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Campaign Management

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Enhancing marketing campaigns with DAM and PM integration
Marketing 7 min read

Enhancing marketing campaigns with DAM and PM integration

Discover how integrating DAM and PM tools enhances campaign creation and brand value from the success story of Monumental Sports & Entertainment.

The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Campaign Management
Marketing 10 min read

The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Campaign Management

Campaign management requires diligent planning, timely execution, and a ton of knowledge and insight into the audience you're reaching out to. Let's dive into the world of campaign management and learn what it takes to bring your marketing campaigns to the next level.

5 Must-Haves in a Campaign Management Software
Marketing 7 min read

5 Must-Haves in a Campaign Management Software

Understanding your customers helps you understand your brand and messaging. Customers are a direct reflection of what you're doing right, and who your brand is resonating with. Having a campaign management software that can act as a CRM, provide real-time information about your prospects, as well as manage and track your email campaigns can be the driving force in improving those MQL numbers.

Wrike for Marketers: New Features to Deliver Flawless Campaigns Faster
News 5 min read

Wrike for Marketers: New Features to Deliver Flawless Campaigns Faster

Wrike for Marketers is revolutionizing the end-to-end work lifecycle for marketers and creatives with these new and improved features.

How to Build Your Next Year's Marketing Plan
Marketing 7 min read

How to Build Your Next Year's Marketing Plan

Looking ahead of schedule and devoting ample time to planning out your campaigns and marketing milestones is not only essential for success, but also for allocating resources and finding where gaps exist. Waiting too long to plan can result in unrealistic expectations, team goals that don't align with company objectives, and a marketing team scrambling to throw something together as quickly as possible instead of focusing on top quality output.

Customer Acquisition Experts Share Campaign Best Practices
Marketing 7 min read

Customer Acquisition Experts Share Campaign Best Practices

The buying process for products and services has changed completely. Here are some tips from customer acquisition experts to help your team drive awareness, interest, and leads in today’s crowded market.

Survival of the Marketer: How to Prioritize Against Crammed Deadlines
Marketing 5 min read

Survival of the Marketer: How to Prioritize Against Crammed Deadlines

Use these steps to prioritize your marketing campaigns and decide which projects should be the focus of your team’s time and resources.

Want to Ramp Up Customer Acquisition? First, Break Down Your Campaigns
Marketing 7 min read

Want to Ramp Up Customer Acquisition? First, Break Down Your Campaigns

Customer Acquisition teams manage thousands of campaigns across dozens of channels. Here’s some tips from the team here at Wrike about how to optimize lead gen campaigns and refine your customer acquisition strategy for maximum impact.

Your Complete Crowdfunding Campaign Checklist (Infographic)
Leadership 3 min read

Your Complete Crowdfunding Campaign Checklist (Infographic)

Launching a crowdfunding campaign may be exciting, but it's also exhausting. Use this checklist to get you through the hectic months ahead. It's broken up into pre-launch, launch, and post-campaign sections to help you stay organized (and sane) at each stage. Good luck! (See also our Definitive Guide to Crowdfunding Sites Infographic.) Want to share this infographic on your site? Use this embed code: Wrike Social Collaboration Software Have you organized a crowdfunding campaign before? What would you add to this checklist? If you have any pearls of wisdom, we'd love to hear from you! Give Wrike a try when managing your crowdfunding campaign with a free trial. For more reading, check out our collection of crowdfunding resources: 10 Essential Elements of a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign Top Crowdfunding Sites: Which Should You Choose? Ultimate Guide to Crowdfunding Campaign Tools and Resources

Definitive Guide to Crowdfunding Sites (Infographic)
Leadership 3 min read

Definitive Guide to Crowdfunding Sites (Infographic)

In the last few years, the crowdfunding scene has exploded. Now there are hundreds of platforms to choose from, with more popping up every day. But which crowdfunding site is best for your small business? Or charitable cause? We covered 26 Top Crowdfunding Sites by Niche, and now we've created an infographic with all the essential details. Check it out! (See also our Ultimate Crowdfunding Checklist Infographic.) Like this infographic? Embed it on your own site using this code:  Wrike Social Collaboration Software Are you about to launch your first crowdfunding campaign using one of these sites? Let us know how it goes!

