Film Financing and Funding Feb. 2016 | Page 8

spent decades cultivating, and you get it (albeit on a smaller scale) absolutely free with a crowdfunding campaign. Word of mouth Cultivating thousands of organic users who share your product or service is very, very hard to do with traditional marketing. But crowdfunding doesn’t have a commercial image, so everyone is that much more inclined to help you out. And, if you get enough people sharing your campaign, it might even go viral — which means more backers, a bigger community to research from, and more chance of attracting media attention. New partnerships You’re not just targeting backers and the media. Create a buzz around your crowdfunding campaign, and you could draw out potential partners as well. It might not be the primary focus of your campaign, but don’t underestimate the power of a professional network. Optimize your crowdfunding campaign to attract new partners by ensuring your campaign is literate, and includes testimonials from people you’re already working with. Customers With backers pouring in (we hope), you’ll find creating a strong database of customers remarkably easy. This is the data of highly targeted and potentially loyal customers — and it’s priceless. Confidence Investors are always looking for successful companies. A large number of people interested in your project is a great asset; it shows investors that you have appeal and a solid community behind you. It’s not uncommon for crowdfunding projects to receive greater funding from investors after their campaigns. The best example is, of course, Oculus Rift. In September 2012, they raised a cool $2.4 million through Kickstarter, prompting a $2 billion buyout by Facebook only six months later. Best of all… It costs (almost) nothing, and you walk away with funding, insight and the support to make your dreams a reality. 7