Indiegogo is one of the top crowdfunding platforms out there. In comparison to Kickstarter, it offers more fundraising options and can be used by creators around the world. The website also provides a variety of tools to help get the word out about your crowdfunding campaign and analyze the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
However, just because it’s super easy to create an Indiegogo campaign, doesn’t mean that it’s equally easy to raise funds! You need to prepare a marketing plan ahead of time, unless you have a large established audience or social network. Check out some of the tips for getting started!
1. Create an “Indiegogo 101” Document
When you are initially marketing the campaign to your social network, I think that you’ll find that most people don’t know what Indiegogo or crowdfunding is. Even though you and me know about it, it’s still a relatively new concept and isn’t quite mainstream yet.
You’re going to need to fill people in on what Indiegogo is, how it works, why they should pledge, and how they can. The best way to do that is to develop a one page overview or video tutorial that you can send to people in your social network.
Make it easy as pie for people to pledge to your project, and don’t forget to sell them on the awesome perks they can claim when they do!
I recommend sending out this document before your launch, so that they can pledge the day your campaign goes live.
2. Study GogoFactor and Why it Matters
In the past, we’ve given a few tips as to how to get your project trending on Indiegogo. You can only do this by understanding how gogofactor works.
“The gogofactor is an algorithm that helps campaigns achieve greater visibility on Indiegogo.com—and reach audiences who may find them interesting.
The gogofactor is influenced by several aspects, including the scope of a campaign’s social engagement (such as Facebook likes and shares), and global reach.” – Source.
Your marketing efforts aren’t just to get more people to your page. They can also influence how you are positioned on the actual website itself.
At the very minimum, you must have a Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ account for your company or project. I also recommend setting up a website and scheduling regular updates (minimum 1 per week) on your campaign page. Don’t forget to encourage your existing supports to leave a comment on your project!
Although the algorithm is proprietary, one can guess that Indiegogo factors in the quantitative factors available on the project page like how many times it’s been emailed, embedded, linked to, followed, and how much traffic the page is receiving.
3. Choose The Right Outreach Medium
No two categories or projects are alike. Whereas one project might receive traction on technology blogs leading to pledges, others might do better on Pinterest, Facebook, or Twitter.
Figuring out the the best place to promote your project and the best community to engage with is all part of the learning process. Although you ultimately need to be on every platform that is related to your niche, I think you’ll notice the 80/20 rule, where the majority of your “stranger” pledges will come from one or two outreach techniques.
For example, the Trunkster campaign which raised over $400k on Kickstarter reported that Twitter was their most effective platform for promotion. On the other hand, The Hoodsie, which raised $45k on Kickstarter, reported that Facebook was their best promotion outlet.
4. Build an Email List
Even though social media networks are great and can result in a viral campaign if your fans re-share your messages, I think that email trumps other methods of delivery every time.
It’s not uncommon to see 20-30% open rates via email messages and anywhere from 2-10% click through rates. That’s pretty decent for a single message. Those number are higher for smaller lists.
You can begin building an email list on your project’s accompanying website by using Aweber and linking it up with a sign-up form.
You can also schedule automatic messages for new subscribers or offer a free product should someone decide to sign up to your list.
5. Use Video and Image Updates
According to “socially sorted,” a leading Australian blog, “Our focus has shifted from Social Media to VISUAL Social Media. We are drawn to “visual content” online in more ways than ever before.”
In addition, the Buffer blog reported that with images received 18% more clicks than those without and 150% more retweets.
Taking pictures of your team working on the product, making early prototypes, and doing video updates are awesome ways to engage your existing supporters and encourage them to share your mission with the world.
These simple updates will also keep you relevant! It could mean the difference between one of your backers mentioning your project to someone at a party, who then decides to write about it, or them forgetting shortly after they click the “donate” button.
Further Reading
If you really want to succeed and are eager to get your hands on more tips, check out these Indiegogo tips for beginners. I also recommend going over some of the common preparation mistakes that Indiegogo creators make (click here).
Let me know what kind of project you are going to launch in the comments below!
