Free or inexpensive tools to make your Kickstarter, Indiegogo or any other crowdfunding campaign efficient and more predictable. The slides were prepared for my presentation in Denver in June, 2013.

1. Campaign Tools
Online Course “Money from the Crowd –
Your Guide to Social Fundraising”
Elena Mikhaylova
www.CrowdfundProductions.com

2. Tools will not do the job
for you
But they will help you save
time and money
And make your campaign
more efficient

3. Campaign Stages
Planning
Preparation
Execution
Post Campaign

4. Planning
What – your product
When – season, the length of the
campaign
Who – your target groups
How – your promotional channels
Your team, budget, organizational structure

5. Planning tools
Choose your crowdfunding platform
Directories of crowdfunding sites:
• www.Crowdsourcing.org
• www.CrowdsUnite.com
• www.CrowdfundInsider.com
• www.Coolintl.com/comprehensive-directory-of-c
• www.Opennessandtransparency.net/Crowd_Fun
• www.Crowdcrux.com has several lists for niche
platforms

6. Planning tools
Research similar projects
• Projects posted on CF portal
• www.Kicktraq.com – Analytics
• www.KickbackMachine.com – Kickstarter
successful and unsuccessful projects: compare,
filter by categories and goals
• www.ThingsWeStart.com (cancelled in March,
2013) – projects by location and category

7. Planning tools
Places to ask questions
• LinkedIn groups
– the largest one, Crowdsourcing
and Crowdfunding, has almost 20,000 members
• www.CrowdfundingForum.com
• www.KickstarterForum.com
• Meetup Groups

8. Planning Tools
Places to read about crowdfunding
• Google Alerts
• www.Crowdsourcing.org
• www.Crowdcrux.com
• www.CrowdfundInsider.com
• www.theCrowdCafe.com

9. Preparation
Build your crowd
Find media
Create Content
Decide on the Perks

10. Preparation tools
Build your online crowd
• www.Klout.com to find influencers
• www.SocialBro.com to find people on Twitter
by keywords, locations, # of followers
• Google Analytics, YouTube Analytics,
Facebook Insights to understand your
connections
• Newsletter signup tool for Facebook fan pages
• www.SocialMention.com ,
www.Commun.it, www.Twellow.com,

11. Preparation tools
Create your media plan
• Google search “top **** blogs, websites,
forums” – international/national/local
• www.Technorati.com – blog directories by
categories
• www.USNPL.com – directory of newspapers,
TV and radio stations by cities/states
• www.Alexa.com website traffic rating,
demographics of the audience

12. Preparation tools
Have your content ready PRIOR to
launch on crowdfunding portal
• Keyword search tool on Google Adwords
• www.Fiverr.com -design, writing, online research
• Stock Photos - iStockPhoto, Shutterstock, 123RF,
BigStock, Getty Images
• www.Lunapic.com for picture editing
• WindowsMovieMaker,
www.OneTrueMedia.com for video editing

13. Preparation tools
Create your online HUB
Wordpress:
• Connect with all your social accounts
• Google Analytics
• NewStatPress widget
• Fundraising widgets

14. Preparation tools
E-mail campaign
• www.Rapportive.com for Gmail – rich
profiles and latest tweets of your connections
• E-mail tracking – SpyPig, WhoReadMe or
Yesware for Gmail
• Bulk e-mail campaigns - Constant
Contact, MailChimp, i-Contact,
Campaigner, AWeber: free webinars, social
media integration, analytical tools, A/B test, tracking
tools, segmentation

15. Preparation tools
Test the waters
• Kickstarter pre-launch
• www.Prefundia.com – post your pre-launch
project, monitor interest level for your perks
If you have a significant number of foreign connections, try to use
translators’ networks for free or almost free translation of your
content:
www.lingotek.com or www.akuna.com

16. Execution
Monitoring
Promotion
Engagement

17. Execution tools
Monitoring:
• Social networks – Facebook Insights,
YouTube Analytics, SocialMention,
Commun.it, Klout
• Media, blogs – Google Alerts
• E-mail – campaign providers
• Website traffic – Google Analytics, onsite
widgets
• On Page Campaign Link – www. Bitly.com
• Mapping your connections –

18. Execution tools
Engagement
• www.Hootsuite.com to schedule your posts
on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, Linkedin,
Foursquare or Wordpress
• www.Postlink.com to schedule your
messages or videos and monitor your reputation
across 14 social media
• www.BoomerangGmail.com to schedule
e-mail blasts, reminders and respond tracking

19. Execution tools
Media
To Get in Google News:
• Fiverr.com – press release distribution
• PRLog – free press release distribution
• www.Crowdsourcing.org

20. Execution tools
Twitter accounts to promote your campaign
@KickstarterNews
@KickstartAdvice
@TeamCrowdfund
@CrowdReporter
@OccupyCrowdfund
@KSStandard
@JustKickstarted
@CrowdfundingEye
@CrowdfundingDjo
@Ayudos
@BestKickstarter
@CrowdfundingPro
@CrowdfundBuzz
Find more accounts in “30 people to promote your Kickstarter or
Indiegogo campaign on Twitter” post on www.CrowdCrux.com

21. Execution tools
Communicate with your
connections through live Q and
A sessions and progress reports
• Google Hangouts
• www.UStream.com
• www.LiveStream.com

22. Post campaign
Analysis
Communications
with backers and media
Perks fulfillment
Pre-orders, business?

23. Post campaign
Perks fulfillment
• www.BackerKit.com – from $99 – handle all
shipments, incl. international
• www.Teelaunch.com – print and ship Tshirts

24. Post campaign
Pre-orders
• www.Outgrow.me
• www.TinyLightBulbs.com
• www.Swish.com

25. Additional Resources
IndieGoGo blog:
“Tool Time: E-Sources for
Crowdfunding Campaigners”

26. Questions?

27. Online Course “Money from the
Crowd – Your Guide to Social
Fundraising”
• Four Hours of Recorded Information
• Optional Homework
• One Hour Online Group Consultation (Max. 10 people per
group)
• Downloadable Action Plan
• $25 Discount on a Personal Readiness Assessment or
Strategic Planning Consultation
Price:
$49 without Homework
$65 including Homework
Register on
www.CrowdfundProductions.com