How to raise money with crowdfunding: personal experience. Overview of crowdfunding platforms: defeat the idea with the whole crowd

Where to get money to start a business? A bank will not give a bank loan to a novice entrepreneur, taking money from moneylenders at a crazy percentage is also not an option, you will not have time to unwind, but you have already gone bankrupt. It remains either to look for an investor, or to save on your own. But the Moneymaker Factory offers another option: to find investments with the help of crowdfunding. Has civilization reached Russia in the form of crowdfunding platforms that will help turn a businessman's dream into reality? Let's talk about "crowd funding", its pitfalls and other important aspects.

Businessman story

45-year-old designer Alexei, whose average annual income for the last 5 years barely exceeded 500 thousand rubles, decided to slightly change the direction of his activity and start selling decorative plaster. Moreover: to change the minds of people and make this material more in demand and popular than wallpaper, since the raw material is environmentally friendly and it does not require deforestation to produce it. His project is based on 3 pillars:

According to the most conservative estimates, he needs 2 million rubles to start, and only a million of his own money. Not wanting to work with banks and MFIs, Alexey turns to us for help in choosing a modern crowdfunding platform.

Is it possible to raise money for such a project at all? We analyzed several popular resources and decided to help our hero. Only those sites that have been on the market for 2 years or more were taken as a “sample”.

What is the essence of the idea?

Irrevocable money can also be received from the state in the form of a grant for business development. It's real, people from the street receive without any bribes.

Crowd funding (CF) - collective financing of projects, thanks to which the necessary amount of money is collected to launch a social initiative, store, development software, publishing a book, recording an album. This list is endless - in theory, CF is suitable for any task, whether it's launching a spacecraft to Mars or a meal for the homeless. The only difference is whether the founder can collect the required amount or not.

Distinctive features CF:

1. Clear idea. You can’t collect money “for the future” or “for yourself”: all of them must be directed to achieve a specific goal and within a specified time period.
2. Limited. Both the final amount of money and the collection period are limited by the project. This is necessary in order to understand which project is of interest to the audience and which is not.
3. Any direction. In the world, KF venues help raise money not only for artists, musicians and artists, but also for politicians and businessmen.
4. Venture. By making a contribution to a particular project, the user does not receive a guarantee of a return on investment. If we are talking about social initiatives, then there is no need to count on compensation for one's contribution.
5. Gratuitousness. In most cases, CF sites do not require a return on investment from the organizers. If we are talking about the development of a product or program, the release of intellectual property, then the backer can only count on a bonus (all this is negotiated by the crowdfunder).
6. Efficiency. The organizer is obliged to fulfill its obligations and report on them. If he does not do this, he is obliged to return the money received for the implementation of the project.

Summary analysis of CF services in Russia:

* VIN - all or nothing (the project is either 100 percent funded or not funded at all), OV - leave everything (it is possible to receive part of the funds collected as part of the project's investment), SP - free price (the contribution is determined by equity holders - backers and is used only to encourage creative projects).

Site "Planet"

• Organizer over 18 years old;
• Have a bank account;
• The project complies with the Rules of Service.

Funded by: any creative, social, socially useful projects, whether it is the publication of books, the release of photographs, the recording of albums, the shooting of films.

Not funded: any political activity, commercial projects.

Site Features: before publication, the proposed idea is studied by the moderator, and for its launch, a separate agreement is signed with a personal curator.

Summary: Aleksey can try to raise money on the Planet to open the School of Decorative Plastering, but not to launch his own store selling materials and tools.

Platform "Boomstarter"

Requirements to start the project:

• The organizer is a citizen of Russia over 18 years old;
• The presence of an identity document, as well as the address of the permanent registration of the organizer;
• Possession of a debit or credit card or a bank account in the name of the fundraiser.

Funded by: any interesting projects related to creativity - the publication of a book, the creation of a film, a music album, a series of photographs, and so on.

Not funded: all applications for opening a business, charity, projects tied to the needs of a particular person (buying things, traveling, studying),

Site Features: the organizer gets all or nothing, and the time frame for fundraising is limited (up to 60 days). Therefore, it is more realistic to raise small amounts of money, including in several stages (by splitting the project into podcasts).

Summary: Alexey will not be able to receive money either for starting a business or for related needs, or he will have to deliberately deceive both the site and patrons. The presented platform provides an opportunity for high commercialization for creative teams (musicians, theaters, artists).

Playground "Circles"

Requirements to start the project: ready-made material that needs to be published, and then receive money from fans for its use (listening, viewing, etc.).

Funded by: creativity in all its manifestations (money is transferred from caring users of the project, who can also comment and criticize other people's work).

Not funded: objects that may be recognized as non-compliant with the law, non-unique (duplicate) content.

