After receiving many questions and interrogations from entrepreneurs and friends and colleagues, I thought it would be a good idea to write down my experience of crowdfunding (in 3 parts).
In most cases, crowdfunding lasts 35 days. Every day counts. The campaign is intense, but when you have everyone's support, it's all the more motivating.
Tips before : ACTION PLANS
Before advertising, you need to create visuals that make an impact: design counts ! (It's best to prepare everything in advance)
1/ Create visual designs with the same graphic charter (same colour, same typeface, and put your logo on each of these visuals): Image + txt, not just text. It has to be easy to read and understand at a glance. This concerns the visuals you need to include on your crowdfunding profile, but also on social networks, in the press and all the other communication channels you use.
It's also essential, even necessary, to indicate what the fund will be used for. It's a question of fundamental principle, transparency and trust: Purchase of materials? Machinery? Premises? etc. Tell your story and your projects, right to the end.
Once you have the visuals: GO!
2/ It's recommended that you raise 20% of the fund before advertising your project to the general public. So start by talking to people about it, even before you put your campaign online. Give yourself ten days to get 20% of your fund, by first telling your friends, family, colleagues, etc. (Make a simple estimate before indicating the amount of the fund, it's not enough to launch a crowdfunding, it must be possible to achieve).
Have you reached the 20% target? It's time to let the public know!
3/ It is with the most honesty that I reveal to you, date by date, the different communication plans that I have put in place. A quick point before I start: I didn't choose a 35-day period because I launched the crowdfunding campaign in June and people are less active during the summer. I'd also like to point out that not everything worked, and what works or doesn't work for my brand doesn't mean that it won't work for your brand, it all depends on your business. I hope at least to give you some ideas for your campaign :)
ACTION PLANS
3 June = €60 goalInternal communication with friends, family and colleagues.
12 June = €800 goalI've achieved the 20% target! Now I'm giving it my all to get to the final target, by communicating it to the general public.
1/ I'm asking friends and family to share the visuals on social networks by adding the crowdfunding link.
= good + for visibility of my brand, a big ++ for support and motivation, but also a big + for donations from friends and family.
2/ My editorial line strategy for publications in June and September (I'm not including the summer period, when the community is less present):
Instagram: 1 post + 1 reel + an average of 5 stories / day
Facebook: 1 post + 1 reel + an average of 5 stories / day
(don't forget to link these 2 networks via meta business, so that when you publish on one, the other is automatically published too)
Tiktok: 3 videos / day
LinkedIn: 1 post / every day of the week (Monday to Friday)
Pinterest: 1 post / every Wednesday and weekend
Youtube: 1 short / day + 3 crowdfunding videos (presentation of the project, what the funds will be used for, thank you and show what's going on behind the scenes of your brand thanks to the objectives achieved)
+ Not forgetting SEO via the # but also identifying @KissKissBankBank, because they too will share the news in a story.
As you can see I had to post a lot of content, so you understand why you need to prepare the visuals in advance.
= good + for the visibility of my brand, a presence on the networks is essential, + for new followers, + for new donations and contributions
3 / Get out there and talk about your project in person!
In addition to your digital strategy, add 'word of mouth' to your action plan!
I've taken part in a few afterwork events. Meet other entrepreneurs who understand you. I'm never disappointed by these moments, they're always very enriching and always give you lots of ideas.
= good + for the visibility of my brand, a big ++ for word of mouth, + for additional donations, and a huge ++++ for the realisation of other new projects in the future.
4/ I tried advertising on the insta and fbk social networks, but it didn't work. The reason: I only paid €10 for 1 week of advertising. It's recommended that you spend a lot more to get a return on your investment. But the point is not to spend more on the crowdfunding campaign.
= - for donations and contributions, but + for visibility on my site, a + for new followers on the networks...
5/ After taking part in an entrepreneurial competition, I was eligible for a financial subvention, which I used to send flyers. I was able to target women with a comfortable living in Paris and the Ile-de-France region. Of course, I also added the QRcode. It's essential for ease of navigation for customers, but also for tracking purposes.
= - for donations and contributions, a + for visibility of my brand and new followers on the networks.
I've also put a few flyers in women's beauty shops: beauticians and hairdressers.
= + for donations and contributions, a big + for the visibility of my brand and new subscribers on the networks.
This has brought me a few contributors and sales on my website. Why did this happen? Because the shops are better targeted and respond to specific customer requests. However, with the mail shots, the target was larger and I certainly wasn't responding to a particular need.
