Indiegogo Social Media Marketing Strategy

Indiegogo Campaign Success: Social Media Strategy

Key Concepts:

• Social Media Strategy: A planned approach to using social media platforms to achieve specific goals, such as raising awareness, building a community, and driving funding for an Indiegogo campaign.
• Organic vs. Paid Social Media: Organic social media involves unpaid posts and interactions, while paid social media uses advertising budgets to reach a wider audience.
• Call to Action (CTA): A specific instruction or prompt that encourages the audience to take a desired action, such as following a page, clicking a link, or making a pledge.
• Content Calendar: A schedule for planning and publishing social media content, ensuring a consistent and varied stream of posts.
• User-Generated Content (UGC): Content created by users or customers, such as reviews, testimonials, or feedback, which can be highly effective in building trust and credibility.
• Social Proof: Evidence that other people have had positive experiences with a product or brand, such as testimonials, reviews, or endorsements.
• Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): A metric that measures the revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising.
• Engagement: The level of interaction and participation from the audience, including likes, comments, shares, and direct messages.

The Importance of Social Media for Indiegogo Campaigns

• Most Indiegogo campaigns fail due to a lack of a pre-launch social media strategy.
• Relying on organic discovery on Indiegogo is unlikely to succeed; campaigns need to "prime the pump" by driving their own traffic and marketing efforts.
• The Indiegogo "GoGo Factor" algorithm recommends trending campaigns, making social media visibility crucial.
• While viral sharing was possible in the past (e.g., 2012), a social media marketing strategy is now essential.

Choosing the Right Social Media Platforms

• Organic Platforms:
  • Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube, and YouTube Shorts are currently effective for organic reach.
  • Facebook groups and stories are useful for engagement.
  • Direct messaging is a powerful tool across platforms.
• Social Bookmarking:
  • Product Hunt and Reddit are relevant for social bookmarking.
• Business-Focused Projects:
  • LinkedIn is suitable for business-focused projects or equity crowdfunding campaigns.
• Focus:
  • Prioritize platforms based on your ability to produce specific content formats (short-form video, long-form video, text).
  • Concentrate efforts on one or two platforms to avoid spreading energy too thin.

Paid Advertising Strategy

• Beginners: Focus on one platform.
• Experienced Users: Extend to two platforms.
• Platform Types:
  • Discovery-based (Google): Users search for specific keywords.
  • Interest-based (Facebook, Instagram): Ads are targeted based on user history and interests.

Digital Marketing Strategy: Three Phases

1. Before Launch: Build anticipation and gather followers.
2. During Launch: Drive traffic to the Indiegogo campaign page.
3. Post-Launch: Utilize Indiegogo InDemand or the Indie Shop.

• Call to Action (CTA):
  • Define the desired action for each post (e.g., direct message, follow, click link).
  • Tailor the CTA to the specific platform and campaign stage.
  • Example: "Leave a comment" in a Facebook group vs. "Shoot me a DM" on Instagram Story.
• Resource: The "Kickstarter Launch Formula" book provides a detailed digital marketing strategy.

Posting Frequency

• Frequency increases as the launch date approaches.
• Short-Form Content (YouTube Shorts, Reels, TikTok, X): More frequent posting (1-2 times per day) is possible.
• Long-Form Content (Longer videos, well-thought-out image posts): Less frequent posting (maximum 3 times per week).
• Content should be novel, interesting, and varied.
• Use a content calendar (Google Sheets, iCal, Trello, Notion, Basecamp) to stay organized.

Content Ideas

• User-Generated Content (UGC): Reviews, feedback, product trials.
• Testimonials: Positive stories and endorsements.
• Behind-the-Scenes: Show the creation process (prototypes, manuscripts).
• Product Specs: Highlight materials, features, functions, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Resource: Free course at crowdcrux.com/kickstarter covers marketing, email marketing, campaign page optimization, and reward creation.

Incorporating Other People

• Influencers: Reviews, endorsements, paid videos on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok.
• Referral Contests: Incentivize backers to drive traffic and pledges.
• Podcasts and News Write-ups: Gain exposure to new audiences.

Paid Advertising for Larger Campaigns

• Use paid advertising to build an audience and drive backers.
• Install a Meta Pixel on the Indiegogo campaign to optimize for sales and track ROAS.
• Utilize retargeting audiences and lookalike audiences of Indiegogo/Kickstarter backers.

Engagement and Follow-Through

• Focus on engagement, not just followers.
• Reply to direct messages, proactively message followers, and host live Q&As.
• Build relationships to foster trust and credibility.

Common Social Media Mistakes

1. Not Responding to Comments and DMs: Missed opportunity to build brand reputation.
2. Spamming Too Much: Overwhelming the audience with repetitive messages.
3. Not Utilizing Social Media Before Launch: Neglecting pre-launch audience building.

Conclusion

A well-planned and executed social media strategy is crucial for Indiegogo campaign success. By choosing the right platforms, creating engaging content, leveraging paid advertising, and actively engaging with their audience, creators can significantly increase their chances of reaching their funding goals and building a lasting community around their brand.