Six Tips for Crowdfunding Success

by

14 January 2019

Start Ups

Crowdfunding

Almost every start-up company these days considers crowdfunding as an avenue to receive funding. It is possible that an entrepreneur has already exhausted traditional sources of funds such as bank loans or peer-to-peer loans, and that crowdfunding is already the last resort to get a much-needed push for success. Fortunately, there are several crowdfunding sites to choose from, and each of them has unique features that work for specific types of campaigns.

One of the main advantages of crowdfunding sites is that they will allow you to see the big picture and learn first-hand how your product or idea gets received by your target audience. Depending on how good or how poor the initial reaction by users is, you can make improvements and adjustments to increase your chances of success when the time comes for you to launch to a mass market officially. But you need to keep in mind that the crowdfunding formula doesn’t always work for all, no matter how unique or exciting your idea is. To increase your chances of success, consider the following tips.

1. Learn from other successful campaigns:

You don’t always need to rely on your own devices to come up with a successful campaign. Copying and tweaking the ideas of other successful entrepreneurs on crowdfunding sites can help you get the boost you need. For example, you can test how well your backers respond to different kinds of rewards, or you can watch videos and success stories from other campaigns.

2. Do a lot of self-promotion:

While crowdfunding sites will do a minimal amount of promotion, you can’t expect this to be enough marketing for your campaign. You’ll need to do the legwork if you want your campaign to reach media personnel, get featured on social media sites, and gain as much traction with users as possible.

3. Produce a stunning video:

It is a proven fact that investors on crowdfunding sites prefer to watch short videos regarding campaigns they are supporting. If you want to attract a large following for your product or idea, you need to begin by producing a high-quality and content-rich video about your campaign.

4. Don’t make hasty decisions:

Timing is also essential if you want to be successful in your crowdfunding campaign. There is generally no perfect time to launch a campaign, but you need to make sure that you have devoted enough time to develop your idea before you start asking for support from backers.

5. Plan your strategy after launching the campaign:

If you don’t have a plan of action after starting the campaign, you may find yourself lost regarding the next steps you need to take. You need to have a contingency plan when you encounter challenges and, if possible, hire a marketing manager who will handle the promotional aspects of the campaign.

6. Patience is key:

Aside from doing what you need to do to tap backers and investors for your project, you also need a considerable amount of patience and perseverance to succeed in crowdfunding. You can’t expect a miracle to happen overnight. In crowdfunding, there is no set timeline, and every step of the way is a learning process.

Read Also:

I enjoy writing and I write quality guest posts on topics of my interest and passion. I have been doing this since my college days. My special interests are in health, fitness, food and following the latest trends in these areas. I am an editor at Content Rally.

View all posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related

Start-up Business

Start-up Business Management: How to Reduce Risk and Guarantee Success

When it comes to running a business - especially a start-up business - guaranteeing success is much easier said than done. There are those who would claim that managing a start-up business is often the most challenging period for a business owner, and they would not be wrong. However, it does not have to be a miserable time the whole way through! Managing a start-up business is all about prioritizing a few key things while ensuring that you are not bogged down by the stress of business management. Here are just a few ways in which you can reduce risk and guarantee success. Social media is your friend: No matter the industry, it can be challenging to market your business without the right kind of platform to support your efforts. It is especially true for start-up businesses without the necessary resources to go for traditional marketing. Fortunately, you can make use of a social media platform to ensure that your business has the marketing and brand exposure that it needs without having to spend a penny. Keep in mind that to ensure the success of your social media account, it is required that your account remains active to communicate with potential clients and customers. Considering it is a bridge between your company and your supporters, the effort is vital. Read more: Using Social Media To Promote Start-Up Businesses Modern technology has more to offer than social media: While social media can go a long way to marketing your company, there is still the issue of dealing with the most tedious factors of your business. If you want a method to streamline different processes to make it easier for you and the people working under you, there is no better solution than the use of business management software. With the help of eworksmanager.co.uk and other quality service providers, you can easily find the right type of software for your company. Want to effectively deal with asset management? What about mobile inventory? Or communication between departments? Business software always has you covered. Reduce risk by taking care of your employees: One of the biggest mistakes that many inexperienced owners tend to make is they do not give their employees enough attention due to all the pressing matters that come with start-up businesses. Those with experience in the matter will tell you that taking care of your employees first will ensure that you will have more than enough help to deal with other issues. Add some incentives, and be sure to recognize the hard work of your employees. Loyalty is not something to be taken lightly. While it is true that managing a start-up business can be quite stressful, the methods above will ensure that you have a means of taking care of the issue without suffering too much stress. Whether it is risk reduction through employee incentives or business software, you can guarantee the success of your business by giving it the focus and attention it needs to thrive. Read Also: Top 5 Types Of Startup Business Loans Effective Ways To Utilize Digital Marketing 6 Things You Should Know Before Starting A Business

