How to raise money with crowdfunding: personal experience. Crowdfunding - what is it

(Eng. Crowd - crowd, Funding - financing) - a method of attracting investments for a project.

The most famous progenitor crowdfunding- American. More than 10 million people have supported projects on Kickstarter. The service Indiegogo is also popular in the world. In Russia, there are several analogues: Planet and Boomstarter.

Here is a link to my Boomstarter project: Japan Reality Show Business. In 40 days I was able to collect 202,034 rubles. It wasn't easy. Here are some tips to help you with your campaign.

1) Create value

Your project should be useful to you, your environment and other people. Think about how your product will change our lives in better side? One of the most popular areas of crowdfunding is Technology. The guys create holders for flash drives, desktop air conditioners, keys with a GPS tracker. Absolutely everything that appears in a bright head.

In my case with the Japanese trip, it was more difficult to convey value to others. I had to prove that this is not just a vacation.

2) Make an honest video

The video in the title of your project is one of the decisive factors. Many sponsors of your project will be satisfied with a short video presentation, where you honestly tell what you have in mind.

Here is my video:

3) Set reasonable numbers

Once a brilliant idea pops into your head, you'll want to wager a decent amount to raise. Only now more than 90% of projects do not collect the required amount.

I recommend clearly describing the minimum budget: what you need money for and how much. Let the audience know that if successful, you will continue to raise money and add additional bonuses. For example, in the production of clothing, such a bonus can be new color or additional model.

Remember a simple thing: if you do not collect the entire amount, you will receive NOTHING. All money will be returned back to your sponsors on the cards.

4) Choose smart incentives

As an incentive to sponsors, you can give a product that you create with the money raised. Usually production takes 1-5 months after the end of the campaign.

If you have an intangible product, as in my case, you can give symbolic gifts. I sent UniFashion sweatshirts, postcards from Japan. I also gave a video message from the Japanese and the opportunity to participate in my press conference.

Don't stop at banal t-shirts - come up with the most daring things!

5) Don't Expect Miracle Support

When I first started my project, the Boomstarter manager said that he would post an announcement in the company group and suggest media contacts. I relaxed and thought that the money would flow like water. The project is incredibly important! 🙂

They didn't run. The repost did absolutely nothing. 0 rubles. The media was not interested in the zero project. It was necessary to work. Every day I sent messages to newspapers and online publications. Every day I got rejected. This is the reality of crowdfunding.

Get ready for everyone to kick you in the ass

Keep talking - that's the key!

6) Make a Fundraising Plan

But the plan is working! After all, this is mathematics. Divide your amount by the number of days and you get the amount that should be collected daily. In my case, 200,000 rubles / 40 days = 5,000 rubles daily.

In addition to the monetary plan, set the number of successful media partnerships. They wrote in 10 newspapers - 1 published. 0.1 conversion is just awesome!

“From the world on a thread” - this is how crowdfunding can be characterized. Literally, this is a fundraising system that is equally well suited for investing in a business project, as well as for releasing a music album or book.

What it is

In order to better understand the meaning of the definition, let's turn to the English language, because it is from it that the word "crowdfunding" came from. Crowd is a “crowd”, and funding is financing.

Fundraising goals can vary. So, some companies collect for any developments or innovations, while others - for the release of a book that will undoubtedly find its application among the masses.

It is generally accepted that crowdfunding appeared simultaneously with crowdsourcing, which began in the early 2000s. Of course, the idea of ​​crowdfunding is much older than its official release. So, for example, the same Statue of Liberty was built with public money.

Video - what is crowdfunding:

A new method of crowdfunding can only be considered in the field of business and innovation. Raising money to finance projects through the Internet has begun to gain popularity recently. Today, crowdfunding platforms fund startups and some promising forms of business.

In the above figure, you can see in which areas people invested their money a couple of years ago. To date, nothing has changed. So, social needs and business projects are the two most common areas in investing using the crowdfunding method.

Financial and legal scheme

The role of intermediaries in this method of financing is minimized. With the help of crowdfunding, you can get funding without involving banks or exchanges. The whole process of attracting investments is transparent and simple, so it inspires confidence in people who decide to invest in the project.

