Do you have a nice business idea, do you lack collateral or probably your bank cannot achieve your visions.

Perhaps you might have reached out to family and friends but you are aware they missed their shirts when your sister-in-law’s Agatha flavored energy drink flopped. Is this the end of your nascent business?

Never! So fast.

Social Media is reviving more than the way we market and communicate. It is really changing in respect to the way we generate or source capital. Crowd funding websites are emerging in such a way that it connects investors with business owners, patrons with manufacturers and causes with volunteers.

What is Crowdfunding?

Crowd funding strongly stands on the idea or perception of crowdsourcing; “it is the way or means of outsourcing tasks basically carried out by a contractor or employee to an unidentified or unknown or probably a large extent or group of people, community or society (a “crowd”) or through an open call”.

Crowd funding gathers together a community desperate or tightly knot-to fund or embark on a project cause or business basically through the internet.

How it Works?

Although rules are different from one site to another, basically individuals (or organizations, charities or businesses) bring up an idea, place or lay a fundraising goal and lastly set a deadline in generating funds. Consistent or potential sponsors and patrons can review the ideas and may decide to give their full support. On majority of the crowd funding sites, individuals and people are not investing in the business or project, rather they are funding it. The project is rewarded if it comes to fruition or accomplishment but do not end up acquiring or possessing any part or areas of the project or business.

This in particular is due to the US rules and regulations though presently under review by the SEC and this may change or be terminated in future ahead. However, various sites have various rules and regulations including standards most especially those centered outside the US. Therefore, it is vital for one to always go through the terms and conditions critically and carefully.

For one to launch or carry out a project, My view or topic of discussions will be centered on Kick Starter-one of the most common and known crowd funding sites- as an example.

You have to start by pitching your project. You need to make sure that your project is perfectly and consistently described, Secondly, you need to state or specify what benefits or gains your audience , benefactors or patrons will benefits or receive if the fundraising is effectively and efficiently carried out and lastly to establish or create a funding goal and a duration schedule or deadline.

If you do not meet the expected funding goal objective by the deadline, no money changes hand. As kick starter quotes “protect everyone involved. Creators are not meant to develop their project without acquiring necessary funds, and it ensures anyone to test concepts without risk.”

If you are embarking on a project, your credit card will not be charged until the project is effectively and effectively funded, pledges and donations can be made with a credit card.

How to get a project noticed, observed and funded

A glance at active and live projects on Kick starter or Indiegogo depicts that a whole lots of creative competition are out there. To behold the eye of active or potential funders, one really need to stand out, participate actively with your community and end the sale.

Great tips to get or secure funding

1. Select the best or right crowd funding site

Although, there are lots of lapses in many crowd funding sites out there, each centers to a particular audience.

• If you are creative, you have to check out kickstarter.com or Indiegogo.com.
• If your idea has a social bent, you might need 33needs.com or Buzzbnk.com.
• If you are seeking more of an albeit, traditional entrepreneurial, business. You have to check out Profounder.com.
• If you are looking for no-niche-for –small category that centers exclusively on mobile apps business, then you need to go for AppBackr.com.

Non-profits can generate funds or cash by using firstgiving.com or causevox.com.

2. You need to plan and think ahead

According to John T. Unger, a designer and a business guru, for one to be successfully funded on a project particularly on kick starter, one must plan and think ahead.

His best advice for everyone who wishes to be successfully funded is that such person must plan and think ahead. A kick starter project can go by quickly as soon as possible best. Majority of vast bulk of backers seems to occur at the early beginning and at a very end or closing of a project. It really makes a lot of sense as when a project is new and it is exciting when a project is about to be completed or totally completed.

In the future or nearest time to come, there will be emails or basically for the beginning, middle and end of a project so as to be kept active and act as a reminder. When a project is about to be started, there is usually a kind of excitement as there are responses (donations, funds, cash, pledges) from all aspect or angle and frequently asked and type emails that are pre-written can be of help too.

One of such example is Craig mod who successfully generated $24000 on kick starter; it is such a fun and interesting experience. According to Craig mod “Individuals or people engage in things: a) when they are brand new or b) when they are coming to deadline. One loses focus or interest in that middle or center space”.