Site Features: the site is suitable for those who promote their own creativity, who want to receive money for copyright materials.

Summary: Alexey will not be able to find on this site the resources he needs to launch his projects. At the same time, "Circles" - oldest project Runet to raise funds for artists, artists and others creative people, and with its help, many teams were able to achieve success and popularity.

Thank you area

Requirements to start the project: availability of ready-made unique content that may interest the audience (music, books, videos, works of art etc).

Funded by: users of the project can encourage the creator they like with the necessary amount of money (determined at the request of the patron) for any project presented by him on the site.

Not funded: duplicate content; objects, the copyright for which does not belong to the person who published them; objects that may violate the laws of Russia.

Summary: The platform, like its analogue "Circles", does not suit Alexey, since he does not offer a unique creative product.

Rusini site

Requirements to start the project:

• Availability of a business plan;
• Market overview in the area of ​​interest;
• Starting information feed (groups in social networks, etc.);
• Publication of information about the implementation of the project.

Funded by: activities of NGOs, creative projects, start-ups, social business.

Not funded: the list of projects that will not be published on the site is determined by the administration of "Rusini" individually.

Site Features: when raising funds, the “all or nothing” system operates, however, many interesting initiatives were heard and the necessary amounts of money were raised during the existence of the crowdfunding platform. "Rusini" does not take a commission from its users, so using the services of the service is very profitable.

Summary: the site presented is ideal for Alexey, and his project fully meets the requirements of the site. To raise the necessary money, he needs to work hard and interest potential investors: the analytical materials that are already on the site will help with this. The system for monitoring the spending of funds allows you to guarantee their intended use. However, at the time of this writing, there were failures in the site: it was not possible to send an email to feedback, failed to publish the project.

Refund. Invested resources do not require compensation from the organizer. However, he needs to complete the task. This is confirmed by checks and other documents, photographs, videos.

Platform "With the world on a string"

Requirements to start the project:

• The presence of citizenship of the Russian Federation from the author;
• The idea and name of the project, the amount and term of fundraising.

Funded by: social projects, interesting startups (the site has a successful example of raising funds to open a gym), joint purchases of a social orientation.

Not funded: projects that will not be published on the site are determined individually.

Site Features: an agency agreement is concluded between the platform “From the World in a Thread” and the author of the project. In accordance with this agreement, part of the collected funds is transferred to the site free of charge.

Summary: So, "With the world on a string" also suits Alexey, but in order to implement business tasks, he needs to create a beautiful "legend". At the very least, he should definitely try to raise money to open a decorative plaster school. You can interest users by offering your services, materials, tools - all this is a topic for a separate conversation.

Refund. At the end of the promotion, in case of successful collection of the required amount of money, the organizer must provide all participants with the indicated bonuses. Thus, Alexey can offer all investors tools, materials, or free education at your school.

Conclusion: Crowdfunding in Russia is better than nothing

Thus, a cursory analysis popular projects demonstrates the low development of the idea of ​​crowdfunding to promote business initiatives. The existing sites, no doubt, have excellent functionality, are hosted on good CMS (administrative platforms), and the requirements for ideas are formulated very clearly. Nevertheless, it is too early to draw conclusions about their overall success (failure), because crowdfunding in Russia has been known quite recently.

It is also impossible not to note the superficial elaboration of many proposed projects on most sites. Often there is no cost accounting, detailed information about the purposes for which cash. At the same time, in Western countries, CF was originally used specifically for social projects, and its history goes back less than two decades. Therefore, in the near future, we can hope that the sites will also be used to launch successful business start-ups.

Project Success Criteria

1. Developed business plan. If we are talking about a commercial idea, then it should be based on real calculations (rent of premises, cost of manufacturing materials, etc.). The numbers must be real, otherwise investors will start to doubt.
2. Timeliness. It is best to start CF projects in the fall, when people return from vacations. It is worth studying the work of the sites and starting your work when the chances of success are maximum.
3. Realism. You should not set too ambitious goals for yourself: you need to move towards your dream in small but confident steps. It is better to collect a small amount than not to get a giant jackpot.
4. Openness. It is much easier to promote and improve an existing project than to try to create something massive from scratch. The more information about the organizer, the better: people will trust you.

Novice businessmen and startups without capital have to look for money to launch a project. The search for an investor takes time and effort, and the result may be zero. But we still hear about the resounding success of newcomers to the business. Turns out they can help. ordinary people who are ready to take a word and give money. This phenomenon is called crowdfunding.

Crowdfunding (crowdfunding) – modern model search for financing among individuals who are ready to support the project they like with money. Information is found on special sites - crowdfunding platforms. Unlike crowdsourcing, crowdfunding involves only raising funds, and not looking for volunteer helpers.

