If you want to succeed at crowdfunding, you need a good campaign video. These short clips have become essential on websites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo, enticing viewers to support everything from books and movies to wearable tech and vegan doughnuts. Jerry Needel, Indiegogo's senior vice president of sales, says campaigns with videos raise 114 percent more than those without them. “Creating a video that is authentic, personal and simple inspires contributors and is an important part of every successful campaign," Needel says.

Crowdfunding expert Chris Hawker says a video is typically the first thing a potential supporter views on a website. “The video is absolutely the most important piece of the campaign beyond the product and the marketing strategy," says Hawker, who has used crowdfunding to raise money for his own inventions and served as a crowdfunding consultant for others.

So how do you make sure you get this critical piece right? Here are five tips that can help you put together an effective video without breaking the bank.

Keep it simple

With so much at stake, you may feel pressure to hire a production house to help with your video. That can prove costly, however—$10,000 to $15,000, according to Hawker—a figure that's beyond the reach of many entrepreneurs and small business owners.

But experts say you don't need to go to film school to create a good video. A simple, DIY clip can be just as effective as one with all kinds of bells and whistles. In fact, experts say keeping it simple should be your top priority. Be clear, concise and consistent; engage viewers right away; and keep your video short—typically between two and four minutes.

“Just sit in front of the camera, press record and let it go," recommends Kickstarter CEO Yancey Strickler in a video posted on the Kickstarter website.

Cover the essentials

Pretty much all backers want to know a few important details about your organization or product. It's a good idea to introduce yourself and your team and tell the story behind your project, as well as share the progress you've made so far. Backers also want to know when you expect to complete your project and send out rewards (most crowd-funding platforms are rewards-based). Also be sure to include photos of people your campaign will help if you're a nonprofit or images of a prototype if you're developing a product.

Get personal

Your video is a great way to build a personal connection with backers, an important component of a successful crowdfunding campaign. Look into the camera and show your passion, explaining what motivates you and why your campaign is important and impactful.

This Kickstarter video by Jeremy Koreski, an outdoor photographer from British Columbia, Canada, is an excellent example. You probably won't have such beautiful images to feature in your clip, but you can replicate the straightforward and sincere way Koreski talks about his project.

Use testimonials

You can give yourself more credibility if you include comments from others talking about why your product or cause is important. Don't shy away from mentioning existing press coverage you've already attracted or the dedicated fan base you already have.

Jibo ("the world's first social robot for the home") subtly incorporated media blurbs in its Indiegogo video, for instance.

Be careful with content

This should go without saying, but experts say too often crowdfunders use music, images and other copyrighted content they don't own in their videos. To help you avoid this problem, you can rely on a couple of good resources: YouTube's audio library of free music and Flickr's Creative Commons photo database.

So perhaps you've tweeted a time or two, asked people to follow your page on Facebook and LinkedIn, and thought about getting Yelped.

Know where your target audience is engaging: Don't waste time chasing after customers where they're not; find the networks where they already are. Look out for specific niche sites that focus on your industry. E.g: LinkedIn is a good choice for legal or financial service provider.

If you want your content to get shared on social media, you need to know what people are liking and sharing. Going viral requires a bit of luck, but there are certain content formats you can consistently create to tap into viral territory.

For example:

Did you know that "HOW TO" posts are one of the most shared forms of content. And that "HOW TO" post-formats are most frequently shared on Facebook, Pinterest and LinkedIn.
Below explains:

Social media marketing is not just about posting things on the social media networks, but you have to keep an eye on it continuously if you want to get success. Whether you are outsourcing social media marketing or hiring someone in-house for doing all this you must need to consider some skills or qualities in a social media manager.

Here in this article we share top qualities that a good social media manager must have. So, before hiring one it is better to read all the points carefully:

He or she must have an online and in-person social grace:
A good social media manager is the one who should be an expert in what he is talking about. They should know how to interact and blog with outer social media experts online in different social media networks. They know how to become the voice of the industry. By this they will be more influential no matter in what social media situation they are involved in.

Interacting, networking, speaking and blogging with other social media experts will stand them out in the industry they belong. If they want to expand their personal network all they want to develop their voice a little more.

Journalism/editorial skills:
This is a MUST have skill in any social media manager. Content marketing is a lot more than the fad. It is upending the whole advertising business. In the past, the ads were usually supported outside media by paying for the privilege to disrupt it. But in the past few years, as with the advancement in technology companies are now realizing that they can avoid this entire system by just creating their own benefiting and media from the association. This ability to make content is going to break or make company’s entire advertising department, but on the other hand, social media will become zero. Social media is a platform that makes the content marketing a feasible strategy. And for this it is necessary that the social media marketer not only acts as a gatekeeper but also good for content efforts. Therefore, it is necessary that you must have journalism/editorial skills so that you can perform this role well.

They must understand channel diversity:
If you want to be successful in social media marketing, then it is necessary that you must be well aware about your company’s audience and what social media they normally use. When hiring it is important to look this skill carefully in a social media manager, he must know various channels and being fluid and flexible among those networks. It is not necessary that the content which performs exceptional on Facebook will also perform best on Twitter. A good social media manager must know what each channel offers its target audience. And how to use each channel that bring results.

Humor:
If humor fits right for your company it boosts up the overall campaigns. A good social media marketer must knows where to use this humor and where not.

In case you are not familiar how social media managers spends their day, here's an infographic from Socialcast that visualizes the hectic schedule of a social media manager.

With so many social networks to post content online, it's hard to decide which platform will help companies reach their business goals.

For example:

Did you know that 80 percent of social media users prefer to connect to brands through Facebook versus other social networking sites. And that photos on Facebook generate 84 percent more link clicks than text and link posts, while auto-posting decreases likes and comments by 70 percent.

Similarly on Pinterest, Tutorial, guide, DIY and recipe photos see a 42 percent higher click-through rate than other photo types.

View below for more insights and tips.

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