6/ I also contacted the République de Seine et Marne, which published a press article as well as a digital article, which I relayed on the networks as well as on the website. As it's local, it's more appreciated, plus we're talking about craftsmanship and made in France.
= A + for donations and contributions, a big + for the visibility of my brand and new followers on the networks.
18 June = €830 goal7 / I've put more flyers in shops and also in a lingerie shop specialising in medical lingerie.
= A - for donations and contributions, a big + for the visibility of my brand and new followers on the social networks, a big + for future projects with professionals.
8 / I tried advertising again on the network: tiktok : 3 days €5: it didn't work, AT ALL!
= A - for donations and contributions, a big - for the visibility of my brand and new followers on the networks.
26 June = €830 goal9/ Publication in the local newspaper: Le moniteur, which has less impact than La république de Seine et Marne, but the local press gives my brand a great deal of visibility. As I am sometimes censored on the social networks, the algorithm blocks the diffusion of some of my content.
= A - for donations and contributions, a big + for the visibility of my brand and new followers on the networks.
10 / One last time, I'm betting on advertising on the LinkedIn network: 3 days of video advertising: €10. Better results than on tiktok but the same analysis as Insta and Facebook.
= A - for donations and contributions, but a + for the visibility of my brand on the crowdfunding site and profile.
11 / CMA logo received: com on the networks.
= A - for donations and contributions, but a + for the visibility of my brand on the crowdfunding profile.
12 / The fund is stagnating: the holidays are coming! And that's normal. No worries. We're getting ahead of ourselves. I'm slowing down on publishing content and taking the opportunity to create some new visuals.
3 july = €830 goal13/ I took part in a craft market, where I was introduced to my brand and distributed flyers
= A - for donations and contributions but a + for visibility on networks and subscribers.
14 / Publication of a digital article by the CCI that I relayed on my website and social networks
= A - for donations and contributions but a + for visibility on the site and networks, a + for followers, a + for future business projects.
15/ On my website, you can see that I've integrated a chat feature to make it easier to talk to my customers.
For this crowdfunding period, I've personalised the content by also adding the crowdfunding link.
= A - for donations and contributions but a + for the visibility of the crowdfunding profile.
16/ To mark the occasion, I also launched a special offer: buy 1, get 1 free. An exclusive offer on KKBB (so as not to compete with my site). I also added the links for each crowdfunding product sheet to each product sheet on my site, indicating the promotion. The difference with crowdfunding is also the delivery, which was set for the end of October (on the site it's 3 weeks max).
= A - for donations and contributions but a + for the visibility of the crowdfunding profile.
Some people prefer to buy directly from the site rather than the crowdfunding platform, because it's not very common and some people are hesitant.
10 july = €1306 goal (contributions are increasing)17 / The investment fund has doubled! 💪🏻 The repercussions of the action plans have paid !
As you can see, it takes at least 1 month to get the word out about your project, so don't waste any time, start communicating before you even launch your campaign.
18 / Publication in the L'Éclaireur article that I relayed on my blog/site and on social networks.
= A - for donations and contributions but a + for visibility on the site and networks, and a + for followers.
19 / I then contacted professionals: retailers in nearby towns + podcasts + social network accounts, in the Feminine/Health/Wellbeing sector. So that they could share the information on their networks and with their customers, and possibly take advantage of it to make future collaborations.
= A - for donations and contributions but a + for visibility on the site and networks, and a + for subscribers.
Although you can imagine that not everyone responded, some entrepreneurs I know who are also motivated by my project were happy to share the information.
16 july = €1386 goalI can see from the analyses and statistics that there's less activity. I'm still actively publishing on the networks, but there are no campaigns or action plans to put in place. Don't forget the # referencing and to identify @KKBB for repartage on the networks.
August = €1386 goalThe fund is stagnating: the holidays are here! We're taking advantage.
I'm slowing down on publishing content and taking the opportunity to create some new visuals.
3 October = €1574 goal = A small + for donations and contributions but a big ++ for visibility on the site and networks, a + for followers and a + for credibility with professionals and customers.
12 October = €1797 goal21/ Extensive publications before the end of the crowdfunding period, on all networks
= A + for donations and contributions, a + for visibility on the networks and the crowdfunding profile
22/ Sending emails to customers and prospects
= A small + for donations and contributions, a + for visibility on the networks and the crowdfunding profile
13 October = €3081 goal