You want to print a book or a magazine, host a festival, or launch a new product like an inflatable sofa without a pump. How long it will take to find funding is unknown. Crowdfunding allows you to get money in just a few months. To do this, the authors of the projects describe in detail the idea, the costs of its implementation and set a goal - how much they want to raise.

Whether you succeed depends on whether people believe you and see the benefit in the project. Crowdfunding has helped and continues to help small businesses and startups. On "collective" funds, they carry out charitable events, develop free programs, record music and make films.

The interactive course of the online university Netology "Crowdfunding: how to get funding for your project" will help you decide on the choice of a site, correctly design a project and develop a reward system.

Who's Who in Crowdfunding

The main actors of crowdfunding are the founder (the author of the project) and the sponsor (backer, or donor). Sponsors finance the project through the system, the author receives funds for its implementation.

Before launching a fundraising campaign, the author calculates the costs in detail to determine the amount required. An important condition for crowdfunding is openness. People need to see how much money you need, how much you managed to raise and how much is still missing. The collected amount can be spent only for the purpose - there will be a demand from the author.

Crowdfunding fundraising models

• All or nothing: if the project has not collected the required amount by the appointed date, it does not receive anything
• Leave everything: the author receives exactly the amount, minus the commission that he managed to attract
• Remuneration: first the amount is collected, then a team is created to implement the project; she gets paid for her work
• Free price deal: the author creates a product (e.g. book, audio recording) and sponsors decide how much to pay for it
• Charity: gratuitous transfer of money

Global giants of crowdfunding

The most famous crowdfunding platform is Kickstarter. It has been operating since 2009, and during this time it has attracted the attention of large American corporations, government agencies and venture funds. Here they choose the most suitable projects for investment. This platform works according to the “All or Nothing” model.

Kickstarter's main competitor is Indiegogo. This platform allows for a more flexible funding model than the first one. No matter what part of the declared amount was collected, all the money will go to the author. At the same time, he can choose the “All or Nothing” scheme, instead of the flexible model. It will cost him less: the commission will be lower.

Kickstarter raised $71.5 million in 2015 and is the world leader. And although there are no sites with a similar turnover in Russia, two of the largest can be distinguished: Boomstarter and Planeta.

Crowdfunding platform "Boomstarter"

They call her Russian counterpart"Kickstrater". The site opened in 2012, and at first offered to raise money only according to the “All or Nothing” model - until due date. In 2016, it became possible to collect money indefinitely - until the goal.

Each fundraising campaign is assigned a manager. It warns and corrects errors. The system commission is 10%, another 13% is income tax.

Boomstarter attracts creative, technical and other projects with a purpose. This platform raises money for the creation of films, music, video games, books, software and more. In total, there are 13 categories: society, games, food, design, fashion, art, publications, music, technology, theater, video, photography and choreography.

"Boomstarter" does not support charity and everything connected with it. The authors raise money for clear goals - to record a music album, publish a book, create a finished product or work of art.

• In 2013, Boomstarter managed to raise over 3 million rubles for the filming of the film "28 Panfilov's Men", although the authors asked for 300,000 rubles
• In November 2016, sponsors raised 1,429,220 rubles to reprint the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics in book format (800,000 rubles were needed)
• In May 2016, 998 sponsors raised 3,890,140 rubles for a pocket sofa inflated without a pump. The authors of the project asked for “only” 1 million

Since the opening of the site, 1,458 projects have managed to raise 309 million rubles. The greatest response is received by projects in the categories of music, films, books, computer games.

Features of "Boomstarter"

- Fundraising

If we compare "Boomstarter" with another service - "Planet", then it differs primarily in the fundraising model - "All or Nothing". The author had to collect the amount by the exact deadline. If less is collected, the site returned the money to sponsors. Later, the platform softened, and it became possible to raise funds indefinitely - until the desired goal was reached. "Planet" gives money if the amount is collected at least half (50%).

Author's contribution. If the author of the project found part of the money outside the crowdfunding platform, then Boomstarter allows him to make an “author’s contribution” with this amount. These funds are credited to the general piggy bank, but are not paid out upon successful completion of the campaign. There is no such possibility on the "Planet". You can withdraw the amount if it reaches 50% of the target.

Personal manager. Boomstarter assigns a manager to each project. You can keep in touch with him by phone. In the "Planet" communication only by e-mail, which is slower.

Online learning. Boomstarter quickly teaches you how to launch projects in an online school at any time. "Planet" holds classes only once every 3 months, and you need to attend them in person.

Refund. Boomstarter charges a commission from sponsors when returning money from unsuccessful projects. "Planet" returns the funds in full.

Crowdfunding platform "Planet"

"Planet" appeared in Runet among the first crowdfunding platforms in 2012. Initially, the creators of the site came up with the idea to create a service that would help fight piracy in music - with the help of pre-ordering albums.

