When I was a student, I liked to get drunk
These days I’m far more responsible – practically boring in fact – but back then, I really loved tequila.
And bourbon.
And beer.
And a concoction of pineapple and malibu called an “Illusion”.
Every ‘night on the town’ began with a few hours at someone’s house “pre-loading”
Getting drunk at home meant that when we got to town, we were ready to party.
It also helped that a $15 box of beer was substantially more economical than the $8 each we paid in the bars.
We’d drink until we were ready to go, then stumble into town – already feeling those happy tingles – and go cause some mischief.
It’s a strategy that can work for your crowdfunding campaign too
No, I’m not talking about having a stiff drink to get you through the stress (although, sometimes that could be helpful).
I’m talking about “pre-loading” your backers by building your crowd before you launch.
Getting them ready in advance. So that when you hit the launch button, the party is ready to start immediately.
This is how campaigns hit their funding goal on Day One.
There are a bunch of ways to do this:
You can run email campaigns.
Or a social media blitz.
You can invite people to an in-person event.
You can go talk at seminars and universities and events.
Look for places where you can get in front of as many people as possible, and build your crowd.
The key thing is that people are excited for your campaign, and you can tell them when you launch.
Too many people rely on Facebook for this.
I’m going to say it: I hate Facebook. It likes to stand between you and your audience…
…Much like my annoying drunken friends used to get between me and the guy I was trying to make out with on the dancefloor (in hindsight, probably a good thing).
It sounds old fashioned, but get their emails.
Sign up for a free Mailchimp account.
Download the Mailchimp Subscribe app (iTunes, Android).
Sign people up for your mailing list. Stay in touch.
Pre-load your crowd, and get the party started.
Want to read about a company that successfully used this strategy? Check out the case study on Yeasty Boys’ equity crowdfunding campaign.