Why Use Wrike as SEO Project Management Software?
Project Management 5 min read

Why Use Wrike as SEO Project Management Software?

Manage campaigns, store keyword research, and map SEO strategy. Make Wrike your SEO project management software for better results every time.

Ultimate Guide to Crowdfunding Campaign Tools and Resources
Collaboration 10 min read

Ultimate Guide to Crowdfunding Campaign Tools and Resources

Crowdsourcing is a testament to the power of collaboration. Hundreds and even thousands of individual efforts combine to create something world-changing. If you’re jumping into the chaotic world of crowdsourcing to fund your startup or passion project, you’ve got a lot of hectic days and coffee-fueled nights ahead. Running a successful campaign, standing out in a sea of creative projects, and coordinating all the moving pieces takes a lot of hard work. Use these tools and resources to stay on top of it all and start writing your own crowdfunding success story. Step 1: Choose Your Platform There are hundreds of crowdfunding sites to choose from. Discover the key differences, strengths, and drawbacks of each platform and pick the right one for your project. 26 Top Crowdfunding Sites by Niche: Consult this list of popular crowdfunding sites, sorted by project type, for crucial details on fees and platform restrictions. Inc.’s 22 Crowdfunding Sites (& How to Choose One) Infographic: Answer a series of yes or no questions to discover exactly which of the top 20+ platforms fits your needs CrowdsUnite.com: Read reviews of hundreds of crowdfunding platforms to learn from others’ experiences and find help choosing the best option for you. Step 2: Do Your Homework Polish your reading glasses, find a comfy chair, and read up on platform requirements, best practices, and words of wisdom from the crowdfunding community. 10 Essential Elements of a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign: Crowdfunding success doesn't come by accident. These 10 tips will help you create the strongest possible campaign. Kickstarter's Creator Handbook, Indiegogo's Playbook, and Kickstarter Blog's "Tips" page: Peruse these guides for platform-specific requirements, plus targeted advice for your project's niche — from games to gadgets and beyond. The Crowdfunding Bible: Learn what to expect from the process, read advice on building a team and community around your project, get planning tips, and more. Nathaniel Hansen's Crowdfunding Best Practices: Follow this pre-launch checklist to help you make the most of every opportunity and resource at your disposal. 5 Rookie Crowdsourcing Mistakes: Watch this webinar for the inside scoop on the "Green Bar Effect," proven marketing strategies, and avoiding common mistakes. Kickspy: Get an inside peek at today's top Kickstarter projects and research past projects similar to yours. Crowdsourcing & Crowdfunding LinkedIn Group: Join this active hive of over 26,000 crowdfunders, with dozens of new discussions each month. CrowdfundBeat and CrowdfundingForum.com: Catch up on the latest crowdsourcing news and trends. Step 3: Read the Fine Print Don’t get caught off guard by legalities. Cover all your bases and make sure you know exactly what you’re signing up for! Crowdfund Capital Advisors, Understanding Crowdfunding Taxes and Kickstarter & Taxes: Do crowdsourcing donations qualify as income or gifts? What can you deduct from your taxes? Give these guides to your accountant and be prepared come April 15. JOBS Act review: The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act makes it easier for small businesses and startups to raise capital. Get all the details you need on this important legislation — in plain English. Step 4: Set Your Budget Time to talk numbers. How much do you need to turn a profit? Can you afford to offer that awesome backer reward? Think Before You Kickstart's Budgeting Tool: Play around with different rewards ideas to see how each one affects your overall project costs and total budget. Rewards Pricing Template: Input details like materials and shipping costs to determine exactly how much each reward type will cost you and its impact on your bottom line. Important!: Your budget must include more than just your project costs. Don’t forget about pesky fees — like the percentage the platform will take as its cut, bank fees, state and federal taxes, payment processing charges, and all the miscellaneous costs incurred when setting your final fundraising goal. Step 5: Plan and Manage Your Work Buckle up! It’s time to put the pedal to the metal and make your project plans a reality. Project management tools like Wrike: Track every task, coordinate all the moving pieces, get help from your team, and adjust to any bumps in the road. Google Drive, Dropbox and Box: Store important project files in the cloud, where it's easy to share with your team and access them from anywhere. Step 6: Build Your Product Find creatives and craftsmen to help with everything from brainstorming the perfect product name, designing an eye-catching logo, and building a professional prototype. 