You\u2019ve launched a crowdfunding campaign \u2026 now what?<\/i><\/i><\/p>\n
There\u2019s a first time for everything, and that includes creating your first crowdfunding<\/a> campaign (if that\u2019s you, congrats!). And unless you just came out from a decade of hibernation, you probably know that the campaign itself is just the first step.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you build it, they will come\u201d doesn\u2019t apply here\u2014it\u2019s not Iowa, it\u2019s the Internet. And in today\u2019s ever-increasing crowded virtual world, promotion is a must if you want your campaign to be seen, and ultimately if you want people to donate.<\/p>\n What exactly do we mean by \u201cpromotion\u201d?<\/p>\n For starters, it doesn\u2019t have to require a huge budget or staff. Thanks to digital tools and technology, it\u2019s easier than ever to market your cause and connect people to action on the go with just a click and with instant gratification.<\/p>\n Promoting your nonprofit crowdfunding campaign can range from sharing on Twitter and Instagram to Facebook ads to emails to your website, to blog posts, and more.<\/p>\n In this guide, we\u2019ll walk you through five strategies for promoting your nonprofit crowdfunding campaign, with a few steps on how you can get started on each.<\/p>\n We encourage you to try one or all \u2013 but to tweak them for your specific purposes. What might work for one campaign may not work for another, and the same is true for one nonprofit versus another.<\/p>\n Your nonprofits website is like a welcome mat. It\u2019s usually someone\u2019s first impression, and it should be an invitation to come in. Likewise, in the digital world it invites the visitor to take a look around.<\/p>\n Your website should have the basics on who you are, what you do, and how people can support your cause in various ways. So of course, it\u2019s also the perfect and most obvious place to feature your crowdfunding campaign. Here are a few ways to do that:<\/p>\n Despite the new declaration every six months or so that email is dead, it decidedly is not. According to the 2014 M+R & NTEN Nonprofit eBenchmarks study, although click rates and response rates are down, email lists are still growing, ultimately leading to email accounting to a third of online fundraising revenue.<\/p>\n But nonprofits have to work harder than ever to create compelling subject lines and to craft inspiring, educational, and appealing content so their message doesn\u2019t end up in the trash with the slew of other marketing emails people receive each day.<\/p>\n Email is a great way to maintain an ongoing conversation with your supporters about the work you\u2019re doing and to provide an opportunity to take action. Here are a few ways to use email to promote your nonprofit crowdfunding campaign.<\/p>\n One of the easiest and (free) ways to promote your nonprofit crowdfunding campaign is via social media. It also probably takes the least amount of time and staff resources.<\/p>\n That being said, you don\u2019t want to just put out a Tweet and Facebook post and call it a day. As we mentioned at the beginning of this guide, throwing a post out into the fray doesn\u2019t automatically elicit thousands of donations, no matter how much brand recognition and love you have already.<\/p>\n But if you\u2019re just getting started, using social media to market your campaign may seem intimidating and overwhelming at first \u2013 you may be asking yourself: What to use? When to post? How much? How do I know if it\u2019s working? Try these basic approaches to get going:<\/p>\n The widespread use of social media doesn\u2019t mean that traditional public relations has gone out of style. It just means that you actually have more resources at your fingertips to help you determine the best publications and journalists or bloggers to reach out to.<\/p>\n Now, you can do research on Twitter or with a quick Google search to find out what is being written about and by whom, and tools like Help a Reporter Out and the Public Insights Network make it easier for journalists to get the stories they need. You may not have the capacity to do a full-blown pitch plan, but here are a few ways to cover your bases on outreach:<\/p>\nWebsite<\/h2>\n
1) Homepage<\/h3>\n
\n
2) Landing Page<\/h3>\n
\n
3) Content<\/h3>\n
\n
Email<\/h2>\n
1) Campaign-Specific Emails<\/h3>\n
\n
2) Newsletters And Updates<\/h3>\n
\n
3) Thank Yous, Auto-Responders, And Others<\/h3>\n
\n
Social Media<\/h2>\n
1) Create A Tagline And\/Or Hashtag For Consistent Use Across All Networks<\/h3>\n
\n
2) Match Content To The Appropriate Platform<\/a><\/h3>\n
\n
3) Don\u2019t Give Away The Store On The First Day<\/h3>\n
\n
Public Relations And Outreach<\/h2>\n
1) Compile A Blogger List<\/h3>\n
\n
2) Send Out A Press Release<\/h3>\n
\n
3) Offer An Exclusive To One Outlet<\/h3>\n
\n
Partners<\/h2>\n