READ MOREDetails
The Definitive Lean Startup Guide

The Definitive Lean Startup Guide: Everything You Need To Know

The lean startup methodology is revolutionizing the way companies launch and grow. But what exactly makes this new methodology so valuable? Lean startup provides both inspiration and practical tools to make that achievable. So if you're gearing up for a new venture, take a close look at how this approach can help you maximize your chances of success! While the journey may present challenges, the potential rewards make it all worthwhile. Read on to get the full rundown on maximizing lean principles to build your next business. Introduction To Lean Start-Up:-  At its core, lean startup is all about taking an experimental approach to creating and managing startups. However, the methodology emphasizes rapid iteration, customer feedback, and eagerly testing ideas to reduce risks and uncertainty. Thereafter, take a look at the chart below to get more clarity on the major benefits of lean startup methodology. Some standout lean startup principles include: Validated Learning:  Rigorously testing hypotheses and getting hard data from real customers to validate if a product or strategy is truly viable. Failures become learnings. Build-Measure-Learn:  Using feedback loops to build minimum viable products (MVPs). This helps in measuring their real performance and learn from results to improve the next iteration. Innovation Accounting:  Tracking meaningful startup metrics like customer acquisition cost rather than vanity metrics like total users. Persevere Or Pivot:  Using validated learnings to determine whether to persevere on the current path or pivot by changing the product, strategy, or even the entire business model. Thus, following these core concepts allows startups to maximize learning while eliminating wasteful practices that drain resources. Comparing Traditional And Lean Startup Approaches This table provides a clear visual comparison between the two approaches, highlighting their key differences. Focus In-depth upfront planning Rapid experimentation Traditional Business Planning Lean Startup Methodology Decisions Based on projections and assumptions Based on real customer data Progress Follow a fixed roadmap Continually re-evaluate based on feedback This comparison table highlights the major contrasts between traditional planning and the lean startup methodology in a visual format. Harnessing Innovation Accounting For Lean Startup Success One important lean startup principle is innovation accounting. Unlike traditional accounting, which focuses on financial metrics, innovation accounting uses lean startup methodology. Besides, it helps to track actionable metrics that offer insights into the startup’s progress and customer response. Some examples of metrics used in innovation accounting include: Customer acquisition cost Churn rate Lifetime customer value Active usage metrics By diligently tracking these metrics, lean startups can gather the data they need to determine whether to persevere on their current path or pivot based on customer feedback. Thus, innovation accounting provides validated learnings that inform smart business decisions. It is opposed to vanity metrics like total customers or sales. The Lean Process Step-By-Step While the lean startup methodology is flexible and adaptable, there is a rough process that generally guides its implementation: Step 1. Identify The Problem The first step is to take time to clearly identify and articulate the specific customer problem or need that your startup aims to address. Now, you must ask questions like: What underlying frustration or pain point are customers experiencing? What needs are going unmet in the market? What improvements do customers wish existed? The issue should be urgent pervasive in the target market. Moreover, they are aligned to a sizable potential customer base. Hence, avoid vague problem statements. Get ultra-clear on the exact problem. Step 2. Define The Solution Once the problem is precisely defined, brainstorm potential solutions. Outline an initial product or service concept that could feasibly address that problem in a novel way. Moreover, think creatively about different approaches, features, and minimum requirements that could satisfy customer needs. At the same time, focus more on figuring out the right broad solution rather than detailed requirements at this stage. Step 3. Build An MVP Next, construct a minimum viable product (MVP) to test the solution. The MVP is a prototype that has just enough critical features to validate the core idea and start the learning process. Hence, avoidover-engineering at this stage. Build the simplest, fastest, most stripped-down representation of the product that enables validated learning. It can be as simple as a landing page description, mockup, or very basic prototype. However, the goal is to waste the least amount of time and resources. Step 4. Test And Measure Get the MVP in front of real customers to test assumptions. Approach target users, share the MVP, and collect key data based on how they react and interact with it. Focus on defining and measuring a small set of actionable metrics that offer insights into customer behavior, needs, and