In 2011, the service opened in test mode. The first project was fundraising for the recording of the studio album of the BI-2 group (in its composition, co-founder of the platform Max Lakmus acts as a bass player). We managed to collect 1,250,000 rubles for the recording. This successful project was followed by others - also from the field of music. Later, other categories joined, the service expanded.

Gradually, the "Planet" has grown to a service online broadcasts and an online store and began to produce content herself.

Money is collected according to the “All or Nothing” model, but there is an advantageous condition - you need to collect at least 50%. The system will take a commission of 10% of the half of the amount set as a target, and will give the remaining money with a commission of 15%.

When the fundraising deadline expires and 50% of the desired amount has been accumulated, the platform offers a choice - either to withdraw the money (with different commissions) or to extend the campaign for the same period as originally (180 days).

Main directions of projects

Planet's first project was to raise funds to record music, so the creative categories resonate the most. Here they help to find money to release an album, make a film, organize a festival.

Successful Fundraising Cases

• The record holder of the "Planet" in raising money was the project of the cartoon "Three Melodies". The author set a goal to collect 2,200,000 rubles and surpassed it by another 50 thousand rubles
• The group "BI-2" collected 1,262,250 rubles for the recording of the album Spirit, 1,023,100 rubles for the recording of another album - "16+", as well as 1,073,460 for a live edition (DVD + CD)
• In the event sector, a project stood out for staging a musical based on the songs of the Aquarium group. Required 1 million rubles, managed to collect - 1,147,997 rubles

The Planet's official website states that as of May 2017, 638,550,369 rubles had been raised within 2,790 projects (according to statistics, every third project managed to achieve its goal).

Features of the "Planet"

"Boomstarter" attracted an audience that is more interested in business ideas and technologies, and "Planet" - in creativity and charity

On the "Planet" raise funds famous people, they are loved and known, so they are more willing to give money. In the shadow of the stars, it can be difficult for regular writers to engage audiences. Boomstarter has a reputation as a platform for beginners, so there are more chances of success without such strong competition from celebrities

How to choose a crowdfunding platform for your project

Comparison table between Boomstarter and Planeta.ru

When choosing a crowdfunding platform, be guided by its “specialization”. Business projects, development of new technologies and products can find a greater response on Boomstarter. "Planet" attracts more creative and social projects.

If you have never raised funds on such platforms, then at Boomstarter you will be trained online and assigned to the project manager-curator. On the "Planet" you will have to study "live" - ​​to attend classes in person. If you do not live in Moscow, then this is inconvenient.

Pay attention to the amount of funds raised. Both Boomstarter and Planet show good results. This means that they are working to improve the service and make the collection process more efficient.

Video: how to describe a project on a crowdfunding site

Crowdfunding to help you

If the idea of ​​a startup or creative project can really be useful, it will be easier to get money. People will be interested and will collect them for you. The task of the author and the novice businessman is to convince them of success. Crowdfunding platforms will help in this.

And then how not to spend everything that will be earned.

Crowdfunding has long been no longer a hobby of unemployed inventors, but a completely legitimate source of funding, including for large companies. And it's not just about money: brands have realized the marketing potential of crowdfunding platforms and have begun to actively use them for test launches and advertising of new products.

But in order for the campaign to work for you, you first have to spend time, effort and money on its promotion. How to do this, we talk about own example- with all the developments and stuffed cones. In August, we launched the Bear Bike: Create Your Own Bike! ”on the Boomstarter platform and collected 1,286,043 rubles out of the declared million.

When is crowdfunding needed?

Crowdfunding is needed not only for startups and entrepreneurs who are eager to raise funds for a new business, but also for established companies and individuals. Crowdfunding should not be taken solely as an option to raise money for those who could not find investors or do not want to run around the banks. Crowdfunding is also a useful promotion tool that will tell you about your brand even before the start of the campaign itself.

Crowdfunding is effective because of the inclusiveness and breadth of the audience, which consists of people who are open to everything new. You should not perceive this tool only as a banal promotion of seasonal discounts: it is necessary to position it, rather, as a multifunctional brand promotion channel that allows the author of the project to take a broader look at his own business model, see errors and shortcomings in it, in order to eliminate them later.

Obviously, our project could raise more money, but that's all. smart ideas, as it usually happens, came to us exactly at the end of the project.

How to choose a site

A crowdfunding platform must be chosen based on the needs, goals and direction of the business. So, Planeta.ru was originally intended for creative people who need to raise money, for example, to record an album or shoot a video. For physical products that you can hold in your hands, Boomstarter is more suitable.

