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September 13, 2010 · Tips & Insights

10 Ways to Promote Your Indiegogo Project OFF-Line

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offline marketing strategies

Last week we examined ten ways you can harness the power of the Internet to get the word out about your Indiegogo project (and hopefully secure some additional funding in the process).

This week let’s snap our laptops shut for a few minutes and look at some additional ways of raising awareness for your Indiegogo project in real life.

Business Cards

Include a link to your Indiegogo campaign on your business card, or have additional business cards made solely to promote your campaign. You can hand them to contacts and other people you meet at conferences, events, restaurants – essentially anywhere you go. Use them as a networking tool as well as a campaign promotion tool.

Flyers

There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned flyer. You can print fancy flyers or go the copy machine route – whatever fits your budget. Post flyers in places people who are likely to take an interest in your project might find them, such as coffee shops, shared workspaces, around the neighborhood or on a community bulletin board.

Letter

Perhaps your organization already has a mailing list, or maybe you already send an ask each year for donations to an annual campaign. Include a link to your Indiegogo campaign on any ask letters you already send, or, if you don’t already send a regular donation letter, consider sending a brief, friendly note to your mailing list with information about your online campaign.

Postcards

Create a quick, eye-catching postcard for your project and send it by mail to your list or distribute it in your town or to places you’re likely to find potential funders. Mail stacks to like-minded organizations who might be able to display them in their lobbies or storefronts. (Theater companies do this all the time.)

Events

Attend events related to your project — readings, signings, lectures, gallery events, screenings, meet-ups, conferences — and talk up your campaign. Bring your business cards and postcards with you so that you can hand out your collateral as marketing materials.

Conferences and Trade Shows

Why not table at a conference or trade show to try and drum up support for your campaign? Keep in mind the overhead, of course, but some small industry trade shows are reasonably priced and are a great way to reach out to potential supporters. These can be especially rewarding if you attend a niche event that has a highly targeted demographic.

Fundraisers & Benefits

Throw a low-cost fundraiser and invite people to come out and hear about your project in the flesh. Learn more about how you can use events for crowdfunding.

PR Campaigns

Tell the news! Of course you may have to use ON-line tactics (like email) to get your story into the right hands, but don’t underestimate the power of the printed word (people still read newspapers), television, and radio to get your story heard. Write up a press release, create a short, targeted list of media outlets that might take an interest in your story, and get yourself out there. Check out these 7 helpful tips to get your campaign noticed by the press.

Give it to Your Parents

Remember when you were a kid and you had to sell chocolate bars to fund your school sports team? The best way to sell the candy wasn’t door-to-door — it was to let your parents take the box to work and sell it to their co-workers. Our parents (or grandparents, or siblings, or mentors) are our most unabashed supporters. Give those people some postcards or flyers they can take to their networks to ask for support on your behalf. The more people you ask to distribute your materials, the larger your extended network becomes.

Real-Life Social Networks

Where do you regularly go each week to meet people? Are you part of any clubs or groups? Ask to make a short announcement at the end of your next meeting and tell people about your project. “Hey, I’m doing this online fundraiser and I wanted to let you guys know. Here is a postcard.” It’s amazing how well people respond when they’re not protected by the anonymity of Facebook.

Those were just a few ideas — we want to hear from YOU. Have you had any success drumming up support for your Indiegogo project outside of the Internet? How did you do it? Do you have any advice for others?

Are you ready to get started marketing for your idea? Download our free Campaign Marketing Workbook:

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