preferences. Example metrics include sign-up rates, clicks, conversions, usage data, etc. Step 5. Learn And Iterate With data and feedback collected, analyze results to determine what resonates with customers and what doesn't. Figure out key learnings, positive signals, and areas for improvement. Use these learnings to rapidly tweak and tailor the product through iterative changes. Make small refinements and run additional small tests to continue validating the product direction. Step 6. Scale Once product-market fit has been achieved based on metrics and feedback, it’s time to scale. Come up with plans for expanding business processes, operations, marketing, and resources to drive growth. Executing this rapid build-measure-learn loop cost-effectively allows startups to gather data, fail fast, and iterate their way to success faster. “Companies that prioritize experimentation are 2.5 times more likely to outperform competitors.” Lean Startup Success Stories Plenty of today's hottest startups have leveraged lean methods to skyrocket growth: Airbnb: Grew from renting air mattresses in a living room to a $100 billion hospitality disruptor by constantly testing innovations. Dropbox:  Exploded from 100,000 users to over 4 million in just 15 months thanks to growth hacking experiments. Groupon: Pivoted from a collective action platform to become the massively successful daily deals leader. Zappos: Originally only sold shoes but iterated into an online customer service powerhouse after recognizing bigger opportunities. The flexibility of the lean framework lets startups fluidly adapt and uncover breakthrough ideas. Top Lean Startup Challenges Adopting lean startup practices comes with hurdles, including: Letting go of old habits: Requires shifting away from linear execution plans and embracing experimentation. Ambiguity: The constant pivoting and iterating can feel disorganized compared to having a fixed roadmap. Need for patience: Repeated rapid testing is meticulous. Results and traction take time. Institutional resistance: Established organizations may reject lean approaches that disrupt existing norms. However, committing to small experiments, tracking meaningful metrics, and iterating products judiciously can help overcome these roadblocks. Adjusting mindsets is essential. “Over 70% of startups say their corporate culture is not suited for rapid experimentation.” Tracking Lean Startup Success Instead of vanity metrics, lean startups should focus on actionable metrics that offer real value: Churn rate: The percentage of customers that disengage over time. Lower is better. Customer lifetime value: How much revenue each customer generates on average. Want to maximize. Cost per acquisition: The amount spent to acquire an average customer. Should decrease. Net promoter score: Quantifies customer satisfaction and loyalty. Positive trends are ideal. Monitoring these unique metrics ensures startups have data-driven insights to guide smart pivots and growth. Key Takeaways Lean startup emphasizes rapid experimentation and customer feedback over detailed upfront planning. The core methodology follows a process of identifying problems, defining solutions, building MVPs, testing, and iterating. Tracking actionable metrics helps startups make data-driven decisions about pivoting or persevering. Well-known startups like Airbnb and Dropbox leveraged lean principles to fuel incredible growth. Lean startups fail fast and cheap, learning critical lessons in the process. Adopting lean startup practices requires adjusting mindsets away from linear execution plans. Patience is key, as measurable traction takes time when running rigorous experiments. Conclusion  The lean startup methodology offers a modern, nimble approach to launching and growing a successful business. However, by focusing on rapid experimentation over detailed long-term plans, startups can quickly adapt to markets and build products that customers love. While adopting lean startup practices requires adjusting mindsets, the benefits are game-changing. Instead of huge upfront capital investments, companies can take small risks, learn quickly, and uncover breakthrough innovations. Dive in to start reaping the many rewards of the lean startup philosophy. The keys to your next game-changing startup await. Lean Startup FAQs Let's go over some common lean startup questions: How does lean startup differ from traditional business planning? Traditional plans focus on in-depth upfront research and analysis. But lean emphasizes quick experiments and adapting based on customer responses. What types of startups is lean startup best suited for? The methodology can benefit all startups regardless of industry or business model. However, it may offer the most value for highly uncertain, innovative product ideas. Are there tools that can help adopt lean practices? There are various low-code tools for building MVPs fast, analytics for tracking key metrics, and more. Lean startup guides like Eric Ries' book provide foundations. Read Also: How Inspirational Speakers Like Tony Robbins Can Help Your Business Alternative Business Financing – What Is It And How Do You Do It? Starting A Small Business – Finding Your Target Market And More

