running a successful campaign
Over the course of your fundraise you’ll be speaking to hundreds of investors; your pitch is your most crucial tool. In 2-3 sentences you should be able to answer:
- What does your company do?
- Why should someone invest in your company?
- Why should someone invest in you—the founder?
Have a designated point-person for:
- Social Media
- Emails & Newsletters
- Investor Questions
All fundraises inevitably hit a plateau. Create a timeline of “attacks” to reignite investor enthusiasm. When investments slow down, try the following:
- Press Releases & Features
- Promotional Events
- Major Investor Announcements
- Exciting Product/Progress Updates
Once your campaign launches, you’re going to need all the help you can rally. Look to your friends, family and fans. Find the community that will stick with you through thick and thin.
Make a list of 100 potential investors to contact in your first seven days. Consider these contacts your low hanging fruit who’ll spark the initial momentum of your campaign. Include:
- Friends and family
- Local community members
- Customers, fans and users
- Angel investors
Tailor your messaging and meet investors on their own playing field. Ask yourself, what is the most effective way to connect with them? Are they:
- Fans on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?
- Professional Connections on LinkedIn?
- Old school and prefer a phone call?
Meow Wolf leveraged their massive Facebook following and with a single post (which was personal, funny, and inspiring). It helped raise $1 million in 48 hours.
Most investors require multiple touch-points before they’re willing to actually commit money. Craft a lineup of events to frequently get in front of them and back on their minds. Try:
- Hosting a live-stream
- Organizing a promotional event
- Arranging meetups
Equity crowdfunding allows businesses to raise money from a large group of people at smaller investment amounts. In return, that group of people get a financial stake in that company.
Check it out: The Investor FAQ
The Investor FAQ is a useful tool to help educate investors who’d like a more detailed explanation about equity crowdfunding. It’s also helpful if they just have questions as a Wefunder user!
Nope. On Wefunder, you’re not donating; you’re investing. That means you can now directly put capital into your favorite restaurant or that tech startup you think is a winner. You’re no longer just an avid fan, you’re an owner. Plus you get owner perks, too: discounts, food credits, free merchandise, etc.
Check it out: What if... Oculus Rift?
In 2012, VR pioneer Oculus Rift closed a Kickstarter campaign of $2.4 million. Two years later, Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion. If the donations had instead been investments, Kickstarter backers would have seen a 154x return.
This can be philosophical or practical—as long as it’s personal. Make sure investors understand your passion, motivations, and why you want them to be part of your success.
Social media done right is a useful way to connect with investors that’s cheap and fast. Here’s what to do:
- Recognize which platform works best for you. Social media platforms are not one-size-fits-all. For instance, Balance wrote several thought-pieces which they shared through Facebook, while the visually-driven fashion house Vaute relied heavily on Instagram.
- Create a bank of pre-written content. Schedule your posts ahead of time so they’re consistent and frequent. Some founders find it useful to use tools like Buffer to schedule their social media.
Some tips on different platforms:
- Facebook: Post regularly, don't spam, use retargeting ads.
- Instagram: Use eye-catching pictures and spiffy one liners.
- Twitter: Keep hashtags to a minimum, connect with other industry leaders.
- LinkedIn: Reach out to professional contacts, write a thought-piece about crowdfunding and your company.
Contact bloggers (thought leaders in your industry) and local news outlets. You can use USNPL to find media outlets in your area. While press releases are useful, you should also think about creating press worthy events which are self-promoting.
When you fundraise, you can plug in your own Google Analytics to track profile views and conversion rates (who actually invests after viewing your profile). Check out the Google Analytics Installation Guide for a how-to on setting it up.
We’ve added support for utm-like parameters so you can segment your Wefunder traffic and figure out which promotions are driving the most investors.
If you include wf_campaign, wf_source, or wf_medium parameters to your Wefunder profile URL we’ll pass corresponding utm_campaign, utm_source, and utm_medium parameters to your Google Analytics pageviews.
Example: Visiting the company profile...
https://wefunder.com/democat?wf_campaign=demo
Will trigger the pageview:
/wefunder-analytics/democat/viewed_profile?utm_campaign=demo
We also support Google AdWords and Facebook Ads tracking pixels. If you provide a retargeting pixel, we’ll include it whenever someone visits your company profile. And if you provide a conversion pixel, we’ll include it whenever someone completes an investment.
Check out the Google AdWords and Facebook Ads Installation Guide for a how-to on setting it up.
View a list of your investors on your dashboard. See the status of their investment, and any personal notes they’ve sent you!
If investors are submitting questions on your profile, that means you’ve already got their attention. They’re a valuable lead—a slow or ill-formed answer is a wasted opportunity.
Posting updates is a fun and easy way to keep investors informed and create a community experience. Wefunder users can also see your updates on their newsfeed—even if they haven’t invested in you (yet). Use those updates to also get fresh eyes on your campaign.
Use your newsfeed to post an update.
Neurohacker posted 24 updates during their fundraise.
Why it worked:
Don’t take it from us—see what Cameron Grable, an investor in nine different startups on Wefunder, says:
"Investors want to know they're valued. Even though it might not seem like a particularly important business decision, even though one might assume that investors aren't emotionally compelled to gratitude like that, they certainly are."
It’s illegal to advertise your fundraise before the Form C is filed with the SEC. Oh, and never say the SEC has "approved" your offering. They don't like that.
All investors must have equal access to your campaign information. For example, if you livestream a Q&A with investors, you must upload a recording of that Q&A to your profile page.
You cannot discuss the terms of the offering outside of the Wefunder website. While you may mention you are fundraising on Wefunder, make sure to direct potential investors to your profile page for contract details.
Marketing is often about creating hype but when it comes to equity crowdfunding, hyperbole can get you in trouble (the SEC will come calling). Stick to the facts. Repeat it with me: stick to the facts!
1) These numbers include startups currently live on Wefunder if they pass their minimum target.
2) Some startups use two different laws at the same time (i.e., Regulation D and Regulation Crowdfunding).
Join 204,039 investors who funded 239 startups with over $77.5 million1
View Reg D, A+ and Reg CF Breakdown
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