Options for investors

Conventionally, crowdfunding can be divided into three broad categories:

• without remuneration;
• non-financial reward;
• financial reward.

In the absence of remuneration for investors, we can talk about a donation scheme. Donations are most often used in socially significant, as well as in medical projects. For example, raising funds for the treatment of a child - this is crowdfunding according to the donation scheme. People who donate money for treatment are most often thanked in the form of mentioning their name on a social page or campaign website.

Non-financial rewards are often referred to as the Kickstarter model. The Kickstarter model is the most common type of crowdfunding today. It has shown its effectiveness in business: using it, fundraising for various projects was successfully carried out, ranging from creative to complex products.

A sponsor's reward can be either a mention in the list of persons who took part in the project, or, for example, an invitation to a concert or products. Pre-ordering something is also a subspecies of non-financial reward. For example, for the release of a book, donations are collected from interested parties, and then they receive the first copies of the book autographed by the author.

The third option, involving financial rewards, can be called a full-fledged investment. In this case, all currently known investment models work (for example, royalties or equity crowdfunding).

Speaking about the legal component of crowdfunding, it should be noted that so far this method of attracting investments is regulated only general rules Civil Code of the Russian Federation.

Even in developed countries such as the United States and France, the rules governing public investment were enshrined only in 2014.

How to use it for business

For business, crowdfunding is not only possible, but also necessary to use. However, before submitting documents to one of the following platforms, a number of preparatory steps must be taken:

1. Determine the target market, and also understand for yourself who will benefit from your entry into the market.
2. Prepare a short plan that includes a description of your idea. Try to make the idea and the story of its creation beautiful: people love true and beautiful stories.
3. Prepare answers to possible questions that may arise in the process of people who are going to donate their money to you.
4. Disclosure of information on your project is also quite a significant point.
5. Choose a platform for placing a campaign: look at long-standing and well-executed projects.

Video - how to correctly describe a project for crowdfunding:

Popular crowdfunding platforms

We will start the review of platforms with which you can raise money for the implementation of a business project from Russian crowdfunding sites.

In Russia

• Planet (planeta.ru). There is more than 2 years, a popular and easy-to-learn site. Of the minuses: the system leaves itself up to 28% of the commission from the collected amount of money. With the help of this platform, first of all, creative projects are promoted.
• Boomstarter.ru. Just like Planeta.ru, it has been on the crowdfunding market for over 2 years. System commission up to 23%. Along with creativity, business projects are also promoted with the help of this platform.
• Rusini (rusini.org). The site is specially designed for business projects. The system does not charge any commission. With the help of the platform, startups and other business developments are promoted. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, this site was not working.

Abroad

Foreign platforms are more advanced and more popular, however, working with them is somewhat more difficult.

The most popular foreign platform is kickstarter.com. It helps with financing, first of all, creative and creative projects.

Another popular platform is indiegogo.com. This resource is already more focused on financing business projects. The advantage of the resource is a small commission, which ranges from 4 to 9%.

Rockethub.com is also an excellent platform for investing in business projects. This is a site that is aimed at beginners. The service is distinguished by competent technical support.

So, crowdfunding is a way to attract investments in your project. Investments can be attracted in almost any area, for example, in start-ups or in charity. Crowdfunding is a great way to find not only funding for a project, but also like-minded people.

Video - is it possible for an inventor to raise money in Russia through crowdfunding:

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 is a modern model for finding funding among individuals who are ready to support a 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"

It is called the Russian analogue of Kickstrater. The site opened in 2012, and at first offered to raise money only under the “All or Nothing” model - before the deadline. 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, the 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 collected 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 platform

Crowdfunding to help you

If the idea of ​​a startup or a 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. We talk about how to do this using our own example - with all the developments and stuffed bumps. 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 in in social networks and placement 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.

In promoting a project from scratch, it’s easy to get lost: 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 story to its basis, some kind of 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. Due to the wide variety of bike models and modifications (color, size, handlebars), 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, focus not on the indistinct call “support a good project”, but 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, large quantity 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

Another, and perhaps the 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.