Unlike Planeta on Boomstarter, you must follow a clear “All or Nothing” law, since you will receive money only if the entire declared amount is collected. If you have not collected the specified funds, you will have to withdraw money with a commission. That is why the manager attached to the project asks the authors to provide a clear media plan, in which it is necessary to prescribe all future costs, including advertising on social networks and placements with bloggers. Without a carefully crafted media plan, Boomstarter managers will basically not allow you to launch a project.

When choosing a crowd platform, it is important to be confident in your project and whether you can collect necessary funds for the specified period (we met our 30 days and collected more than the stated amount). Of course, it is impossible to calculate all the risks, but just in case, set yourself time with some margin, because. Boomstarter doesn't have an option to renew the campaign.

Landing page design

The design begins with the project page, which becomes the face of the entire campaign. A well-designed landing page is half the battle. It is believed that, on average, a potential sponsor spends only two minutes on the main page. Video and photo materials should be attractive and of high quality, and texts should be understandable and not boring. Be brief, clearly articulate the purpose of the campaign and what you can offer backers in exchange for investment.

Think carefully about the visual presentation: avoid long wording, use infographics and graphic elements, in without fail keep the logical structure of your text. And remember that he must urge the sponsor to purchase rewards.

It’s easy to get lost in promoting a project from scratch: in this case, crowdfunding project managers usually provide beginners with voluminous instructions with many links and advice on what needs to be reflected in the text and who can be contacted for competent design.

Our team should have focused on one product when designing the landing page concept - wide selection stopped the buyer at the stage of purchase, made him doubt. To save sponsors' time, we advise you to exhibit only one product, and with it - a limited number of lots, taking into account discounts.

If you have a physical product, then you need to sell it, and not focus on vague requests for help in raising funds for the project.

Video

The traditional presentation format for crowdfunding platforms is short video about the product and the team. Shooting it well is a resource-intensive task, especially for entrepreneurs who are far from video production, but this must be done without fail so as not to violate the unspoken rules of the site that its users are used to. In no case can not save on sound and installation.

Hire a good cameraman who will capture several shots in the composition of the shot, adjust the sound and set the lights correctly. Remember: you're shooting an ad, not a video for parents. In the video, we managed to show what a close-knit team we have, but we forgot to add a legend or a story to its basis, some plot, without which it is much more difficult to hook the viewer.

Do not use memorized language in front of the camera, it always looks terrible.

A potential sponsor will immediately pay attention to insincere formulaic phrases, and his trust in you will decrease significantly. It happened to us: the deadlines were running out, we needed the video as soon as possible and therefore we forgot to prepare ourselves for shooting. We uttered the text without expression, as if according to a cheat sheet. The video came out unnatural.

Our advice: find a "talking head" in the team, a person who knows how to behave in front of the camera. And remember that it is better to say less, but to the point.

Project description

Another important element of the landing page is the text about the project. It should be informative and not very long. We tried to say everything at once - and we were wrong. Because of great variety bike models and modifications (color, size, steering wheel) our description has spread.

It took too long to get into all the details of the campaign, and some potential sponsors lost interest before reading to the end. Therefore, be concise, estimate the time it will take to design and layout a landing page. And keep in mind that in all further marketing activities of the campaign, most likely you will use the same text.

Focus on the problem your product can solve, move forward from the insights of your target audience. AT recent times there is a clear trend to replace textual content with visual content. So, most users prefer pictures and infographics to letters. Use it, add animation and various illustrations to the text, but remember that everything is good in moderation.

Communication with the site

On almost all crowdfunding platforms, each project receives a manager - a special guardian angel who is ready to answer a thousand and one questions (and you will have them) and help you sort out all aspects, including promotion.

Of course, the manager cannot give any guarantees, so the main concerns will still fall on your shoulders. But we recommend that you listen to what he says - this is the first campaign for you, and he has probably spent more than a dozen.

In our case, it was impossible to overestimate the role of the guys from Boomstarter, who shared their experience and helped useful tips. Although the "Bear Bike: Build Your Own Bike!" was an experiment both for us and for them - because of the rather high average bill for their site.

One more recommendation: place lots sequentially with at different prices. For example, you want to sell 100 simulated nanobirdhouses with the help of a campaign. Set the first 30 at a price of 8,000 rubles, the next 20 at 8,500 rubles, and the last 20 at 9,000 rubles. Thus, people have a transparent motivation not to delay the purchase.

It is worth noting that good preparation It takes two to three months to launch the project. During this time, a well-coordinated team should work under the guidance of a responsible coordinator who helps at every stage of the work. Start working on your own contacts, notify your friends about the upcoming event, gather a pool of loyal media and bloggers. Do not forget about the press release, which is better to send out in advance, without waiting for the start of the campaign.