99 Designs, CrowdSpring, & Elance: Submit a description of your needs and designers will pitch you their work. You pay for the submission you like best. Some crowdsourcing platforms require you to have a prototype in hand before accepting your campaign. When it’s time to create a physical mockup of your idea, here are a few options: Thomasnet.com: Find the parts you need, or hire a local prototype developer. Shapelock and Sugru: Shape your prototype by hand with moldable plastic or rubber. Ponoko: Upload your copyrighted design, get a quote, and they'll make one for you. Shapeways: Get a 3-D print of your product in one of 30+ materials. Step 7: Create a Killer Campaign Page Flex your creative muscles! Showcase your project (and your personality) with beautiful visuals, compelling text, and enticing rewards. Anatomy of a Greater Kickstarter Project Page: Read tips for creating an exceptional project profile that will get people talking, sharing, and reaching for their wallets. Video 101 from Vimeo: Follow these 3 steps to great video, from choosing a camera to editing and post-production. Stupeflix and Animoto: Cut a stunning video with these online editing tools. Free Music Archive, JewelBeat, Freesound.org: Add something special to your video with these free or low-cost music selections and sound effects. Fiverr.com: Hire voiceover talent, artists, musicians, translators & other creatives for just 5 bucks. LinkedIn ProFinder: Leverage the vast LinkedIn network to find quality independent and freelance professionals in a variety of fields, from graphic design and copywriting and web and product development. ODesk and Guru.com: Get creative and technical help from talented freelancers. Vimeo and YouTube: Use these popular hosting services to embed your finished video on your project website or profile. Slideshare: Stand out from the video crowd with a sleek slideshow. Pixlr and FotoFlexer: Beautify your photos with these easy-to-use editing programs. Step 8: Generate Buzz Spread the word about your project, attract more backers, and build momentum to power your campaign across the goal line. Crowdfunding Promotion Beginner's Guide: Find tips for writing a convincing pitch, harnessing the power of friends and family, and brainstorming great rewards. Hubbub's Tips to Make Your Project Stand Out: With over 150,000 projects launched on Kickstarter alone, these tips will help you get noticed. LaunchRock Platform for Launching Startups: Create "coming soon" pages, build anticipation for your product, accept pre-sales, and more. Wordpress and Blogger: Set up a product blog to chronicle your progress, share exciting news and achievements, and build a community around your brand. Or, use Paper.li to create and share an online newspaper with the latest details. MailChimp and Boomerang for Gmail: Send sleek email newsletters to your backers with the latest news, and optimize Gmail by scheduling outgoing messages when you're away from your desk. Hootsuite and Buffer: Schedule social media posts and manage all your social networks in one hub. Use Twilert to get real-time notifications when your brand, hashtag or keyword is mentioned on Twitter. Kicktraq: Review analytics for your Kickstarter project for insights on how your promotional efforts impact the number of backers, page activity, and dollars pledged. CrowdfundingPR.org: Send your press release to this list of blogs, publications, and influencers that cover the crowdfunding industry. Crowdfund Mafia and Seeding Factory: Call in the professionals for help with press releases, media distribution, email templates, and more. Step 9: Get Your Products Made & Rewards Fulfilled  Congratulations! Your project reached its goal! But you can’t breathe easy just yet — it’s time to deliver the goods. US Domestic and International Shipping Rates: Check out this cheat sheet to calculate shipping costs down to the penny. ShipStation: Import your backers list, print labels in bulk, and schedule shipment with all the major carriers. ShipWire: Free up your garage by storing excess product in their warehouses, then let ShipWire automatically select the ideal carrier and route for each shipment. CustomInk, CafePress, and Zazzle: Print quality custom T-shirts. Tee Launch even ships directly to your backers. Thomasnet.com: Restock your manufacturing supplies, find local shops, download CAD models, and more. BackerKit: Manage and track each reward as it's delivered to your loyal backers. TaskRabbit and Zirtual: Hire a helping hand or personal assistant to cross daily tasks off your growing to-do list. Step 10: Keep Your Project Alive After the Campaign Clock Runs Out  Your campaign may be wrapping up, but that doesn’t mean your project has to end. Create a place for new customers to find and buy your product, and for current backers to stay connected to your brand. Vendevor: Embed an online store that can accept credit card payments on any site — like your project blog or Facebook fan page — with a single line of code. Swish.com, Outgrow.me, and TinyLightBulbs.com: Continue selling your products after your crowdfunding campaign ends through these online shops.   We applaud all the artists and innovators who build a collaborative community around their enterprise. And with these tools, you’ve got all the resources you need to successfully launch your own passion project. Have you ventured into the wild world of crowdfunding? What tools did you find useful during your crowdfunding campaign? We'd love to hear from you in the comments! Other articles you might like from Wrike: 10 Essential Elements of a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign 26 Top Crowdfunding Sites by Niche Image Credits: Crowdfunding by Rocío Lara. Some rights reserved.

