Top Ten Things Every Crowdfunder MUST DO
CrowdCamp is Open
Crowdfunding is not only about you and your needs, crowdfunding is about the crowd and connecting to them. It is about engaging the people who have similar needs or who understand your needs, your crowd. To do this, you need to enlighten people about your project, engage them in conversation, and make them feel emotionally connected. To help activated patients, entrepreneurial doctors, and invetors of all types, we offer Crowdfunding Optimization services, but also lots of advice, as you can read our “CrowdCamp” column here on MedStartr. Let’s kick things off here and hit most of the basics, and since everyone loves Top Ten lists, here is mine:
The Top 10 Things Every Crowdfunder MUST DO:
1. Prepare, prepare, Prepare. Get your social media accounts in order! Facebook. Twitter, Blogs, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Meetup, etc.
2. Plan and make a killer video
3. Make sure publicity materials are in order. Prepare short pieces for all your favorite media outlets to get them interested. No more than a few sentences to tease the interested. Sign up for HelpaReporter.com (HARO), too
4. Know the keywords related to your project and search engine optimize
5. Plan your partnerships
6. Design meaningful rewards and explain the benefits well
7. Make a list of the influential people in your field (reporters, bloggers, talk show hosts, celebrities, tweeps, etc.)
8. Have a day-by-day plan strategy planned out
9. ASK for help and THANK the people that have helped you and funded you
10. Keep the conversation going
If you don’t know what a “Tweep” is or have spent most of your time at the Bench making and discovering your product, don’t worry, we are here to help. Fact is, getting funded never was a crowd-based activity in the past, but life is. When you crowdfund you start with the people you already know, people who trust you and are willing to help spread the word, or even fund you. You might not have thought they would support your cause and no one wants to “go begging”, but if you explain your mission and send a link, you will be amazed at what happens. At the very least, if you explain your mission well you will find your network will be very interested at the next cocktail party. On average, our MedStartrs get over 4,000 views of their videos, in some cases up to 20,000, and when this happens, amazing things follow. To date, for example, here is what has happened:
Onsite Funding: $140,000 for 21 Projects
Offsite Funding: Approximately $4.2 Million
Partnerships: 48 that we are aware of
New Customers: Over 950
Press Stories: 42
So the question is, what are you waiting for? We started MedStartr because healthcare innovations, things that could save lives and make people healthier, are too important to fail. We will work our butts off to make sure that this doesn’t happen on our watch. This is why our success rate is 9 times the industry average and now our projects are spreading to other platforms, making them succeed everywhere. Why? Because sometimes we aren’t the right platform, and that’s okay. We offer Crowdfunding Optimization services for projects that want to go to our competitors as well, also on a success-only basis or as a fee-for-service. Of course, if you want them for free, then just list on MedStartr.