Prepare announcements for social networks in advance, think about updating the landing page: it needs to be amended every time you cross a certain milestone (not necessarily monetary). For example, “One week has passed” or “Hurry up to buy, there are seven days left.” Think carefully about how you will conduct yourself during the campaign. This is not a rocket that flies by itself.

Promotion

PR in social networks

Among other things, we were advised to stir up interest in the project in social networks - to write about it every day and a lot. At the same time, to focus not on the indistinct call “support good project", and on favorable price product within the campaign.

Following the recommendations given to us, we prepared templates for banners in advance, however, despite this, we should have covered the campaign itself more. Since some buyers may consider the page inactive without updates, you should carefully monitor the comments and reviews posted on it. Without properly built feedback, even the largest discounts will not be able to help collect the required amount.

If you're selling an original or new product, emphasize that your product will cost more after the campaign expires.

Bloggers

We got the impression that this channel is overrated, especially in the case of niche products. We involved a well-known blogger in the promotion, and the photo of our bike on his Instagram got 48,000 likes. Several hundred subscribers came to our account from him, but not a single one became a sponsor on Boomstarter.

Alas, thousands of someone's followers are not dozens of your sponsors. Top bloggers are not able to help every brand, but in our case, it turned out to be more correct to turn to an opinion leader with a smaller audience, but with interests similar to the values ​​of our brand.

After bad experience with a top blogger, we collaborated with a famous actor, a fan of extreme and motorsports. The post collected many times less likes (16 thousand), but in this case we saw the response that we needed - its subscribers bought two bicycles, which was noticeable for us, because. all our products in the project had a high average bill.

The first rule of influencer marketing is:“Choose that agent of influence whose values ​​coincide with the mission of your company, and whose interests coincide with the needs of your audience,” but sometimes this is not enough.

So, the photo format, which depicts a blogger with a product, is no longer working so well due to the emergence of new formats and tools (the same Instagram Stories). More creative advertising integrations with the participation of influencers "eat up" the budget, although they require less costs compared to the same television advertising.

Facebook

According to our statistics, the largest number transitions from all social networks were from Facebook. It is used by people who are more likely to make an expensive purchase. The Vkontakte store did not give a single sale, and we decided not to do crops in public - we did not believe in this channel, the paid posts were falling in the feed too quickly.

On the other hand, the posts on the project's Facebook page yielded results: it was from them that users went both to our official website and to the campaign itself. Basically, we published posts with appeals like: “Hurry up to buy a great product at a good price.”

Instagram

Instagram did the worst. Our subscribers (loyal audience) reacted immediately. And then we invested a little in paid promotion. And in particular, we found out that it is more correct to promote each product separately, and not the entire crowdfunding campaign. Instagram has its own rules: users react more to the object than to the advertising layout. But even under paid posts, there were few comments, and only 40% of “deep views” reached our site.

Work with the media

A crowdfunding campaign is not exactly a big news story, so don't expect journalists to fight for you. But you don’t have to write only about raising money. Be smarter: choose a topic that will interest the editor and readers of a particular resource, while the project itself is enough to simply mention it in the text.

If the article hooks the reader, do not hesitate, he will certainly follow the link. In the business publications in which we have made the most publications, generously share your experience and figures, and tell the rest of the readers interesting stories about the product and clearly articulate your USP.

We started with publications in the leading online publications in the startup market. We posted a press release about the launch on specialized portals. Boomstarter helped us get airplay on internet radio, which had several thousand online listeners - and we've seen a nice boost in sponsorship since then.

Then we initiated another broadcast on the radio, in which we told why a businessman needs a bicycle. There is a stereotype that radio is much outdated compared to other channels. In our case, this channel worked with a bang. This proves that sometimes it is necessary to shoot with all the guns, you never know which one will shoot harder.

Participation in city events

There was a good response from events where we showed the product live and handed out leaflets announcing the campaign, for example, at Faces&Laces in Gorky Park.

Note, however, that the effect of participating in city events is not noticeable on the progress of a single campaign, but rather on the growth of the overall popularity of the brand. People get to know you and remember you, they have some associations with the product and impressions from the conversation with the consultant working at the booth (this, of course, should not be a random promoter, but an employee who knows the product well, smiling and sociable).

We did not see any cosmic results from "live" events specifically in this campaign, but we are convinced that in the long run it was the right marketing move. And we are already planning a calendar of events for next year- in Moscow and other cities.

As for the concept of the booth, we tried everything: handing out free drinks, building a drum set from bicycle parts, asking visitors to paint bicycles on paper.

And this is what we understood: so that your activity does not turn out to be a magnet for freeloaders, the stand should not only attract attention, but also push you to buy. Observing colleagues, we were convinced that discounts and gifts in exchange for likes in social networks cause rather a negative reaction. After walking five steps away, people removed likes and removed geotags.