Why You Need a Marketing Plan Template
Marketing 7 min read

Why You Need a Marketing Plan Template

A marketing plan template helps teams achieve better campaign outcomes. Organize and execute smarter campaigns with Wrike’s strategic marketing plan template.

26 Best Crowdfunding Sites by Niche
Leadership 10 min read

26 Best Crowdfunding Sites by Niche

The crowdfunding landscape has gotten pretty, well, crowded. It's not just Kickstarter anymore —when entrepreneurs and artists want to take their projects to the masses, they've got dozens of platforms to choose from. How can you tell which one suits your project best? We've broken down the best crowdfunding sites by industry and project type, and collected crucial details from the fine print to help you decide. Want a tool to help organize and manage your startup plans? Start your free Wrike trial today! Crowdfunding for Non-Profits, Charitable Causes, and Social Activists Causes.com Their cut: Nothing. Causes runs on ad revenue. A 4% transaction fee still applies. Perks: Free analytics to perfect your campaign along the way. Caveats: Must be a registered 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) to fundraise on Causes. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Keep what you raise. Crowdrise Their cut: Crowdrise takes 5%, plus 2.9% transaction fees. Perks: Donors don’t need to make an account in order to contribute to your campaign. Two campaign types: individual or non-profit. Caveats: Page design options for the free version are limited. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Keep what you raise. Fundly Their cut: Choose from three pricing tiers, depending on how many projects you want to run at once. The basic plan for a single project has no monthly fee, but Fundly takes a 4.9% cut for donations up to $50,000, plus 3% transaction fees. Perks: Helpful guides and tutorials are automatically sent to you at each step of your campaign. Caveats: Every project must have a video and a photo gallery. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Keep what you raise. StartSomeGood Their cut: 5% for a successful campaign, plus 3% transaction fees. Perks: A member of their team will be assigned to your campaign and act as your personal guide, providing advice and resources at each step. Caveats: Projects must have a positive social impact, and need to be approved before they’re posted to the site. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Yes.   YouCaring Their cut: Nothing. YouCaring is supported entirely by donations, just like the campaigns it hosts. 3% transaction fees do apply. Perks: Funds are available in your account as soon as they’re donated. Caveats: Once you post an update, you can’t edit it. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Keep what you raise. Crowdfunding for Small Business Bolstr Their cut: Bolstr’s attorneys review each campaign before it’s launched, to protect both your business and potential investors. Legal fees range from $500-$1,000 (you can also use your own attorney). Other costs include a listing fee and regulatory filing fees. Perks: They help you raise funds from those most likely to continue supporting you after your campaign ends: your local community. Caveats: Not for struggling businesses. If your small business is thriving and you need funds to expand, Bolstr is for you. Must be incorporated (no sole proprietorships allowed) and pass their background checks. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Yes. Community Sourced Capital Their cut: A one-time $250 launch fee. Once your campaign is successful, you’ll be charged $100 per month until the principal amount on your loan is repaid. Perks: Your $250 launch fee covers tech support, marketing assistance, and administrative help. Caveats: This is a loan, not a donation. Pledges are set at a fixed amount of $50. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Yes. Fundable Their cut: $179/month. No fees are charged on the funds you raise, but transaction fees apply. Perks: Use their profile creation wizard to set up an attractive campaign page. Caveats: You can offer backers rewards or equity, but not both. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Yes. Funding Community Their cut: Successful campaigns are charged an origination fee of 2.5%. Perks: You’ll receive better loan rates than from banks or other traditional lending agencies. Caveats: Loans are limited to $10,000 and must be repaid within 9 months. Interest rates depend on the type of company and your credit score. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Yes. Localstake Their cut: Choose from three plans with varying support features and fees. For a business that has raised some funding but wants to access Localstake’s investor audience through their Boost plan, there is a one-time fee of $500, plus a fee of 3.75-7.5% for successful campaigns. Perks: With the Boost plan, you’ll get a dedicated advisor to help you run your campaign. Caveats: Must submit an application before your campaign is approved. