Hi!

A creative crowdfunding campaign, which provides sufficient and detailed information and engaging rewards is a good starting point for success, but it is not enough. Often happens to observe crowdfunding campaigns, in appearance perfect, but that failed.

The answer is much more obvious than what one might believe.

Hard work on the contents of the campaign, communication, and construction of the rewards lead the proponents to have a deep knowledge of the project and its potential. Often this in-depth knowledge is highly insidious because happens that designer forgets or underestimates that the public does not know the real value of his proposal. It is, therefore, up to the team or creator to make clear the purpose of the campaign and in which way crowd can help to reach the goal. So, often failure came up simply because the team has not placed himself in the shoes of those who are the main recipients of the communication plan.

Why our call to action was not clear for the crowd? Probably there wasn't a call to action, or it had been badly built.

Having designed an excellent crowdfunding campaign does not guarantee success, it is the ability to intrigue, involve and accompany the public to the direct interaction with the campaign or with the product/service to advance the bar of contributions. In short, likes and shares will only turn into contributions if an effective call to action has been designed and tested.

Having an effective call to action means creating the best short message that will motivate the crowd to click on the support button of the crowdfunding campaign.

What is a call to action?

A call to action is one of the most popular and effective sales and marketing techniques used. It is a "journey" that, through the use of ad hoc buttons, guides the client, the site visitor or the potential supporter in the purchase or donation process. The call to action is a short and effective sentence that does not present a product, but that exposes with clarity resolutive because you need that particular product or service.

Finding the perfect phrase to accompany the reader to the action is essential to be able to direct it to the action we want it to perform.

Why is a call to action so important?

There are two big reasons why a call to action is crucial in a crowdfunding campaign. First, you can have an enviable storytelling and a great fan base, but if you can not make them understand what you want them to do, they will not. A compelling story told through images and text, transmits a purpose, and brings out an emotional response in the reader, but does not automatically lead to the action, this is why this step is supported by a path built ad hoc.

Furthermore, having a call to action allows you to measure the results that are obtained, or are not obtained. When we have built a path for our supporter, we can measure progress and change the strategy in progress. The easiest way to perform a test is to propose a series of variations in the call to action. It is possible to edit text, message, and images and check how the supporters react. You can also perform multiple tests based on data using A / B tests. For example, when you send an email newsletter, you can test how certain phrases and contents are received in terms of openings and clicks.

Creating an effective call to action for a crowdfunding campaign is a meticulous task that balances a financial request with the ability to offer greater value in the form of material and emotional rewards. The three key elements to be considered are:

• Be clear. Building a call to action means literally accompanying our user to a given action. It will, therefore, be necessary to make sure that the public has clearly understood what the objectives of the campaign are and what they can achieve in exchange for the financial contribution. In the call to action, is not necessarily explain the whole campaign, or include too many options, that will finish creating confusion. A clear call to action simply explains what you offer, lays a solid foundation to enable proponents to make informed decisions in a simple and straightforward way. Often the mistake is made to bury the call to action in a wall of text. Online reading is different from offline reading, the reader quickly scans the text and if the message is not immediately clear, it will leave the page. We must therefore coincide, use the bold only where necessary and where the fulcrum of the call to action resides, and not insert more actions in the same call to action, otherwise the actions performed inevitably dilute.
• Rapidity. The clarity of the call to action must be reflected on the whole process until its conclusion. It will be of fundamental importance to at least ideally cover all the actions that the supporter will have to do: from the first visualization of the campaign, passing to the choice of the rewards, to the payment. If it is too complicated and the supporter has to fill out long forms, get various confirmations by e-mail and click on numerous buttons, it is more likely to abandon the process without coming to an end. Make sure that the process of receiving a donation is as simple as possible and you will have a much higher donation rate in no time.
• Create a sense of urgency. People tend to be attracted by limited, exclusive and unique products and offers. A crowdfunding campaign has a certain degree of novelty, uniqueness in terms of new products or services. Use this lever to differentiate your campaign, create a call to action that is compelling, that makes the supporter understand that he may no longer have the opportunity to buy that product exclusively. Use phrases that highlight the exclusivity of the offer, emphasize the opportunity and increase the supporter's desire to be part of the adventure.

Here is an effective example:

The goal of this campaign is to save the lives of 100 homeless animals. You can make a difference by donating by July 31, so that the shelter does not have to start sending the animals away. Click Now on the button to donate.

In summary, what should a good call to action do?

• Respond to a need of the supporter and make that need impellent;
• Attract attention with impact images;
• Transmit a certain urgency before the campaign ends, or the rewards are exhausted;
• Make the benefit clear to those who perform an action: gifts, special gifts, limited rewards.