Smartphones keep people connected. Apps for social media fill empty minutes, games make a commute pass by quicker, and read receipts create anxiety when you know someone has read, but not replied to your message.
For most people, social media is a window into a digital life and communication hub. People use social media in different ways; some use it for preserving memories through photos and videos while others communicate. Others take a more passive approach, simply browsing but not sharing.
Social media platforms also give companies a way to connect with their customers. A Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram account are the first and important steps in connecting with current and prospective customers.
Even though there are many social media platforms, trying to use every single one won’t guarantee success. In fact, you may find less success because you’re spreading yourself too thin.
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Facebook contains a huge number of active users numbering nearly 2 billion. A Facebook page is useful for crowdfunding because it lets you communicate with fans, publish updates, and live stream important announcements. Even though you will have dedicated customer service and email contacts on your website, a lot more people will contact you through Facebook.
Connecting with your customers through Facebook is the easiest among most platforms. They can comment on posts, send messages, and participate in live streams. With the right development, your Facebook fans can be the most passionate marketers for your brand.
Twitter is also helpful because you can have conversations with people. Becoming noticed on Twitter is difficult with the massive amount of content appearing in the feed, but as you follow relevant accounts, share consistently engaging content, and build followers the organic interest in your account will result in greater reach.
When contemplating reach versus engagement, it’s a difficult argument. Is it better to have the tweet be seen by more people or a smaller number who engage with it? That depends on your goals and expectations for Twitter. That’s why it’s so important to build an organic following who will do both without prompting.
Another social media platform you should consider is Instagram. This is a platform where creativity is very important as there are no written messages or posts. You have to get people to focus on the visually compelling content. Through photos and videos, you create a compelling message that connects with your core audience and to get attention from those that don’t follow you.
Instagram is also the platform where hashtags are useful in finding various communities. The goal of any Instagram post is to have engaging content. Combine that with the right hashtags and you’ll find more followers and communities than you would on either Facebook or Twitter.
If you start your social media accounts with only a small lead time to your crowdfunding campaign, you will not succeed. Why? Because no one knows who your are, no one knows the product, and there’s no trust for your brand.
There are many options to buy followers. Don’t. Buying followers is a waste of money because it results in inflated numbers that won’t convert. You may think having 50,000 Likes on Facebook looks good, but when you see the actual engagement, a single Like on most posts shows that those people blindly liked the page.
Contrary to what many marketing pitches say, there’s no shortcut to good social media. You have to build it slowly and intelligently. You have to find the audience that’s excited about your product. This long term time investment will pay off when you have an excited community to help you spread excitement about your crowdfunding campaign.