Hello! In this article, we will talk about crowdfunding.

Today you will learn:

• What is crowdfunding;
• Its main types;
• Features of crowdfunding in Russia;
• And crowdfunding platforms.

Crowdfunding is a fairly young and innovative phenomenon in the business world. Thanks to him, many entrepreneurs have been able to launch their projects and make money on them, and charitable organizations and many media personalities can finance many of their undertakings with its help. So, first things first.

What is crowdfunding

In Russian, crowdfunding is a borrowed word. From English crowd(crowd) and funding(funding) becomes "crowd funding". If we slightly adapt this phrase to the Russian language, then we get “collective financing”. The name speaks for itself.

Crowdfunding - Mass fundraising for a specific project, or the implementation of a specific idea.

It is very important for small businesses and many startups. In this way, many charitable actions are financed, a general, free software, books, songs and clips of many performers and writers are released. Crowdfunding is now one of the few ways to financially help people in the implementation of their ideas.

Some terminology:

Donor - a person who invests in a project. Recipient - those who raise money in this way.

The most important condition for crowdfunding is openness. Initially, the recipient must collect all the expenses that he plans to cover with the help of other people, and announce this figure. The amount of funds collected for a specific period of time should always be open to everyone. At the same time, the main condition is that the funds must go exactly to the goal specified in the project.

Crowdfunding is a new phenomenon in business, which means the massive collection of funds for the implementation of a project. People who invest funds are called donors, those who implement the project are called recipients. Crowdfunding can only be used under conditions of openness. All information about the fundraising, as well as costs and rewards (if any) are provided to everyone.

Crowdfunding is suitable for:

• and various;
• Charitable organizations;
• Writers and musicians;
• Supporters and fans;
• etc.

Types of crowdfunding

Crowdfunding as a business direction has 3 different types:

• Reward crowdfunding;
• Debt crowdfunding;
• Equity crowdfunding.

All of them differ in the approach to investments both on the part of the donor and the recipient. A little more about each.

Reward crowdfunding

One of the most popular crowdfunding methods. Its main feature is the issuance of an award to the donor for it. Moreover, the reward rarely includes any money, or other “return” for the investment. It is in this type of crowdfunding that its whole essence is revealed - you need, you and. But it's easier to explain with a concrete example.

Now it has become quite fashionable to raise money for clips, album releases, recording individual songs using crowdfunding services. And so, a group with an average number of loyal fans (several thousand) decided to launch a project and raise 400,000 rubles in order to shoot a new video for their song.

They make a theme on the project, launch it and put up awards:

• 100-500 rubles - access to the recording of the clip immediately after removal;
• 500-1000 rubles - clip, + autograph;
• 1000-2000 rubles - clip + poster with all autographs
• Etc.

This is how it works this species crowdfunding. For the most part, it will be of interest to creative people, or charitable organizations that want to get money from those people who like the idea and want to be part of it. Or for sports teams that are raising money for something and would like to enlist the support of their fans. Today in Russia it is the most popular type of crowdfunding.

Equity crowdfunding

A method of crowdfunding, more like serious ones. It involves the purchase of a share (percentage) in a company for investing funds. In fact, this is an easy way to sell shares in a business, find partners, and so on. Works with already launched projects, or with those that are just starting their work. However, profit is not guaranteed at all. On the contrary, the investor assumes all the risks associated with investing in the project.

Great for small and medium businesses that constantly require cash investments for active development. For companies that set themselves ambitious goals, staying within a small organization is quite disadvantageous, and therefore they must constantly look for investors and funds to achieve large-scale goals. And with the help of this method of crowdfunding, it is quite easy to find investors.

Debt crowdfunding

This type of crowdfunding is very similar to the previous one, with only one difference - all this is done on credit. It's in the name, after all. debt- debt from English. It turns out that the donor, acting as an investor, invests in a project that promises him either a return on investment or a share in the project, and, accordingly, profit. This is a rather risky crowdfunding model for an investor, because he cannot fully know what he is investing in and what he can get in return.

