Crowdfunding Is Not Guaranteed

I know that's a bit of a downer of a headline, but it's true.  Just because you put together and run a crowdfunding campaign, does not guarantee that it will be successful.  There is a LOT of work that needs to go into it, well before the launch takes place. Sitting in front of your computer watching the ticker in not going to help you increase your numbers.  You need to actively DO something!

So, first step in running a crowdfunding campaign is knowing that there is a chance you will not succeed.  What does success look like?  That depends on your goals.  Every platform is different.  All or nothing.  Keep what you raise.  With Zoop, we're kind of a combination of both.  We do set a goal that is all or nothing.  However, we provide the flexibility (if necessary) to extend a campaign, or to lower the goal, provided the creator can still produce and fulfill what's been pledged.

But, simply putting a campaign up is not enough.  We discuss this a lot, in terms of marketing, community outreach, but there really can't be enough said about that.  Whether you run a campaign on Zoop, or another crowdfunding platform, your biggest job as a creator (aside from creating your product) is building an audience.  Bring the CROWD to CROWDfunding.  You cannot rely on the platform.  

I use this analogy a lot.  The creator brings the cake.  Zoop, or other platforms can put icing on the cake.  It's not the job of the platform to activate your fanbase.  If you don't have one, then maybe build that up before launching a campaign.  Build your mailing list, be active on social media.  Learn to use e-mail as a tool throughout the campaign.  It is in fact your #1 tool!  

We mention e-mail a lot because it can be the gamechanger.  And we'll take a deeper dive into how to effectively use e-mail in a later post.