This past week I had the pleasure of attending Ian MacKenzie’s Crowdfunding 101 seminar at the Victoria Event Centre.
I particularly liked how Ian positioned crowdfunding as part of a shift from the traditional economy to the ‘gift’ economy.
Scarcity -> Interdependence
Copyright -> Creative Commons
Closed -> Open
Ian believes we have to stop asking ourselves, “How can I make money?” and instead ask, “In a time of transition — how can I be of service?”
Pre-Launch
Get ready and build your fan base:
- Open a PayPal account.
- Create a website with a newsletter signup using MailChimp.
- Open a Twitter account.
- Create a Facebook page for the project.
Determine your goal, realizing 30% will come from your direct network.
Choose five to ten rewards; be creative and personal.
- $10 – minimum – thanks
- $25 – most popular – digital download
- $50 – DVD or other physical merchandise
- $75 – minimum for T-shirts
- Have some big ticket rewards for folks that fall in love with your project.
Create your Pitch Video.
- Be direct and state what you need.
- Explain the context, describe the impact the project will have and explain how it will unfold.
- Be authentic and interesting; humour with heart works well.
- Don’t be longer than four minutes, too vague or not appear in the video.
Launch
Spread the word!
- Send a newsletter announcing the campaign.
- Tweet as much as you want.
- Update your Facebook page daily.
- Tap into aligned networks.
- Tap mainstream media.
Add weekly update videos to the campaign.
Get excited as the deadline approaches.
Post-Campaign
Do what you said you would.
Fulfill the rewards.
Continue to post updates.
See Ian’s list of three dozen crowdfunding platforms at www.ianmack.com/crowdfunding-web/crowdfunding-platforms/