Instead of a conclusion

One more and maybe main advice. Remember that the main goal of a crowdfunding campaign is sales. We have heard of “successful” cases where people raised large sums, but gave sponsors too generous discounts or managed to spend everything that would be earned on advertising.

Therefore, promote, but do not get carried away, so that as a result it does not turn out that you have earned nothing and wasted your time. It also costs money, as you know.

Editorial opinion may not reflect the views of the author. If you have something to add - we will be glad to hear your comments. If you want to write an article with your point of view - read on Cossa.

As it develops, the Internet becomes a tool for all more tasks. Let's put it this way: if earlier it was possible to work or have fun on the Internet, today, with the help of the same social resources, you can organize some kind of movement, develop an idea or create a real social "boom", whatever it may be expressed.

One of the best examples of how the Internet can become a powerful platform for social organization people is crowdfunding. This is a relatively new movement that originated in the West just a few years ago. At first it was, of course, just an idea, which gradually grew into an entire industry, the volume of which, according to the results of 2014, is estimated at $ 5.1 billion worldwide. This money finances a huge amount interesting projects, startups, charity events and more.

Crowdfunding in Russia, of course, is a relatively small share of these funds. However, even in our country, platforms are being created that allow centralized collection of money and directing it to certain needs. About what this movement is, what are its advantages and how you can participate - read this article.

What it is?

Let's start with the definition of the term "crowdfunding". This, as you probably already understood, is a word that comes from in English, formed by the merger of the other two - crowd (in translation - "crowd") and funding ("investment"). Thus, in itself, this word means "mass fundraising from a large number of people".

The phenomenon by which we mean crowdfunding is not something that people have come up with for last years. Mankind has long known that by gathering efforts (funds) together, it is possible to realize some more global, large-scale goal. In fact, it has been used for centuries.

And the thing is that crowdfunding platforms have recently appeared on the network, which have greatly facilitated this task. Now, in order to announce a fundraiser, you just need to publish a message in social network. And the people who are interested will catch up. So, in principle, fundraising takes place on modern sites. Anyone can donate for anything. There are several models by which crowdfunding sites work.

For example, it can be fundraising as a charitable contribution (for example, for the treatment of a child); as an investment with a subsequent reward (when the person giving money receives a product sample or a souvenir from the company in return). The third model by which money is raised is investing - when people donate funds in return for shares in a startup.

Why is this needed?

The answer to the question of why a crowdfunding project is needed is very simple. The fundraising model puts the main goal, first of all, to accumulate a certain amount. The purpose of such a collection can be anything - to undergo a course of treatment, to assemble a new gadget, to hold an event, to release a music album, and so on. It all depends on who is collecting money, and what this person (group of people) does.

In the future, the funds are directed in the way it was originally stipulated: for example, money from investors goes to a single account of a company conducting crowdfunding (there are several of them in Russia), after which they are sent in a single payment to purchase equipment, rent a studio, and so on. In some cases, money may also be given to the initiators of their collection in order for them to carry out their original task. True, in this case, of course, these finances are carefully monitored.

How and who can use it?

People who could apply for fundraising are usually not selected in any way. The owners of resources that carry out crowdfunding (including Russian sites) accept all applications from anyone who would like to try to raise money and realize their goal. Then they are filtered and carefully selected in order to determine the most worthy project. Of course, each of the platforms has its own set of criteria by which they separate potentially interesting applications from unpromising ones. Then the fundraising process begins. Most often, the initiators of the collection are required to disclose information about themselves and their idea as much as possible, to provide some evidence and facts - all that will convince everyone to make their investment.

Work model

So, to make it a little clearer how everything works, let's show how the crowdfunding project model functions visually. As you may have guessed, everything starts with an idea. It is she who should come to the developer, who immediately lights up with it, thinks over its implementation and submits an application for a fundraising platform.

He does this in accordance with the conditions (rules) of submission. Most often, you need to carefully describe what the essence and novelty of your idea is, to whom it can be useful, how you are going to implement it, and, of course, where and how much money you will spend in order to implement your idea. You publish all this data on the project, after which everyone can familiarize themselves with them and make their contribution.

Next, your campaign begins. The site gives you a certain period during which you must collect a certain amount of money. Let's say that in 30 days your project should collect 100 thousand dollars. In the event that you collect 109 thousand, the organizers give you this amount to achieve your goals. If, for example, your project collects only 73 thousand dollars (does not reach the previously determined amount), it is considered not to have taken place. The money that people allocated is returned to them.

Successful examples in the world

In order to understand how Russian crowdfunding should work in the future, we can look at the most best examples in the world - the most successful sites operating, in particular, in the USA Of course, this is KickStarter. The platform has collected billions of dollars for the implementation of certain products throughout its existence. This is a huge number of startups, some of which have already reached unprecedented heights.