But at the same time, this great way for start-ups, it is to raise additional capital by guaranteeing a return of funds, or even a share in the company (profit deductions) for those who invested in the project. Startups always involve some risk for those who work with them, and this applies to both donors and recipients. But, nevertheless, this method is really good as an alternative to investments with securities.

In addition, there are many other classifications that follow from this basic one. The only thing that should be additionally highlighted is crowdlending. To lend in English language- to borrow.

Consequently, crowdlending - group lending.

Enough interesting view activity, which is divided into 2 subspecies:

• P2P (Peer to peer) - lending individuals, individuals;
• P2B (Peer to business - equal to business) - lending legal entities, individuals.

A fairly young way of financing, which in Russia and the CIS countries has hardly received distribution. In Europe, its popularity is just beginning to grow. This is convenient because the depositor receives a higher percentage than in the bank, and the borrower, on the contrary, is much smaller. But it should be borne in mind that this is a rather risky way of crowdfunding, because there is often no security for such a loan. While this type continues to develop, and at a certain stage of development, it must come to a guarantee of a refund, as is done in credit organizations.

The history of the development of crowdfunding

To decide why crowdfunding is still needed, you need to turn to the history of the American market. Just from there, such a thing came to Russia interesting idea like a massive fundraiser.

Initially, since the middle of the 20th century, the American securities market took a different and very interesting path - about half of the shares of small and developing companies were sold using the unregulated market. This means that anyone could buy shares, for example, in a small laundry that had just opened, even in the garage of a business owner.

And in the end, all this led to the fact that large savings flowed towards business, and many of those who wisely invested in shares of unknown companies, after some time received a considerable fortune. For example, one of the American families received about 3 million dollars in 5 years by buying shares in a small plastic cup company in the early 80s. After 5 years, what they bought for a few hundred dollars was worth 3 million. And this is far from an isolated case.

The issue of regulating such a market remained open. On the one hand, the difficulties of small companies with share registrations, on the other hand, the ability to speculate and earn on investors by selling low-quality shares to them. At the same time, public investment really helped small and medium-sized businesses. In this way, with the help of the sale of shares / shares / shares, more than one company developed in the early stages.

A large number of small businesses in America, as well as the active development of startups - as a whole direction in business, has created a need for a large number of small investments. 10-50 thousand dollars is not the amount for which shares should be issued, registered, and sold through intermediaries in the secondary market. And that is what created the need for public funding. Crowdfunding platforms began to appear en masse, and in 2012, the obligation to state register crowdfunding projects was officially abolished in America and Europe.

Why is crowdfunding needed?

After the history and prerequisites for creating such crowdfunding, which is now completed, you can decide why it is needed. As mentioned earlier, the main idea of ​​crowdfunding is the realization of human ideas. True, society itself chooses which ideas to finance and which not. In fact, crowdfunding very accurately reflects the mood and need of the crowd as a whole. It shows what is interesting to ordinary people at the moment.

This is the cornerstone of business - the realization of human needs. Only at the same time, not every businessman does what others want. But crowdfunding is a real reflection of the desires of the crowd. If they are interested in something, then they need it, and therefore, they will invest their money in it.

At the same time, crowdfunding is also good for talented startups who want to implement their projects, but do not have their own capital. In addition to raising funds, a competent businessman can see how ordinary people will meet his project - if they want to invest in it, then they would be interested in receiving products - the result of his entrepreneurial activity. And this is already a reason to develop your business, and a kind of test for customers.

The same goes for creative activities. If fans want to see a new music video or song by an artist, a new movie, or an animated series, they will invest their money. This minimizes the risks for recipients and makes donors feel like they are part of a larger project.

In addition, talented writers get the opportunity to publish their books at the expense of their readers. Indeed, very often, publishing houses reject books, according to their often very strange criteria. And it can be very difficult for a young writer to be heard. And in this way, fans get the opportunity to support their idol and help him fulfill himself.

And the most humane goal of crowdfunding is to help in charity. Many organizations involved in helping the homeless, victims of natural disasters, and the disabled do not have their own funds. And crowdfunding projects for them are a way not only to draw attention to a particular problem, but also to receive financial support from everyone.