3. Identify your target audience(s)

According to Anthony Kaufman, he recommends that one must know or identify his or her targeted or focused audience just as Jennifer Fox did while generating money for her film, “My reincarnation”.

Fox developed two built-in niche groups and audiences to capture: followers and fans of her major subject Tibetan Buddhist Master Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, of which there are so many of them globally and the budgeted or estimated 7,000 individuals that Fox raised during the grassroots episode of her last film, 2006’s “Flying: confessions of a free woman”.

Concentrating on a passionate niche can assist as well. A lot of successful projects on crowd funding sites captures and targets a narrow and particular audience. The focused or targeted audience and group of people could be centered or religion in nature, a geographical area or have a unique and common background. Music and Graphic Novels tends to excel as well.

4. Make use of your social networks

It is very vital to realize that majority of one’s audience may not be acquainted with crowd funding. There is probability or chances of using email marketing, social media and other vital communication tools to ensure that your community is aware and interested on your project at a crowd funding site.

According to Unger “Crowd funding sites are not much different from any other launch in various ways. Therefore, for one to receive attention, one must use same tools as such as Facebook, emails to the list, twitter and so many other social networks.”

It is important to that networking and list building cannot be overstated. If you will require help in leveraging or balancing your social networks, Social Media examiner is there to help you out as it is filled or saturated with numerous helpful tools.

5. Create what’s necessary for your project

Create or establish a compelling and distinct name, description and beautiful image as part of your project as this can assist you stand out. A video is also very important as well.

6. Divide or Reduce Bigger projects

You have to have this in the back of your mind that no potential or active patrons or sponsors will drop huge amount of cash or a huge or bigger projects. A project has a higher chance or probability of targeting or expecting its funding goal if it is shared or divided into bite- sized or smaller pieces. You might as well break your video into editing, filming and distribution.

Instead of trying to generate enough or sufficient funds to carry out a business and make a payroll for three years, you need to start by generating enough to build prototype of that solar-powered generator you might have wished to achieve. People tend to feel like their contribution can act positively or make a difference. Thirty dollars makes a huge splash when you wish to raise $700 than when you are generating $9000. You must note that smaller requests can be more attainable and achievable and people will like to feel that they with the “winning team”.

7. Money planning

Plan whenever expending benefactors or sponsors money or probably how you intend to expend money.

Irrespective of how good one could be, many people will like to know if you have got a plan that will take you there. Rice bowl project emphasized that one must give an accurate and detailed explanation of how he or she will be expending their money and ensure the transparency on cost. This will go a long way in establishing trust in you and credibility in your project.

8. Handle your Crowd funding like your campaign

Pitching a project is just the start and not the end of one’s work. One must continually drive people to his or her project page. A lot of crowd funding sites apply traffic and initial success as indicators of which projects to feature. According to Indiegogo, 50% of deciding who receives featured comes down to “number of funders or donors, page views, percentage of goal accomplished.”

9. Create interesting and exciting rewards

Kris White provided a lot of rewards for sponsors and patrons of his graphic novel “The 36”. Some of them were fairly standard, not excluding a PDF copy of chapter 1 for donors and pledge of $1though at least four sponsors and patrons who were eager to donate $1000 each could have their likeness and name “immortalized” and remembered for sponsoring and booking a character in the story.

10. Write and tell a good or fascinating story and demand for the sale

Just as Joanie Finlay writes in her post, titled “Adventures in crowd funding”. According to Jeanie, when she booked her first campaign, she simply used the trailer and was able to generate about ten pence. She made a new trailer by just pitching her film and this made a world of difference as lot of people invested in the filmmakers as much as the project.

11. Promise-and Dash out-Credit where credit is necessary and due

A lot of people will like to be praised, noticed or acknowledged either in film credits, liner notes or etched into the wall in your retail outlet and space. It is important for one to make people observe or know how they will be credited and follow through. This ensures that your story is great as it tells and establishes your base for your next or another crowd funded adventure.

Bonus Tips on Crowd Funding

Successful campaigns entail strategic plan, passion and clear vision that can be carried out. You can ensure the most or majority activity at the starting and the end of your campaigns but you must or need to work towards your goals or aims and objectives throughout.