READ MOREDetails
E-Cigarette Wholesale Canada

E-Cigarette Wholesale Canada – What Vape Retailers Should Know

If you are planning to start a vape retail business in Canada, you will rely on wholesalers for supplies most of the time. Therefore, it is recommended that you know how e-cigarette wholesale Canada suppliers work if you want to have smooth operations. Most reputable wholesale distributors have the best products that will help you build a reputation fast. The e-liquid wholesale Canada business sector is growing fast because since the legalization of vaping in 2019. They are primarily based in big cities where many retailers have opened physical and online shops to meet the ever-growing demand. What’s more, e-cigarette wholesale Canada companies usually export ship products to as far as Europe to meet the demands of retailers who trust them. That said, a vape retailer should know a lot about Canadian vape wholesalers. Choosing the Best E-Cigarette Wholesale Canada All vapor wholesale Canada distributors sell vape products at a lower price so that the retailer can make a profit. However, some have better prices than others. So, choose a vape wholesaler with fair prices, especially if you are just starting your business. Another consideration to make is the value of products they supply. Many of the wholesalers have partnered with reputable manufacturers to distribute their products. The e-cigarette wholesale on ePuffer is a good example and any retailer in or outside the country can work with them to get high-quality products. Ease of buying and shipping the product on time also plays a big role. Fortunately, all reputable e-cigarette wholesale Canada distributors make it easy for retailers and individuals to buy on a website and have their products shipped. Apart from being on time, the products come packaged in a protected manner. Products to Buy from Vape Wholesalers Before you can start a vape retail business, you must know what you can buy from vapor wholesale Canada distributors. Vape devices – As a vape retailer, the main products are vaping devices. Wholesalers have them in plenty and it is upon you to place an order on time. You should order an appropriate number of devices of each type to stock your shop well. They have traditional e-cigarettes, e-cigars, vape mods, e-pipes, JUULs, and many more. Vape accessories - Batteries, coils, chargers, cases, tanks, cartridges, and wicks are among the most common vape accessories supplied by e-cigarette wholesale Canada distributors. It is good to have them all when starting a vape retail business, but you can align the stock with the demand after some time. Vape Juice – The e-liquid Canada wholesale orders are the most common because this is a consumable product. One thing to know is that there are hundreds of flavors to choose from and it is good to make specific brands and flavors your signature products to create a reputation. Conclusion Many e-cigarette wholesale Canada distributors are reliable. Highly trusted ones will hardly disappoint you, especially when you create a good relationship with them. So, upon starting your vape retail business, take time to know the ones you can trust and create a good business relationship with them. Read Also: Vaping in the Workplace: Legal Considerations Make a Mark: The Vape Brand for Your Lifestyle

READ MOREDetails