What’s the purpose of perks?
Investor perks build community among investors. They’re especially relevant and strategic for retail companies – if that’s you, emphasize them from the jump!
Ok but how important are they?
Generally, perks aren’t as important on Wefunder as they are on Kickstarter or Indiegogo. We also wouldn’t recommend t-shirts and coffee mugs -- unless you see marketing ROI in sending those things to your investors anyway, and can stomach the logistical burden.
But perks can definitely move the needle on Wefunder – especially when they’re aligned with the vision and brand of the company. Jeff Annison, the founder of Legion M, recently commented that the right reason to run an investment crowdfunding campaign is "to build a community".
Use your perks to reinforce that goal in creative and compelling ways – they can be both a means to an end (to raise more money), and the end in themselves (to build community & affinity among your investors and customers).
Below are 10 of our favorite perks, from companies that have raised ~$1M on Wefunder.
The common trend is clear -- these highly successful companies offer perks around exclusive access for, and relationship building with, investors.
These perks help attract investors to invest in the first place, and then also help these founders build stronger relationships with their closest allies and supporters.
A tip: try to deliver early. If possible, we suggest fulfilling perks early to drive engagement and buy-in.
1) Balance. "Access to our monthly call for major crowdfunding contributors, $1,000." Wefunder investors are investing to make money. But they're also investing to be a part of something, to connect with outstanding people (you!), to stay in the loop on industry trends and insights, and get VIP treatment. Including them in monthly calls is an easy way to build community among your investors (i.e. it's valuable for the Balance team), and it's also a great perk for those investors.
2) Hopsters. "Investors will be invited to an annual event hosted by the founder and team, $2,000." Similar to the Balance perk above, but even stronger community building, because it's in person.
3) WhiteClouds. "Hosted tour of our facilities (travel paid by you) and half-day ATV ride with CEO and executives in Northern Utah, $100,000." ATVs are cool. And so is Jerry Ropelato.
4) Meow Wolf. "4 tickets to Meow Wolf, good at any current or future location, $1,000." Again, this is both valuable to investors, but also cements them as customers for Meow Wolf. Once they come to Meow Wolf, investors will fall in love with it, and become even more enthusiastic evangelists for the company.
5) Minds. "Dinner with Bill (founder of Minds), $5,000." A simple but powerful example of the kind of exclusive access and connection that investors love.
6) Hops and Grain. "Private tour by the founder Josh with you and your ten friends and unlimited beer! $10,000." Investors can not just get exclusive access and VIP treatment themselves, but they can also make themselves very popular with 9 friends!
7) Legion M. "VIP PASS to get "behind the scenes" access to all Legion M projects, $100." Legion M gave this perk to every investor. It's aligned with their whole vision to use Wefunder to build community and recruit an army of supporters and brand ambassadors.
8) LiquidPiston. "We can host you at our facility and offer a ride in the go-kart. (Travel not paid for, time to be mutually agreed), $25,000." More exclusivity, more VIP access. Investors in LiquidPiston are probably very interested in, and involved in, the mechanical engineering / automotive sector. This perk probably appeals to them especially.
9) Scrap Connection. "All the perks from the previous levels, plus: Spend a day with Scrap Connection in Amsterdam. We will give you a behind the scenes tour of our offices. Meet the team and get an inside peek at what we are working on currently. We will also give you a special presentation introducing the products that we have on the drawing board. After the workday is over, join the team for a guided boat tour of the beautiful canals of Amsterdam. We'll take in a few sights and you'll enjoy a nice dinner on us. *Travel and hotel expenses are your (tax deductible) business expense. (Scrap Connection members will receive the silver Investment Partner badge to display on your personal or company profile. This indicates your status as a highly valuable community member), $10,000." A combination of behind-the-scenes insight into the company, but also the personal touch of dinner with the founder, and a guided boat tour of the Amsterdam canals.
10) LPP Fusion. "Come visit our lab in New Jersey and see the work we're doing first hand, $2,000." More personal connection to the founder, and VIP access.
Check out more tips in our full fundraising playbook.
*Content pulled from this legend post from Wefunder legend: Jonny Price.