With crowdfunding, everyone can be a part of something bigger, whether it's an innovative idea, a new album from an unknown band, or helping a sick child. These are investments available to every person, regardless of their financial status and weight in society.

Distinctive features of crowdfunding

Your attention will be presented 6 hallmarks crowdfunding. It is they who determine this direction, help it move forward and attract a huge number of donors around the world. And it is thanks to them that millions of ideas have found funds for their development, hundreds of thousands of people have found money to carry out their plans.

1. Well-defined goal. The most important point. Before creating your own project, the recipient must decide in advance on the purpose for which he will spend the money. The use of borrowed funds for needs not specified in the project is not allowed.
2. Time limit. One of the most important parts of crowdfunding. It helps to implement the idea that was mentioned earlier - to identify what people need now. If they feel the need for it, then they will invest their funds within a certain period of time and help in the implementation of the idea. If not, then the project will close without collecting the required amount of money.
3. Risks. By investing their money, the donor does not receive any guarantee that he will be able to return the funds or make a profit. This is the basic principle of investing. At the same time, social and charitable projects do not at all involve the receipt of income by the donor.
4. Broad specialization. Crowdfunding can benefit many areas of business, art and charity. Modern venues can coexist with music, innovative technologies, and earthquake relief.
5. openness. Everyone, not only donors, is provided with information about the progress of fundraising, the goals of the project and possible awards. This is done so that everyone can understand what they want to invest in and see the business in great detail.
6. The main goal is the result. Each project is obliged to report to its donors on how the implementation of the set goals is going. And here is a fine line - if the project failed, for example computer program has not found demand among users, then all the money invested in a startup remains in it. It is considered unprofitable, and that's it. But if the developer simply did not write the program, then he is obliged to return the money to his donors.

Therefore, crowdfunding is in demand all over the world. Only those projects that are really interesting to their audience receive financial support. Only what will really be in demand, regardless of whether it is a startup or a charity. Therefore, novice entrepreneurs can be recommended to use crowdfunding platforms not only as a way to raise funds, but also to analyze client interest.

5 tips on how to start a crowdfunding project the right way

Achieving success on a crowdfunding site is a rather difficult task. Donors have to spot a project out of hundreds of others, decide if it's worth trusting, and then figure out if it's worth investing their money in.

In order to achieve success and raise funds for a project, it is enough to follow 5 basic rules:

1. Realistic target. Ambitious goals for businessmen - indeed a good idea. But in order to raise funds, you need to bet real tasks and implement them. That is why it is much better to raise money for a small project that you can implement, and which will be within your power, than to aim at something big and simply not find supporters. The most the main task- Set a realistic goal that can be achieved.
2. Time. Statistics show that even investments are subject to seasonality. Summer period is the most bad time to start your project. good time- mid-autumn, the moment when the bulk of people returned from vacation and earned enough money to invest in interesting startups.
3. original idea. Here you need to find a balance between standing out and staying in reality. The project should stand out from hundreds of others, but at the same time it should not slide into something unattainable.
4. A lot of information. Information about yourself, about the business, plans for its implementation, experience with past projects, achievements, reports on the results, and so on. The more information a project has, the more they trust it, and, consequently, the more they want to invest in it. People trust projects that have nothing to hide much more than unknown ones.
5. Clear business plan. Medium-term, ideas, plans will always attract attention. Realists who soberly evaluate, make clear plans, imagine who the target audience is, suppliers, and how they can turn their idea into profit, attract ordinary investors.

In addition to these general rules, each site has its own characteristics and pitfalls that need to be explored even before the fundraising is launched. You need to approach the opening of your crowdfunding project with all responsibility and care, because this is a real business. It has no place for slips and mistakes.

Crowdfunding in the world

Before talking about global platforms, you need to understand how crowdfunding works all over the world.