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Yes. Crowdfunding for Creatives, Artists, and Filmmakers Pozible Their cut: Depends on how much you raise. For successful campaigns that raise up to $100,000, the fee is 5%, plus 2.4% transaction fees. Perks: Take advantage of their Ambassador Network, made up of successful project creators who offer expertise and advice. Caveats: Once your successful campaign ends, pledges made via credit card are not immediately transferred to your account (approximate delay of 7 days). All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Yes. Pubslush Their cut: 4% fee, plus 3.5% transaction fees. Perks: Join the Pubslush Prep program for helpful resources, and take advantage of market analytics. Caveats: Literary projects only. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Yes Seed & Spark Their cut: 5%. However, they give your backers the opportunity to add 5% to their pledge at checkout, so you get the full amount. (Seed & Spark says 90% of supporters choose to add that 5%.) Perks: Their CINEMA streaming video distribution platform is available for projects that are accepted on the site. Also, backers don’t need to create an account to support your project. Caveats: Each project is reviewed before being accepted by Seed & Spark. If your project isn’t accepted, they’ll give you some pointers to help you successfully resubmit. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? You must reach at least 80% of your goal. Slated Their cut: Nothing; filmmakers submit their projects for free. Investment agreements are made between individual users, without Slated's direct involvement. Perks: Access to the Slated community, which includes wealthy investors, plus sales agents and distributors. Caveats: Only the film's rights holder, or his/her designated representative, can start a campaign. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Keep what you raise. Sponsume Their cut: 5% of successful campaigns. Transaction fees are 3.4%, and are paid by backers. Perks: Once you’ve reached your minimum funding target, donations are immediately available in your account. No need to wait until your campaign expires. Caveats: Your project must be submitted and approved before it’s posted. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? If you choose to set a minimum fundraising target, then yes. If you choose the “Keep it All” campaign type, you set an “optimum” funding target and keep whatever you raise. Crowdfunding for Science & Tech Experiment Their cut: Successful projects are charged a 5% fee, plus a 3% transaction fee. Perks: Backers don’t have to sign up or become members in order to support campaigns. Caveats: Research and results are the rewards, not t-shirts and bumper stickers. Backers don’t receive any incentives from campaigns, other than the satisfaction of contributing to scientific progress. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Yes. Petridish Their cut: Unknown. Their site says they do charge a fee for their services, but does not specify the amount. Perks: Projects that don’t qualify for government funding, or whose needs surpass what’s usually covered through grants, can supplement their research funds through Petridish. Caveats: Petridish is currently in beta, so you’ll have to wait to submit until the site is accepting new projects. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Yes. TechnoFunding Their cut: Successful campaigns are charged 5%, plus transaction fees. Perks: Check out their TechnoFunding lessons for tips from successful projects. Caveats: Projects must adhere to TechnoFunding guidelines in order to be published to the site. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Yes. Crowdfunding for Startups Crowdfunder Their cut: Choose from two plans with varied features: $299/month and $999/month. Perks: Campaign plans include confidential document protection, investor analytics, live support, and access to their network of investors. Caveats: You’ll need certain documents in order to use their platform: a Term Sheet, Executive Summary, and an Investor Pitch Deck. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Keep what you raise. SeedInvest Their cut: $250 per month technology fee; 7.5% fee for successful campaigns; and up to $3,500 in due diligence, escrow, and legal fees for successful campaigns. Perks: Experience. The founders are investors themselves, and their support team has overseen billions in private investments. Caveats: Their vetting process is thorough, so make sure you've got a professional proposal and expect it to take some time before your project is approved or rejected. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Yes. SeedUps Their cut: 5% fee for successful campaigns. Perks: When the SeedUps team reviews your submission, they’ll give you suggestions for your campaign before setting up your live project page. Caveats: Fundraising range is between $25,000 - $500,000. