5 tips to maximizing your fundraising potential while marketing …
Congratulations! You’ve decided to take your campaigning to the next level using one of LauchGood’s curated marketing packages. So what does this mean? In a nutshell, it means that your campaign is about to get a lot more exposure … more eyeballs … more people learning about your cause/product/service … it means the campaign will be under one big spotlight for a limited amount of time!
Now, things may have slowed down a bit or are just ramping up in your campaign, whatever the case, now is the time to make sure your campaign is in tip-top shape before you start marketing with LaunchGood.
Here are 5 tips that you should consider before your marketing campaign is underway.
Tip 1 — Spruce it up a bit!
Don’t be afraid to take an objective look at your campaign or reach out to your coach and ask if there are any changes you should consider making content wise or visually to the campaign. Ask yourself what does my campaign convey visually when people look at it? Make sure the campaign is organized and visually appealing at a glance. In other words, it should be easy to scan and understand.
A note on pictures and visuals — Make sure you are using emotionally engaging photos, especially for your main campaign image, which everyone sees when the campaign is shared. Also, make sure the campaign has engaging photos within the story that our designers can use for your banner if you’ve selected that marketing option.
Tip 2 — Make sure the campaign is clear and concise
To expand on tip 1, make sure the campaign is clear and concise. It is clear why you are raising funds? What are the main points of importance for your cause/product/service?
Maybe you have already received a type of hidden feedback such as people not really understanding your cause after they read the campaign page. If this is the case, your message could be more clear. If you aren’t sure, ask an acquaintance or even better, a stranger, what they think after viewing the campaign page.
Consider writing in sections and using headlines, bullets, and pictures/visuals to get your point across in a concise manner.
Remember, less is usually more with crowdfunding campaigns so keep your sections more broad to get your points across, rather than drilling down into fine details.
Tip 3 — Lower the goal!
Before you stop reading let me explain!
While it might seem counterintuitive to lower the goal when you’ve determined that you need a certain amount to meet your objectives, in my experience as a campaign coach, this is one of the best strategies for increasing traction and attracting supporters to your cause.
The problem with large goals — When supporters visit the campaign page it can be intimidating to give if the goal is too large and there isn’t much traction (traction = # of supports + amount raised). Not surprisingly, when supporters visit a page with a lot of traction or a manageable goal they are more inclined to give and support your cause.
The strategy — For medium-goal campaigns ($5k — $25k) start with a goal of around $10k more than what you’ve already raised. For larger-goal campaigns ($25k+) Start with a goal of $10k-$20k more than you’ve already raised.
For example, if a campaign needs to raise $25k and they have raised $5k before starting marketing, I recommend lowering the goal to $15k and then incrementally raising it by $5k as they meet their goals.
Tip 4 — Reach out to your networks again (emphasis on your personal network)
In my experience, this is the step that many campaign creators shy away from but really shouldn’t!
Most campaign creators launch their campaigns and shy away from doing meaningful outreach within their personal network. In fact, the emphasis is usually on the social network.
The problem — While reaching out to your social network should be part of your overall strategy, neglecting your personal network is often a big mistake. Think of your personal network as low hanging fruit. They are easy to engage and rally for support because they know you, they know likely know your cause (or it is easy to explain it to them one-on-one), they trust you and interact with you on a regular basis. Social networks are your followers on Twitter, Facebook and the like but they may not know you personally nor are they very familiar with your cause, therefore, it isn’t as easy to engage them.
The solution — reconnect with your personal network, ask them to support by donating if they haven’t already. Also, ask them to support by sharing. Explain to them that you are doing a marketing push and you need just one donation and one share for each person during this effort. I promise it will go a long way.
Tip 5 — Set the campaign to 4 weeks or less
For this tip I want you to think about donor perception. If you saw a campaign with 90 days remaining what would you think?
I will tell you from personal and professional experience, the average supporter thinks, “I can come back later and support …” or “I have time until the campaign ends …” Bottom line, having more than 4 weeks at a time causes procrastination and may cause a perception that the campaign is stale.
It is human nature to procrastinate, period!
Setting your campaign to 28 days or less conveys an idea of the timeliness of your cause. This means more immediate action by supporters and less procrastination. It’s also helpful to you as the creator in holding yourself accountable for doing your best within the time limit you’ve set.
Ready, set, go for it!
I hope these tips were helpful and that you will consider implementing them in your campaign prior to and during your marketing efforts!
Be sure to reach out to me or the team at support@launchgood.com for more details, clarification, or any other questions you may have, we love hearing from our campaign creators!
