Internet crowdfunding is surging in popularity as a way to finance small businesses. Here are 8 tips for ensuring that your big campaign is successful.

1. Recruit a team to help you.

No one becomes successful all alone. Before you launch your campaign, recruit some folks to reach out to their networks and to post on social media. Ideally, you’ll have 3-5 “champions” – people who are committed to your campaign and talking to their friends and family about it, and 8-10 “amplifiers” – people who have a wide social media reach and can post and share your content.

2. The first 24 hours matter—a lot.

In the week leading up to the launch of your campaign, be sure that those close to you and your business know that they should invest within the first 24 hours so that you can get off to a good start. Raising these funds quickly signals to others that your project is supported by a lot of people and that it’s a worthy cause.

3. Don’t go to social media first.

While it can be tempting to cast your widest net immediately, this can backfire. If a random acquaintance sees that your campaign is only 2% funded, they’ll likely write it off as a longshot. On the other hand, if they see that it’s 40% funded, they’ll be much more likely to hop on the bandwagon and participate.

4. Vary your social media content.

Once you do post on social, take care to have some variability in your posts. Your audience will get bored if all your posts are centered around asking for money. Some things you can post are testimonials from folks who have already invested, spotlights of cool features of your product, and any positive attention you’ve received from the press.

5. Be persistent.

Most people need to be reminded 3-4 times before they actually invest. If someone has told you they’d like to participate, they’ll appreciate your reminders!

6. Push through the mid-campaign slump.

Most crowdfunding campaigns see the most success at the beginning and end of their timeline. That doesn’t mean you can sit back and relax in the middle though; the legwork you put in here will pay off in a big way at the end.

7. Thank your contributors.

As soon as you can, send a nicely-written thank-you to those who have invested in your campaign. This will go a long way, especially if you need a last-minute boost at the end. Many of these investors can step up and invest a second time to push you over the edge.

8. Believe in your project.

If you wholeheartedly believe in the value of your project, that will shine through. If something is important to you, it will likely be important to others around you. So tell your story in earnest, be yourself, and raise those funds!

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