As crowdfunding becomes a household term, more and more people are turning to the crowd to help launch their businesses and pursue their dreams. We love watching our community take their ideas, big or small, and turn them into reality. The Indiegogo community has explored the potential of crowdfunding and helped shape our platform into what it is today. Over the last 8 years, we’ve created new services and improvements based on real feedback to help you achieve your crowdfunding goals, including these 10 unique features that you won’t find on any other platform. Here are 10 reasons why entrepreneurs love Indiegogo.
1. Tools to launch a company
You have a great idea for a product, but raising capital for your idea is just one piece of the puzzle. How will you manufacture your product and fulfill items for your backers? Where will you accept pre-orders and build a brand for yourself? Indiegogo InDemand allows you to continue raising funds and building a community and brand after your initial campaign ends. You’ll receive ongoing exposure on the Indiegogo platform, reach new audiences and still have access to the same robust analytics and engagement tools as you did during your campaign. Plus, it’s super easy to opt in.
Once you’re ready for manufacturing and fulfillment, we’ve got you covered. Our partnership with Amplifier helps you produce, package and ship physical goods like shirts, stickers and mugs as well as your pre-order products. We also teamed up with Brookstone Launch, an end-to-end product development program to provide entrepreneurs with design, manufacturing, and retail services from Brookstone to help bring Indiegogo-funded products to market.
With these tools and more, you’ll be ready to launch your company.
2. Sell your product in stores and online
When your product is ready to hit retail shelves, Indiegogo supports your company by providing connections with the best in the business. Amazon Launchpad makes it easy for startups to have their products discovered on Amazon, with access to Amazon’s powerful marketing tools, world-class retail expertise and global infrastructure. Target Open House is part retail, part lab, part meeting venue, giving the Indiegogo community the chance to not only be discovered by Target buyers but to test their products with the public in a startup-safe environment. And if you’ve been to an airport or by a Brookstone store recently, you’ve probably seen the Axent Wear Cat Ear Headphones along with a bunch of other Indiegogo-funded products on the shelves as part of our Brookstone Launch program.
3. Real, live customer support
We know that starting a business on your own is scary, which is why we offer 24-hour, real, live customer support. Not only do we have a support team with a wealth of knowledge to share with you, but we have campaign strategists who are true crowdfunding experts and are eager to offer you tips and insights from the trade. Our blog and help center have guides, checklists and calendars with an incredible amount of data and detail to guide you every single step of the way. It’s the human side of crowdfunding – the personal touch that keeps people coming back for their second, third and fourth campaigns. No matter how far along you are in getting your idea off the ground, you know we’re here for you.
4. Send funds anywhere in the world
Indiegogo is a global platform, reaching more than 223 countries and regions worldwide. This means that you can tap into new markets and demographics, learning and optimizing along the way. Plus, you don’t have to be based in the United States to run your campaign and receive funds – our global platform enables you to receive funds in almost every country. Our simple checkout process makes it easy for your global community of backers to contribute on mobile and desktop. Logged-in users can even complete transactions in one click, making their entire experience smooth and simple.
5. Advanced pixel tracking
As part of your marketing strategy, you may choose to buy ads on Facebook or Google to direct people to your campaign page. Optimizing your ads and targeting the right people to get more eyeballs on your campaign page is key to any paid media strategy. But what happens after all these people get to your campaign page? How will you know if your paid media efforts are paying off?
Indiegogo offers advanced pixel tracking for Facebook and Google ads so you can track conversions and success through the whole funnel. With the unique ability to use pixel tracking for paid advertisements, you’ll be able to make the most of your marketing dollars and learn valuable information about your customer base.
6. API for ultimate customization
Our powerful API gives you the chance to customize your campaign experience like never before. You can access new tools and features and implement them in ways that work specifically for your launch. For example, you can showcase real-time campaign statistics on your own website, while still gaining traction on the main Indiegogo site. You’ll also have live access to your contributor data, giving you the opportunity to build powerful marketing tools to drive referrals and contributions. Plus, your customized campaign is backed by Indiegogo’s support, contribution management and secure payment processing.
7. Multiple funding options
Every project is unique, so we give you the freedom to choose the funding style that best fits your goals. If you have strict fixed costs, Fixed Funding is a great option to help give you some extra peace of mind about meeting those numbers. You will only receive funds if you meet your goal; otherwise, your backers get refunded. If you don’t have a strict go/no-go funding minimum, we offer the option of Flexible Funding.
Flexible Funding means that you get to keep all contributions even if you don’t meet your campaign goal. We know that raising a substantial amount of money is oftentimes enough to help you get started, which is why Flexible Funding could be a great fit for your idea. We want you to be able to achieve your dreams, even if you might fall a little short of your written goal.
No matter what funding option you choose, rest assured that the dollar amount you see on your campaign page is the real total. That’s because we charge at the time of contributions rather than when the campaign is over, meaning that you won’t have to worry about leakage from canceled orders or invalid credit cards. While leakage rates can vary greatly, even a modest 10% can have a huge impact on your campaign. At Indiegogo, you’ll take home more of your total dollars raised.
8. Referral Contests
The Indiegogo dashboard provides detailed analytics, offering invaluable insights and opportunities for optimization and improvement. One way you can use contributor data is referral contests. Referral Contests make it easy to tap into your existing funders’ networks and mobilizing them to drive traffic back to your campaign page. You can empower your audience by creating incentives, like earning free perks and products, that get them excited to share your campaign widely through their social circles and increase contributions. You can track site visits and conversions while offering your backers great prizes, all while reaching larger audiences faster and scaling growth quickly.
9. Secret Perks
Another way to incentivize people to contribute is by offering Secret Perks. Secret Perks are a new way to reward loyal backers and attract new adopters. By creating a unique link that you distribute, only certain people will get to see the Secret Perk. A few different ways to use Secret Perks include thanking early supporters, tailoring perks and bundles for organizations or discounting items for certain influencers. Here are 5 awesome ways to use Secret Perks for your campaign.
10. Access to Contributor Data
Your backer community is one of your strongest assets – they are your brand ambassadors, earliest supporters and biggest fans. Having access to your contributor data during your campaign is critical for your campaign’s overall reach. At Indiegogo, you have instant access to contributor email addresses during your campaign, offering improved ability to market and communicate effectively to this valuable audience. Plus, our integrated communication tools make it easy to interact with your audience through updates, comments and messages.
These 10 features and tools are designed to help you get the most out of your funding experience, and that’s just the beginning. Learn more about our platform at our How it Works page, dive into the details with our Solutions and read more tips and insights on our blog. Still have questions? Contact us at any time.
Feeling ready? Download our free Indiegogo Field Guide and get started.