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Keep what you raise. StartUpValley Their cut: 5% of successful campaigns. Perks: Check out their blog for tips on successful crowdfunding tips for startups. Caveats: Currently in beta. They’re an equity-only platform, so you must be willing to accept investments in exchange for a stake in your company. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Yes. For Miscellaneous Project Types Tilt Their cut: 2.5% for a successful campaign, plus 2.5% transaction fees. Perks: Flexible campaign options: Fundraise (hit a monetary goal); Sell something (sell a certain number of items); or Split an expense (attract a certain number of people to join the group). You can set your minimum goal, and also set a "dream goal." Caveats: Limited publicity makes it more difficult to get funding from complete strangers. Tilt's homepage doesn’t highlight current campaigns, so you’ll need to use your existing social networks to raise funds and help spread the word. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Yes. Indiegogo Their cut: Choose from two funding models: flexible or fixed. With flexible funding, if you reach your goal, Indiegogo takes 4%. If you don’t, the fee is 9%. With fixed funding, Indiegogo takes 4% from fully-funded campaigns, plus transaction fees. Perks: Use the campaigning section of the Indiegogo Playbook for tips on making your campaign a success. Caveats: Projects are promoted on the site based on their “Gogofactor,” which determines where your project ranks in search, and whether it’s featured by Indiegogo on their homepage, newsletter, or blog. Gogofactors are determined by how active your campaign is, so boost your rank by frequently updating and sharing your page, and by earning new backers. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Flexible Funding lets you keep what you earn, and Fixed Funding is all-or-nothing. Kickstarter Their cut: 5% of a successfully funded campaign, plus transaction fees between 3-5%. Perks: Easily the most well-known crowdfunding platform, with the widest audience. Caveats: Countless projects launch on the site every day, so standing out among the crowd can be more difficult. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Yes. RocketHub Their cut: 4% if you meet your fundraising goal (8% if you don’t), plus 4% transaction fees. Perks: Enroll in RocketHub’s Success School and get helpful hints at every stage of your campaign. Caveats: RocketHub pushes you to use your existing support network to help fund your campaign. Be prepared to ask your Facebook friends and Twitter followers for donations. All-or-nothing fundraising goals? Keep what you raise. Bonus Sites Since publishing this post, a few crowdfunding sites have reached out to us and asked to be included on this list. After reviewing the sites, here are the details on a few more worthy platforms: StayClassy (For Non-Profits, Charitable Causes, and Social Activists)  Their cut: Varying subscription plans: $99/month with a 4% project fee, or $499/month with a 2% project fee, plus standard transaction fee of 2.2% + $0.30 per donation. Perks: Use the DonateDouble feature to take advantage of corporate donation-matching programs. Caveats: This site is meant for long-term fundraising, not time-sensitive or one-off  projects All-or-nothing?: Keep what you raise. MoolaHoop (For Small Businesses) Their cut: 9% for successful projects, plus 2.6% + .30 per transaction Perks: MoolaHoop is a rewards-based platform, so there are no loans to repay. Caveats: This platform is exclusively for women entrepreneurs. All-or-nothing? Yes. But, you can set different milestones, detailing what you can accomplish at each amount. As long as you reach your first milestone, you're funded. PlumFund (For Gifts and Charitable Causes) Their cut: No platform fees. 2.8% or $0.30 processing fee for online credit/debit card payments. Perks: This "crowd gifting" platform has 10 years of success behind it. Caveats: Built for personal gifts and family support, not businesses. All-or-nothing? No. Thrinacia Reach (For Miscellaneous Projects) Their cut: No platform fees. Credit card processing fees apply through Stripe. Perks: Use the provided snippet of code to display a donation widget on your existing website, making it easy for visitors to contribute. Caveats: You must sign up with Stripe in order to create a campaign and receive funds. All-or-nothing? No. If you're looking for information on a specific platform that you don't see listed here, check out Crowdsourcing.org's Crowdfunding Directory, or search CrowdsUnite.com to read reviews of hundreds of platforms from experienced crowdfunders. Good luck finding the best crowdfunding site for your purposes! And if you're gearing up for your first ever campaign, be sure to read our post on the 10 Essential Elements of a Successful Campaign.

