As
an entrepreneur, you probably have a ton of ideas for new products or
businesses that you'd love to pursue. But coming up with the funds to
get your idea off the ground is a whole other story, isn’t it?
If
this sounds all too familiar, then crowdfunding for your next
Ecommerce venture may
just be an option to consider...
What
is it?
Crowdfunding
is a platform that lets you pitch your business idea to a group of
people who may be interested in investing. Most platforms are free to
join, and unlike traditional investment, you don't have to give away
a huge stake in your company.
Instead,
funders make small contributions to the overall target, and sometimes
entrepreneurs can offer alternatives such as sponsorship deals or
free samples.
Is
it for me?
As
with anything in life, there's arguments for and against this way of
raising money...
The
pros:
- It
gives you money that you may not be able to borrow from a bank
- It's
easier than traditional ways of applying for a loan
- You
don't have to give away a big part of your company – keeping you
in control
- It
can help motivate you, so that you can reach your goal
- It
works as a marketing tool as you get to promote your product to a
large audience
- It
can help improve your product by engaging with the crowd and getting
feedback
The
cons:
- It
can give other people ideas to take your concept and make it their
own
- It's
up to you to do the pitching – which can be quite time consuming
- You
may not always reach your funding goal
- Some
platforms are not regulated by financial authorities
Whether
you're for or against, there's no denying that crowdfunding is
growing each year. In fact, by the end of 2014, it's estimated that
at least
270,000
jobs will arise because of crowdfunding, and it will help add more
than $65 billion into the global economy.
And,
there's plenty of entrepreneurs just like you who have found success
by crowdfunding their idea. Check out our top 5 below...
1. The
Pebble Watch
The
beautifully designed Pebble watch is known as one of the most
successful projects to date. Their target was $100k, but it actually
raised more than $10m from 68,000 backers! You can now buy the watch
from their website:
getpebble.com
2. Tile
This
is a great idea for anyone who loses their stuff frequently.
Tile
is a device that you add to your keys, phone, wallet – anything
that gets misplaced, and it helps you keep track of your belongings.
The founders raised $2.6m, completely smashing their target of $200k
– and they say it's all thanks to their excellent PR strategy.
3. SkyBell
If
you have a delivery at your door but you're not in then
SkyBell
can really come in handy. It's a video doorbell that connects to your
phone, so you can speak to the person at your door wherever you are.
The creator raised $585,000 using crowdfunding and was backed by
thousands of investors in 50 countries.
4. Little Ducks Organic
We
know the importance of healthy foods, but sometimes convincing kids
to eat fruit can be quite a challenge. That's why
Little
Ducks
came up with a great idea to create fun looking fruit snacks that are
organic. They raised $890,000 in crowdfunding and their product has
turned into a fruity success.
5. Goldiebox
This
entrepreneur had no luck pitching to toy makers, so she turned to
crowdfunding - and her product really took off. Goldieblox is a toy
and book series that aims to inspire young girls to become engineers.
She raised $285,881 in crowdfunding, won loads of awards, and her
toys are now available to buy from her
ecommerce
store
.
How
do I get started?
Once
you've got your idea then the next step would be to think about the
platform you want to use. We've included some of the best platforms
below to help you make your decision a little easier...
Kickstarter
is one of the most popular platforms for creative entrepreneurs to
use, with an impressive 9.9 million visits per month globally. It
costs 5% of the funds raised, plus 3-5% transaction fees and it
includes various creative categories such as: design, food, games,
music and technology.
Indiegogo
is a global platform that offer crowdfunding for businesses,
non-profits and artists. If you reach your goal it will cost 4% of
the funds raised, and 9% if you don't, plus payment processing fees.
It offers various categories including video, fashion and small
business.
Crowdfunder
is a platform that mixes online and offline crowdfunding resource and
encourages collaboration as well as investments. It costs 5% if you
meet your funding goal and payment processing fees.
RocketHub
is a worldwide platform that has helped businesses, educators and
governments get the funding they need. It costs 4% if you meet your
goal, 8% if you don't, plus payment processing fees. They also offer
a great
blog
with tips to help you master the platform.
Plan
your campaign
Once
you've found the right platform, you need to think about your pitch.
Your marketing and PR campaign is a crucial factor to convincing
people to invest in your ecommerce idea. Here's some ideas that will
really help you start a successful campaign...
- Create
a video
:
Adding a video to your profile is a great way to kickstart your
pitch and get your idea across in a short space of time
- Include
photos
:
Taking awesome
photography
that shows off what it is you want to create, will also really get
across the design and style of your product.
- Approach
influencers:
Send out press releases, or even free samples to social media
influencers and bloggers, as they can really help you get more
exposure
- Give
incentives:
free samples to the people you are pitching to will not only attract
more attention, but if your product is good enough, it can convince
them to invest in your product
Good
luck!
Hopefully
this blog has give you plenty of advice and inspiration on
crowdfunding. If you do decide to put your idea forward then let us
know how you get on – we'd love to hear from you! And if your
product turns into a success, don't forget to use us for your
Ecommerce
platform
.