Social media engagement trends are hailed as a focal point for those looking to market something online (Forbes). The more you engage a platform’s audience, the more that platform will put your content in front of new people.
So, what does this mean for crowdfunding?
Whether you are just starting out, are an established creator with a solid brand, or are an indie publisher, studio, or collaborator group – if you plan on utilizing crowdfunding for future projects, your success will come from the audience rallying behind you on your social media accounts.
Let’s look at some top trends propelling social media engagement forward and the tools Crowdfundr offers to work alongside them.
Trend #1 – Community building
Our top trend is the idea of creating a community via social media. Success in crowdfunding comes from trust, and trust comes from a sense of community. Become a micro-influencer for your target audience in your creative space.
21% of social media users aged 18 to 54 bought items an influencer recommended, and that number jumps to 32% among Gen Z (HubSpot). And this younger crowd is entering the workforce and becoming a larger percentage of the consumer market.
Social media became the place to build communities. Subreddits, Facebook groups, and Instagram and TikTok influencers focus on a niche interest. With over half of the world’s population using social media (Forbes), we’ve no doubt you’ll find your kin somewhere out there.
Build your community wherever your target audience spends their time. It’s part of our Crowdfunding Promotion Toolkit to identify this audience and where you can find them. Do this exercise and start on the platforms that will help you get the most engagement.
Trend #2 – Varying content types
Short-form videos (less than one minute) are the most engaging content (Forbes). However, long-form videos (two to five minutes) are apparently making a comeback (Hootsuite). Not only that, text-only posts are still popular, as are ‘photo-dumps’ (what we older ones would call carousels; Hootsuite).
Based on this, we recommend varying the content type you post. Be strategic – don’t post 30-minute-long videos every day while occasionally throwing in some pictures and short-form videos – but don’t stick to one thing, either.
Snippets of your Crowdfundr campaign video, pictures, milestones, updates, and comments are all great, shareable content. We know we boast about our platform’s direct sharing capabilities, but you cannot simply post your campaign every day and expect the internet to drop everything and click the link. So, just as you need to vary your general social media posts, change how you promote and share your crowdfunding campaign.
Trend #3 – Authenticity
Again, crowdfunding success comes with trust from your community. And the driver behind this trust is authenticity (Forbes, Hootsuite, and every other article on social media trends). Your goal is for followers to support YOU rather than just your campaign (Social Media Examiner).
Create your content on the assumption that you will run more than one crowdfunding campaign (or a storefront with continuous offerings). Content for the sake of throwing something up there is pointless (more on that in Trend #5). Each post should be carefully curated to showcase your authentic self: your personality, values, lessons learned as you grow as a creator, etc.
This does not mean you must spill your deepest, darkest secrets to the internet. But you do want to be honest and real. If you’re struggling with an aspect of your project or campaign, say so! Not only will supporters appreciate you more, but they might also have helpful suggestions to get you through.
The same is true for the opposite: celebrate your wins with your community, too! Get excited and share when something amazing happens, such as recognition for your project or a fully funded crowdfunding campaign.
Many creators worry about appearing ‘braggy’ or self-important. Trust us, we get it. At Crowdfundr, such a large chunk of us tended to shy away from praise and self-promotion (including yours truly) that we had to create a rule when someone gives you kudos: you’re not allowed to deflect and point the gratitude elsewhere. You simply must accept the praise and feel good about it.
So, share your ups and downs with your community!
Trend #4 – Social media as search engines
Google beware!
Particularly as Gen Z comes of age, people now use social media rather than search engines to search for information and products more often (Hootsuite). And platforms like Instagram and TikTok are responding by targeting relevant keywords in posts and bios.
So, there are two things you can do:
- Find the optimal keywords to target for your creator niche. Plenty of free resources exist to help you discover the most used words, phrases, and questions users tend to input when searching for content. Write your social media bio around these keywords and insert them into your posts.
- Link to your Crowdfundr profile (either your creator-brand organization profile or your user profile) as a free space to post all other links you want supporters to know about.
Trend #5 – Shares are mattering more than ‘vanity metrics’
Vanity metrics refer to aspects that don’t necessarily mean too much, like the number of followers or likes your profile or posts receive. Considering bots now exist that will like and follow random posts, we’re moving away from that being a metric of a strong profile.
Shareable content is where it’s at.
There are two things my Instagram social feeds are inundated with:
- Contest posts that urge you to share them on your stories, and
- Posts with funny or loving messages meant for sending to other users. For example, (my favourite): Send this to someone, and if they don’t respond in an hour, they owe you a puppy.
As you can tell, these posts are designed to be shared. Sharing content suggests to the platforms’ algorithms that it contains something valuable and is a way to get your profile in front of new users. But posts like the above don’t suggest authenticity. And they don’t provide YOU with much value because those with whom the posts are shared are likely not your target audience.
Shareable content is the non-salesy kind, like educational content, which is more likely to also appear in searches (Hootsuite). You have information and skills to share: advice, lessons, and experiences. I guarantee at least one person reading this thinks they don’t, but I assure you, my friend, you do.
The Social Media Examiner interviewed renowned social media marketing expert Katie Brinkley, and I love her ‘4-post method.’ Here is the link – have a look for inspiration!
Trend #6 – Analytics are crucial and will just keep getting better
Every social media platform has its own analytics, but consider purchasing more advanced apps. Like our campaign referral links, these analytics will help you determine which posts work best for you.
From there, you can determine which types of posts are viewed, shared, and commented on the most and keep creating more of them. But you must always be looking because social media users and algorithms alike are mysterious and constantly changing their behaviours.
And we have a new tool coming that will be gold for your campaign analytics, but AAAAH I CAN’T SAY MORE YET 🙊
Now go forth and socialize!
No matter the size of your campaign – whether you’re aiming for $500 to get your ideas out there or $50,000 for the project of your dreams – building a social media community will be imperative to long-term success as a crowdfunder and a creator.
And we have the perfect (FREE!) kit to help you get started!
We’re here to help!
Our Discord channel is a place to connect with other creators and the Crowdfundr team to ask questions, seek advice, and share strategies. But if you don’t do Discord or wish to schedule a demo, feel free to email us at support@crowdfundr.com.
Yay! Thank you for compiling all this info in one place Shan!!