10 Essential Elements of a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign
Leadership 5 min read

10 Essential Elements of a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign

You’ve seen the headlines on wildly successful crowdfunding projects: the Pebble watches, the Reading Rainbows, even potato salad projects that take off and raise support beyond the creators’ wildest dreams. This success may look like a stroke of genius, a million dollar grassroots movement, or pure insane luck. But crowdfunding success doesn’t happen by accident (well, usually). Look past the headlines and quirky success stories, and you’ll see a few common threads strategically woven through successful campaigns. You’ve already got the great idea. Now build your campaign around these 10 essential crowdfunding principles and take your startup project from the drawing board to the launch pad. 1. Preparation. It may seem like projects are thrown up on Kickstarter or Indiegogo on a whim and funded in a snap, but months of planning go into successful campaigns. Pick your platform, examine similar projects to learn from past success and failure, plan out each stage of your campaign, and choose the tools you’ll use to manage the process. 2. Realistic goals. What’s the bare minimum amount of money you need to make your idea a reality? Stick to that number. It might be tempting to inflate your final figure, but don't get greedy; you'll risk setting off warning bells for potential backers. Besides, if people really love your project, you'll raise more than your fundraising goal. In fact, 87% of campaigns that hit their goal also exceed it. 3. Design. Photos and video are eye magnets, and they’re the very first thing each new visitor will see. Make the most of that first impression with an elegant page design, a professional prototype, and a polished video. Welcome backers to your page and get them excited to be part of your project. 4. Incentives. Offer tempting rewards! And make sure the value of each reward matches its contribution level. (In other words, don't make a simple T-shirt a reward for your $50 backers.) Feel free to get creative, but make sure you’re offering real value. And remember to create opportunities at many different levels, from $1 to $500 and beyond. 5. Personal connections. Your main goal is to win over the people who matter most to your brand. (You’re probably not going to convince a vegan to back your gourmet beef jerky, no matter how hard you try or how great your product is.) So don’t try to be all things to all people. Figure out who your core audience is, and focus on making genuine connections with them. Tell your story, interact with your backers, and let your personality shine through. After all, people want to support other people, not faceless companies. 6. Transparency. By nature, crowdfunding backers are interested in the “how” of projects. So indulge that curiosity by pulling back the curtain and giving them a peek at the behind-the-scenes. Show your backers exactly where each dollar goes, share status updates, and invite them to launch parties. 7. Responsiveness. Be willing to listen to feedback from your backers and add new features, tweak the product design, or offer new rewards. Respond to every email, comment, and social media mention. This is your chance to plug into your audience and tailor your products specifically to your core customer base to create the best product possible. So take advantage of the opportunity and engage with each and every piece of feedback. 8. Collaboration. Crowdsourcing and collaboration are two sides of the same coin. You’re tapping the power of collaboration to fund your project, so why not extend that power to the project itself? Collaborate with your internal team to work efficiently, and team up with freelancers for help designing your logo, building your prototype, or writing your press release. And don’t forget to let backers contribute, too: ask them to help spread the word, or poll them on things like product color schemes and fun new stretch goals. You never know whose idea will help take your project to the next level. 9. Organization. Take advantage of project management tools (may we suggest Wrike?) to make sure every idea, every step in the process, and every deadline and milestone along the way is tracked. And it prevents you from losing your mind along the way. 10. Gratitude. Thank your backers constantly. They're supporting your idea with their hard-earned dollars and investing in your success. So make sure they know just what it means to you. Nothing is worse than someone who is ungrateful for those who help them succeed. We’ve seen firsthand the power of collaboration and know exactly how much hard work it takes to make your dreams a reality. Make sure your campaign has these 10 elements, and you’re well on your way! Is there something missing from this list? Feel free to share it in the comments. Read Next: 26 Top Crowdfunding Sites by Niche Image Credits: Photo by: A Horse With No Name Photography. Some rights reserved.

