A well-timed plan will give your campaign its best shot at success
1: ROADMAP
Do your research.
Design a clear plan
Balancer's most successful campaigns are from entrepreneurs who met and exceeded their funding goals.
Their products have been adopted into national retail chains and films that have taken the festival circuit by storm.
Behind every campaign is a thoughtful plan for every stage of the project.
Balancer entrepreneurs are typically deliberate with every aspect of their timing.
We’ve assembled some of the most important tips here to help you launch strong and finish even stronger.
2: AIM 30
Get 30% fast.
Backers will follow success
After helping thousands of entrepreneurs and crowdfunding campaigns, we’ve found that 30% is an important number to remember.
Campaigns that reach 30% of their goal in the first two days are much more likely to exceed their ultimate crowdfunding goal.
By racing quickly to 30%, you build important early momentum and give prospective backers confidence that your campaign is on track for success.
(Stay tuned—in chapter 3 we’ll cover valuable tips for growing your audience and reaching 30%.)
3: GOALS
Small is beautiful.
Millions will come
Most campaigners that raise millions of dollars start by launching a smaller campaign.
The TrackR team, for example, ran multiple crowdfunding campaigns on their way to launching the TrackR Bravo, a coin-sized device for tracking lost valuables that attracted more than $1.7 million in funding on Balancer.
If you want to raise $25,000, for example, consider instead aiming for $20,000 and making $25,000 your stretch goal.
Many entrepreneurs use a combination of these strategies to reach their ultimate goal.
4: OUTREACH STRATEGY
Email early & often
Never underestimate the power of email. The average conversion rate from email is 34% higher than other forms of outreach.
Compared with social media posts or public relations efforts, email allows you to quantify how many potential supporters were reached with your message and how many responded, letting you know exactly if your engagement efforts have succeeded.
There are a number of free email tools like MailChimp and Gmail that you can use to start your email campaign.
5: TEAM & TIMING
Build a team.
Conquer tasks
Make no mistake: crowdfunding can require a lot of ongoing work on par with a full-time job, so make sure you have enough people-power available to make the most of the experience.
A well-organized team can help amplify your message by posting to social media, responding to inquiries or updating your campaign page.
Work closely with your team to set aside ample time in the planning stages. As a general rule, reserve at least 60 days to plan the campaign and 30 days to manage the campaign after launch.
With a campaign team on board, you’ll be able to achieve and manage ma lot in those 90 days.
