Have you ever heard the saying “it takes a village”? A village, indeed, is what it takes to run a business, launch a product, and make an idea come to life! Especially when it comes to crowdfunding. So the crowdfunding agency you choose will be your village. How do you know who to choose?
The Myth of the Entrepreneur
There’s this character in our culture, who is capable of accomplishments of mythical proportions. We have created the idea that entrepreneurs are the founders who do absolutely everything themselves to bring their product to the market.
The ideal entrepreneur manages every facet of their start up and never have to ask for help. That’s just not true.
It’s OK To Ask For Help
Ever feel like asking for help? You’re not alone. But how do you choose an agency to ask for help?
Personally, I don’t do everything you see from Crush Crowdfunding. Yes, I started alone, but now I have people who edit my videos, podcast, manage social media and in general, make sure that the back end functioning of this goes smoothly. There are not enough hours in the day for me to do absolutely everything and still have other aspects of my live go as I want them to.
Why should we always feel like we have to be superman and then feel bad when we fall short?
It’s ok to ask for help, for support. It’s ok to look for people who share your passion, or who are interested in learning, that have skills that you don’t and that you need for your project to be what you want it to be.
So, Why A Crowdfunding Agency?
If you’re launching through crowdfunding, there are a thousand things you need to be aware of: budget, marketing, market research, PR, shipping, website design, video design, social media…. Apart from actually having a great product to launch.
Now, crowdfunding agencies are not for everyone, but some of you are in fact considering investing in this so you get the help you need for your campaign to succeed from experts that know crowdfunding.
1. Know The Types Of Projects The Crowdfunding Agency Works With
Not every agency does everything. Some only work with Kickstarter, or with only tech products, or apparel, or board games… etc. There’s no one-size-fits-all.
Not only is this important because of what their experts can do for you and your campaign, but also because they will rather work with their specific niche of interest, and will prioritize that over your project if you’re not in their niche.
You want people who have experience working in projects like yours, who have connections for this niche and who know the possible audience that will work better for you.
2. What Will Communication Look Like In Your Working Relationship?
Crowdfunding agencies have different approaches. Some will take over control and you will have more of a passive role in the running of your project. Other agencies and consultants love to be in constant communication with the creator about what they’re doing and where they are going with the project each step of the process.
What’s important for you?
3. What Happens When Goals Aren’t Met?
You need to know what happens with you, with the relationship and with your project. Is what agencies and consultants do in the times of crisis that defines what they’re really capable for.
Are there agencies who will leave you high and dry if the project is not doing good? Yes. It happens. Since a lot of agencies make a percent of the revenue that will be funded, they don’t see the business point to continue investing resources in a project that’s not converting what they expected.
But there are as well, very classy agencies who will work hard by your side to try to make the project thrive. They’ll revisit their social media strategy, the visuals, they’ll check the data that has been obtained from the first campaign days and will tweak and twist whatever is necessary to get you to your goal.
You want to know how the agencies you’re considering have acted in the past when there has been a crisis.
Final thoughts on how to choose an agency
So to recap you want to know as much as you can about the crowdfunding agency prospect you are considering. Remember, you’re investing in their expertise, so I’m sure you want to invest it the best way you can.
Make sure the agency you choose is in your niche, that they’ve done things in the past like your project, that the communication style is in line with how you want it, and you want to make sure they have a good “crisis” strategy.
Do not base your decision on accolades and logos.
At the end, you’re looking for what works best for you and your campaign.
For the complete guide to everything launch and crowdfunding go here.
Please share this article on LinkedIn if you liked it – would mean a lot to me. And since you’re already there, check the Facebook group for crowdfunding creators!
We’re here to help you crush your crowdfunding campaign and fund your dream. Our team has helped creators successfully launch and raise over $13 million on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. We’re so excited to help you on this journey to launch!
