The Big 3 of Crowdfunding

• Facebook - The most well-known of all the social platforms out there, and it seems like every company has one these days. It’s important that you make your Facebook page interesting and unique to your own brand. Integrate your feeds into your profile, such as your blog and Twitter, and make sure that you update regularly. However, don’t update too often. Users on Facebook easily get annoyed by companies that post too often. Keep it to once or twice a day, nothing more. 

  In terms of content, make sure that you’re regularly posting updates on your company so that your fans can see your growth and successes over time. Ask questions, interact, and make sure that you vary content with links and pictures.

  Facebook allows you to have a lengthier dialogue with those interested in investing in your company. You aren’t limited to 140 characters, just a video or a photo. You can make it whatever you want it to be for your investors.

• Twitter  - Think of Facebook as a way to connect with friends, and Twitter as a way to share ideas with friends. You can tweet and share content as well as interact with fans, but it’s in a different way. You’re limited to 140 characters, but you have the opportunity to guide people in a certain direction with a hashtag, link or @reply. It’s also a great opportunity to network and expand into conversations with those similar to you. By simple Twitter searches, you can see who else in the Twitterverse is talking about crowdfunding and social entrepreneurship. Interact with those people by @replying or retweeting them. They will appreciate your efforts and may begin to respond back.

  On Twitter, there is a greater opportunity to have your company’s content shared beyond your own sphere of influence. If the right follower retweets your message, it could get out to a whole new group of people that might be interested in investing in your company as well.

  With Twitter, you can update as often as you wish, since users who sign up for Twitter expect you to tweet regularly. Make sure the content is different on your Facebook and your Twitter. If you are giving the same messages on every platform, there is no incentive for people to follow you in more than one place.

• LinkedIn  - With Facebook and Twitter, you’re finding a more personal style with your posts. On LinkedIn, it’s about presenting yourself in a more professional light; a company worth investing in. You present yourself as a company, show who you employ, as well as the type of company you are. Company profiles on LinkedIn aren’t as developed as personal profiles, but you can integrate your Twitter feed and other information to the page to give people the opportunity to learn as much about your business as possible.

Even though Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are great social outlets for ventures seeking funding, there are other social media resources your company should begin to utilize. Of course, you don’t need to use every platform, but you should use the ones you think would be most beneficial for your brand.

• Blogging - By creating a blog it gives your company the chance to have it’s own voice in long form, saying exactly what it is you want to say. People can get a meaning and understanding behind who you are and what you do, thus giving them a reason to invest with you. You don’t need to post every day, one or twice a week is fine and it gives you something to share on your other social platforms as well. Facebook and Twitter pages are standard for every company. Think of the blog as a chance to create a “landing page” for you brand with your own content.

• YouTube/Video Sharing - YouTube and other video sharing sites let you create your own videos that can be shared and watched by users and nonusers alike. Here you can show fans and investors who you are with video, rather than words and links. It may not necessarily be the most practical to regularly make videos for your company, but sometimes with big announcements, it may be necessary.

• Photosharing - Like video sharing sites, photosharing sites like Flickr allow people to see your company beyond words and links. Any pictures you share can be stored on sites like Flickr to create a catalogue of any picture you may need relating to your company. That way, if people are searching photos related to your company, it won’t be too hard to find them.