance. In the ideal situation you’ve thought everything through and everything’s ready before you go online. Read more in this article about making a campaign planning.
The start of a campaign can be quite overwhelming and intense, so it’s a good thing when activities are already planned and messages have been written. In this stage, it’s also important to find out if people are interested to contribute to your initiative, and if so how, or with what amount. We recommend that you know from the first 20 to 30% in advance who’s going to contribute.
Is it still unclear? Then it’s best to wait before going online and do more research first.
In this stage you can also think about your target groups. Who will you address with your campaign, where will you find these people and when is a good moment to ask for their attention? Plan ahead as much as possible, so you know, during the campaign, what to do and how to respond instantly when dips or spontaneous chances happen. You can also start thinking about which local media channels you want to use. Read more about when to make the steps to successfully build your campaign.
Stage 1: Launching the campaign: close friends and loyal fans 0–20%
Once your campaign is online it’s important to get the progress bar running. People who have been involved from the start, like family and close friends, can help you with that. Share when your campaign is going online and ask them to donate that specific day. It’s important that you have a short and tight story about your project so you can convince these close friends on your idea and your plan. The best way to do that is to approach them personally (face to face, via telephone or email).
Use this stage to test your story. Do you already have a snappy and powerful story to convince them? Don’t just ask for money, but also ask for help spreading your idea.
Why it’s so important to get your counter running and to fill your campaign page? These next pictures show it clearly:
Nobody wants to be the first to sit on an empty terrace. Only when it looks crowded and lively, people will join in. That goes for online too. Seeing an empty page (no updates, no money on the progress bar) will probably make people hesitant and perhaps come back later. Does your page already have pictures and videos, does it have updates and reactions and do you already have money on the counter? Then, chances are higher that people will join and contribute. People like to be part of a success and also like to join a group of people.
Stage 2: Tapping into a larger network (20–50%).
Once you’ve perfected your message and raised part of your target amount among family and friends, you can shift your focus to a larger network. Think of colleagues, your sports club or your social media contacts.
You can further your reach by asking friends and families to share your message, for example through email or social media. Because you want to reach as many people as possible, these friends of friends are quite important. In stage 2 you’ve been working on your campaign for some time, so it’s important to access your network differently. Psychologically speaking, people will donate sooner to something they feel to be successful. Make sure you share those success stories with your network so they will want to be part of your successful project. “We already have 20 donors, will you support us too?”
Read more about offline and online activities you can organize.
Stage 3: Tapping into a new and unknown network (50–100%)
Have you enlarged your network? Then focus on your (carefully prepared list of) local media. Make a list of local newspapers, radio and television stations and find the right contacts. Write a short and funny message about your project and make sure you seduce the reader with the very first sentence. Then, send it to the local media. Be clear on what the goal of your project is, why you want to do it and where and when events will take place. Also, be very clear that you use crowdfunding and that you can use all the help you can get. So, mobilize your audience to help. Last but not least, it’s important to use a live campaign link in your message and ask journalists to publish it so interested people can actually find your project.
Is your project deadline approaching? Then take advance of the urgency: it’s the last chance for people to be part of or contribute to this important initiative.
Do you have more questions on building your campaign? Then contact us. We like to think with you!
