Congratulations! You did it. You completed a successful Indiegogo campaign by being meticulous and having a solid campaign plan. Take a deep breath and pat yourself on the back.

Now that your campaign is funded, the best way to continue the momentum is through open communication with your backers.  Whatever stage your project is in, it’s vital to continue the communication long after you’ve reached your goal. Here’s why:

Communication is Your Friend

Your backers have given their time and money to your project and are excited to see this idea come to life. Every single one of your backers is now your investor. They parted with their hard-earned money on the bet that your idea will one day be a reality. Keep that momentum going by sending out an email thanking them and providing a detailed plan on what you’ll be doing and how often you’ll be be updating them.

Write Updates That Build Relationships

Every update you make during and after your campaign is a touchpoint opportunity to activate and engage your current investors. Your backers want to know that they made the right decision in investing. They participated in a crowdfunding project because they are interested in the process of bringing your product to market. Give them a unique behind the scenes account of the various stages of your project.

As you give them this insight, you can ask them to engage in order to continue your momentum. Here are some great ways to use updates to drive engagement:

• Ask them to share your campaign on social with a specific hashtag. When they do, be sure to amplify their engagement by retweeting or sharing
• Ask them to share a photo of your product when they receive it
• Incentivize them to refer friends and family
• Invite them to participate in testing or user research
• Include their testimonials in your press releases, campaign updates or on social media

Through constant engagement with your backers, you will build a public persona as a trusted entrepreneur, and eventually, establish your business with the help of your supporters.

Communicate Delays & Setbacks

With projects in progress, delays and setbacks can happen. Most backers are understanding of delays if you handle them in an open and transparent manner. Own the delay and turn it into a positive, whether its adding new features or learning from a prototype.

Your investors know there is a certain amount of risk involved in backing a project. They also know that it’s really hard to create something from nothing. What they want to believe is that when things get difficult, you are open and honest with them. In some cases, you might even ask them to help you, since again, who has your back? Exactly. Your investors.

Strong Communication Pays Big PR Dividends

The whole point of building strong communications is that it builds a deep reservoir of goodwill that you hope you will never need. This goodwill will make the people that invested in you go above and beyond to help you. It also builds your reputation as someone that is open and honest enough to trust their backers to share the journey with them. Doing that is pure PR gold that most companies crave but can never achieve due to not investing the time and energy to be rock star communicators.

Through open and honest communication with your backers, you will build relationships that will become instrumental to your success, long after your funding has ended.

Feeling Inspired? Learn more from the Essential Guide to Crowdfunding.