The whole process can be described in 7 steps:

1. Creating an Idea. This is the most important stage that determines the success of a business, investment in it, and in general whether the entrepreneur will be successful;
2. Theoretical training. At this stage, the choice of investment methods (in this case, crowdfunding), the preparation of a business plan, the search for a site, the collection of the necessary data on how to create a project;
3. Create a project. This stage can also be called a test - whether the demand for the idea, and accordingly for the product, is determined by investment rewards, timing, etc.;
4. Fundraising. Stage requiring minimal participation from the recipient. Donors are interested in projects, and if they find sense in it, they invest money;
5. End of fundraiser. Payments are made in favor of the site, the funds are transferred to a bank account, and after some time go to the account of a businessman;
6. Implementation of the idea. At this moment, the idea turns into reality, the funds are spent for their intended purpose;
7. Results Report. We need to report to our donors on the implementation of the project, what has been done, what is to come. At this stage, rewards are accrued, if any.

All over the world, crowdfunding is a great way to invest for small and medium-sized businesses, as well as supporting talented creatives. That is why there are a sufficient number of popular crowdfunding sites.

Popular global crowdfunding platforms

Now more about the five most popular crowdfunding platforms:

is the most popular crowdfunding platform in the world. On its basis, many other platforms were created that still function. It was she who laid the main idea: if the project fails, that is, does not collect the necessary funds for the allotted period of time, then all the money is returned back to the donors.

The main specialization of the kickstarter is creative projects. These are new gadgets, various musical, gaming, literary and even movie novelties. Almost any creative idea can get a kickstarter response and the necessary investment. The “strength” of a kickstarter is evidenced by the fact that it is one of the thousand most popular sites in the world. Commission for raising funds - 5%.

is the second most popular international crowdfunding platform. Its main difference from the kickstarter is that all raised funds from donors are transferred to the recipient. Even if the project failed to build necessary investment donations are not returned to donors.

Resource specialization – innovative and creative ideas. There is also charity. New avenues for raising funds are often tested. The resource commission depends on whether the amount of money was attracted in full. If yes, then 4% is charged, if there are not enough funds, then 9% goes in favor of the site.

— a platform for newcomers to crowdfunding. Her specialization is art, innovation and charity. Ideal for those who have only recently learned about crowdfunding and do not know where to start. Right on the site there is a separate school that will help beginners understand what to write in a project, how to attract more donors to one idea, and in general, promote a project even before it is launched.

This platform works exactly the same as Indie. How much money was collected, so much will the recipient receive. Depending on whether the amount was collected, the percentages also differ. If all the money has been received, then the platform receives a smaller percentage.

It can be called a completely universal crowdfunding platform. Here you can invest both in new projects and in the business that has been around for a long time. The list of recipients is very different - from charitable organizations to medium-sized businessmen who need investments. But there is a limit on this platform - 25 thousand dollars per project.

The system also offers training courses for everyone. Immediately after registration, they will explain to the client how to use the platform, the main pitfalls of crowdfunding, and how it will be possible to attract a sufficient number of donors. The standard commission is 5%.

Boomerang- perhaps the most significant of all sites. It originated in Denmark, and initially, the main direction for raising funds was creativity - music and computer games were especially popular. But then, having reached a new level, and becoming known throughout Europe, the site changed its direction to charity. Social projects here are much more popular than on kickstarter.

As for the amounts, everything is also somewhat different. Social projects rarely try to collect a large number of money, and therefore the average amount collected per share is $10,000.

Also, there are sites that practice crowdfunding for personal needs. They publish projects where people collect money for weddings, funerals, and the purchase of vital things. For example, IndieGoGo, which relatively recently launched crowdfunding for weddings, studies, and other vital events.

Crowdfunding in Russia: features and platforms

Things in Russia are not as rosy as they are abroad. If there crowdfunding has long been both a means of developing small businesses and charitable support, then for Russia this is still a novelty.

Of course, many projects are being implemented every day in Russia, but there is no such social coverage yet. Now, as in the early stages of European crowdfunding, the creative ideas of various musicians, poets, or directors are very popular. Social projects are less popular, but the media contribute to their coverage and subsequent promotion.

With start-ups in Russia, things are pretty bad. Small business develops rather poorly, and therefore original and innovative ideas appear rarely, and are implemented even less often. Nevertheless, this direction will be actively developed, as well as in the West, because this is a convenient way not only for businessmen, but also for donors who are also interested in projects.

