For those who are new to the crowdfunding industry, it may seem like starting a crowdfunding campaign can be done overnight and that success will come to anyone with a good idea. In reality, creating and running a campaign on Kickstarter or Indiegogo is a full-time job that ends in failure more often than not (Kickstarter’s current success rate is less than 36%). To help even these odds, it is a smart idea to enlist the help of crowdfunding professionals by hiring an agency to help out with your campaign. The benefits of an agency are endless, but below are some of the reasons we find agencies to be helpful.
Everyday Tasks
When it comes to crowdfunding, there are a lot of little tasks that need to be completed every day in order to have a successful campaign. For example, it is critical that you update all social media platforms regularly, if not every single day. In crowdfunding, getting as many eyes on your product as possible on a small budget is imperative- social media can help achieve that as long as you are posting engaging content on a regular basis. A crowdfunding agency will have social media experts that know what type of content potential backers want to see and can dedicate their time to improving engagement on social media.
You should also be communicating with backers every single day on your campaign page. This communication comes in many different forms, from responding to private messages, to answering comments and posting updates about the progress of your campaign. Transparency is key to keeping backers happy- let them know what roadblocks you’ve hit, ask what colors or features they want to see for your product in the future or just write an update to say thank you. You can never go wrong with communicating too much, but if you don’t communicate enough or you aren’t honest, backers will be angry. If you don’t have the time to make sure your backers and potential backers are satisfied, an agency will be able take over to make sure your campaign is transparent.
Campaign Page
Your campaign page on Kickstarter or Indiegogo can be the make-it-or-break-it factor of your entire project. It is very important that you spend a lot of time thinking about what you’re going to say and how you’re going to convey that message. A crowdfunding agency is going to know exactly what information needs to be expressed, what image-to-text ratio will be most appealing to potential backers and the optimal way to set up the entire page, including rewards. People aren’t going to invest in your product without having every piece of information they need to make the decision, and they aren’t going to want to go looking for it. Your campaign page needs to be an all-encompassing guide so potential backers know your product is right for them.
Once potential backers decide to be a part of your journey and back your project, they should not be overwhelmed and confused by your rewards section. An optimal rewards set-up is very important to making the check-out process smooth- any bumps in the road can make a backer change their mind. An agency will sit down with you and discuss the best way to set up a rewards section based on what works and what you want to offer.
Press
Bringing publicity to your project is the crux of its success- there are so many projects to browse through on Indiegogo and Kickstarter, which is why you need a media outlet to bring readers to your page specifically. This is why pitching should be a full-time job the month before your campaign goes live- so you have press coverage secured for launch day rather than waiting until your campaign is a few weeks old. Pitching is an extensive process that requires researching appropriate journalists and creating personalized, eye-catching pitches that will result in press hits. Even when done correctly and thoughtfully, you may not have much success with pitching if you don’t have any prior relationships with journalists. A crowdfunding agency can not only help alleviate the stress and time dedicated to pitching, but they will also have relationships and connections with media outlets around the country to help get the press hits that will garner the most publicity.
Crowdfunding an idea is not something that should be taken lightly or done part-time- it is an around-the-clock job that requires a lot of attention to detail. If, as a creator, you are not willing or able to put in the time and effort to successfully crowdfund your product, contact a full-service crowdfunding agency to provide support.
For more information on how to pick an agency that is the right fit for you, contact us here.