What's great about this venue is the perspectives for each individual participant. Imagine: any inventor, having created a good enough campaign, is able to take his idea into real life and present your product. Firstly, it encourages people to develop, come up with something new and amazing; secondly, projects like KickStarter allow you to create those things that will ultimately change people's lives for the better. These include: innovative gadgets, programs, content and much more - everything that will benefit other people.

Projects in Russia

We have several crowdfunding platforms. Of the most famous, these are: “From the World by a Thread”, “Tugeza”, Planeta.ru, Indiegogo, Kroogi and others. All of them work with projects different directions, some - relatively recently (about a year or two). Nevertheless, these sites even managed to show certain results (volumes of funds raised). For example, BoomStarter - 5 million rubles, Planeta.ru - 10 million and so on. In the coming years, as experts predict, we should expect the market to grow by 7-9 times annually. Thus, a real “boom” awaits us in the field of such a phenomenon as crowdfunding. Russian sites, apparently, are already preparing for this.

How to collect the required amount?

This question worries everyone who raises funds in this way. There are two main factors here - a description of the idea and its PR. To have a really strong, worthwhile project, you need to carefully consider its purpose, form of implementation and technical features representation. As for PR, it depends on how many people will transfer their funds to you. Therefore, it would not hurt you to involve local (and not only) media in advertising your campaign.

prospects

The possibilities that crowdfunding opens up (this is actually the way to life for your project) for each of us are simply endless. The main thing is to be aware of this and work on your idea, not despairing if nothing works right away. Work - and you will succeed! The experience of a large number of other people proves this.

The meaning of the hard-to-pronounce word “crowdfunding” is explained very easily and simply. Crowdfunding? this is an action to raise money for the implementation of any idea, business, project, creation of an invention.

Usually such actions take place via the Internet. Anyone who wants to can take part and contribute any amount to the announced project. Why is this type of activity so popular now, and who has already excelled in it?

The meaning and meaning of crowdfunding

Translation from English of the first part of the word "crowd" means literally "crowd", and "funding"? financing.

That is, everyone on a voluntary basis contributes to the financing of any project. Does the idea work according to the principle? with the world on a string, naked? shirt.

The author of an idea, or someone who wants to bring it to life, posts information about their brainchild on the Internet, which includes goals, deadlines for implementation, and announces the amount needed to collect. The details of the account where you need to transfer money are published.

Sponsors, or as they are called, backers, who invested their money, often receive a reward, for example, a copy of brought to life. But most often, crowdfunding occurs on a gratuitous basis.

How did crowdfunding originate?

The crowdfunding movement began about two decades ago. In 1997, admirers of the famous rock band Marillion organized an Internet event to organize the band's all-American tour. Later, inspired by the success of the idea, the group initiated a fundraiser to record several more albums.

Representatives of the media and the film industry later mastered the same method of raising funds.

Successful examples of crowdfunding

In 2002, Eric Bauman launched the Internet project FilmVenture.com, which was implemented based on the idea of ​​crowdfunding. People who were involved in raising funds for additional filming of the film "Waiting for a Miracle" were promised participation in the filming process and a bonus in the form of DVD versions of the film, issued before their official release. The required amount was collected in three weeks. The amount of the bonus varied depending on the amount donated.

The project of the cartoon "Masyanya", beloved by Russians? one of the most famous and successful projects created with funds raised through crowdfunding. The planeta.ru website announced the company's conditions for collecting the required amount of 100,000 rubles.

Those who donated 100 rubles received a link to a video with a cartoon. Invested 500 rubles? autographed portrait of Masyanya. Those beckers who were generous with 5,000 rubles were mentioned in the credits. Portrait of the sponsor or his loved one, drawn by Oleg Kuvaev, was promised to those who would lay out 20 thousand rubles. For a donation of 50 thousand rubles, a unique watercolor from the artist was presented as a gift.

The results of such an action were unexpected: the fundraising was completed in 8 hours. But the money continued to come in, and all the money collected during the month was spent on the release of the next series of Masyanya.

Crowdfunding is used not only for cultural and social projects. Political goals are also successfully financed with funds raised little by little by ordinary people.

For example, Barack Obama was able to raise $272 million online in the 2008 primaries.

Alexei Navalny also chose the crowdfunding method to raise funds for events around. His scandalous project "RosPil" for several years was able to collect no less than 10 million rubles.

Where to post your offer to raise funds?

For those who want to take advantage of the crowdfunding opportunity, there are several portals on the Internet where you can post your idea and announce a fundraiser for it.

The most famous fundraising project in the US is Kickstarter.

There are no Russian analogues of portals of this scale yet, but there are similar projects with similar goals: Planeta.ru, Boomstarter and Kroogi.