In Russia, there are only a few really powerful and popular crowdfunding platforms:

Boomstarter is one of the most popular crowdfunding platforms in Russia. It raises funds both for charitable purposes and for the implementation of creative projects. For start-ups and innovative ideas, this platform is very unsuitable.

is the most popular site in Russia for attracting investments by crowdfunding.

At the same time, in Russia, crowdfunding is not developing as efficiently as in European countries. Many sites are closed, not seeing further development, and investors to continue. One of them was the platform "From the world in a string" - a service for charitable fundraising for social needs. This idea did not take root in Russia, so it was decided to close the project.

But despite this, the number of entrepreneurs who started using this method is increasing. Experts predict that in a few years, the crowdfunding market will increase 10 times, which will lead to the active development of entrepreneurship, creative activity, and charity.

If this happens, then crowdfunding in Russia and the CIS countries will reach the next level, and will allow all startups and businessmen to raise funds to implement their projects and test the market. But so far, the initial desire for creativity and charity prevails, with a rare exception for business.

Why is crowdfunding beneficial?

In order to understand all the benefits for a businessman, you can use the following table:

As you can see, the main difference is that in crowdfunding money is collected without the active participation of the investor. It is enough to find a good way to reward and “warm up” the audience. Everything else happens by itself. Also, according to statistics, the terms of investing with the help of crowdfunding are lower, because it can take much more time to find investors.

Also, an important factor is advertising on crowdfunding platforms. Many startups have been taken over big companies for a lot of money, simply because of the attention to them on the platforms for raising funds. Such a startup can really be considered successful, because it brought a lot of money to its creator, and the project remained afloat for a long amount of time.

For creative people the benefits are even more transparent. It is much less profitable and convenient to sell your projects to publishers and producers than to your fans. Also, this is an opportunity for young writers and musicians to express themselves and release their first creations at the expense of other people's money. BUT convenient system rewards, allows you to sell the first copies of your material, thereby increasing its popularity.

Implementation of charitable projects with the help of crowdfunding is the easiest way to attract attention and money to a specific issue. Particularly important issues are covered in the media, and receive active publicity on the Internet, which attracts additional participants and funds. Crowdfunding platforms are a kind of advertising and a way to draw people's attention to any problem.

Examples of crowdfunding projects

The most successful crowdfunding project on Kickstarter is the Pebble Smart Watch. High-tech watches for smartphones. The company raised over $1 million on its first day of existence. For the entire time of the promotion, which lasted a little less than a month, the developers were able to collect more than $ 10 million. Fundraising was carried out according to the Reward Crowdfunding scheme - for the transfer of 99 or more dollars, donors were promised new watches, even before the start of sales.

One of the most notorious examples of crowdfunding was Barack Deception's 2008 election campaign. Over its entire period, more than 280 million dollars were collected. Approximately 2 million Americans have spent their money to support his company. Thanks to such investments, the future president was able to conduct an election campaign, and thanks to her he won the subsequent presidential elections.

Stephen King, the famous writer, posted a chapter of his book and offered to read it for $1. As a result, his entire project raised over $1 million, with which he released the book in its entirety.

The most successful project on the Russian crowdfunding platform planeta is the recording of a new album by Alisa. He managed to attract investments of 11 million rubles in just over 4 months.

Boomstarter record holder - sickle board game. She collected about 7 million rubles on the Russian platform. Quite a significant figure by Russian standards.

From these success stories, the following can be highlighted: philanthropic, creative, political and innovative ideas are the most attractive in the whole world. Regardless of the country, attention to art, politics and human issues remains the most important reason for investing money.

Conclusion

Crowdfunding- a whole direction in business, which continues to develop actively. It can be called crowdfunding - a way to raise funds in which ordinary people can participate in the development of any project and the implementation of any idea. It shows what is in demand among people, as well as what can attract their attention. In Russia, crowdfunding is just beginning to emerge, but it also has a huge potential, by realizing which it will be possible to achieve the active development of small and medium-sized businesses.