How Wrike Helps a Creative Agency Manage Client Logistics & Create Brilliant Campaigns (Case Study)
News 3 min read

How Wrike Helps a Creative Agency Manage Client Logistics & Create Brilliant Campaigns (Case Study)

We were able to catch up with the team at their office in San Francisco, CA and learn about the highs and lows of running a creative agency. Watch the video below to learn more about their creative journey from rock band to film production, and how Wrike plays a role in their success

Marketing Calendar Software to Streamline Your Campaigns
Project Management 5 min read

Marketing Calendar Software to Streamline Your Campaigns

It’s time to leave marketing spreadsheets in the past. Choose the best marketing calendar for your organization and increase productivity and collaboration.

25 Top Collaboration Tools to Power Your Marketing Team
Marketing 10 min read

25 Top Collaboration Tools to Power Your Marketing Team

Marketing teams are constantly evaluating and adapting—which can make managing campaigns and working together hectic and haphazard. Tight deadlines, tighter budgets, and higher expectations means marketers are always on the hunt for new technologies to help them streamline and scale their efforts. The problem is, there are literally thousands of creative collaboration tools designed to help marketing teams perform better. Scott Brinker’s infamous Marketing Technology Landscape now includes over 5,000 tools, up nearly 40% from last year. So, we’ve compiled a list of 25 top marketing collaboration tools, based on reviews from real users. From ideation to execution, these marketing collaboration tools will help your team work better together. Brainstorming Apps Stormboard A real-time virtual whiteboard where your team can generate new ideas, organize, and prioritize them in one tool. Top feature: Every idea has its own comment thread, where you can riff off and refine ideas as a team. Pricing: Free for up to 5 users. $5/month for Startup and Business plans are also available at $8.33/month. Coggle This collaborative mind mapping app makes it easy for your team to visualize and organize ideas quickly and easily. Top feature: Every change you make to your mind map is automatically saved, so you can go back and make a copy from any point, or revert to a previous version. Pricing: Free for up to 3 diagrams. $5/month for unlimited diagrams and image uploads, $8/user/month for individual workspaces, data management, and branded diagrams. Notism Share, edit, review, and approve both images and video with this online app. Your team can see each others cursors, making it easy to collaborate and ideate with fellow marketers and designers. Top feature: Sketch directly on the work to spin off a new idea, and to make feedback more precise. Notism also features version control, so you can easily compare ideas and decide which to pursue. Pricing: $7.65/month for 5 projects and collaborators and 2 GB of space; $20.40/month for 15 projects and collaborators and 10 GB of space, and $41.65/month for 40 projects and collaborators and 40 GB of space. Brainsparker When your team needs a little help to inspire some imaginative thinking, try Brainsparker. The app contains 200 creativity prompts. Just shake your device to shuffle the deck and see a new thought-provoking word or phrase. Top Feature: Find creativity journals, templates, and training programs in the Brainsparker Gym and Academy for even more inspiration. Pricing: Free app for Android and iOS LucidChart Store and organize ideas with this easy-to-use mind mapping software. Great for matching your content efforts to your marketing funnel, visualizing your SEO strategy, creating video storyboards, or tracking all your email campaign tracks in a single view. Top feature: Dozens of pre-built flowchart templates make it easy for your team to get up and running quickly. Pricing: Starting at $4.95/month for single users and $20/month for teams. Campaign Management Solutions Wrike Wrike’s work management software helps you coordinate work across teams, collaborate on creative assets, and get better visibility into progress and performance. Top feature: Automated, custom Requests bring order to the chaotic work intake process, and ensure your team gets all the details they need up front to get the job done right. Pricing: Wrike for Marketers starts at $34.60/user/month, or start a free trial. ActiveCampaign This digital marketing automation tool lets you build campaign workflows to send targeted campaigns, nurture contacts, and streamline sales and marketing processes. Top feature: The software notifies you of any potential mistakes that could negatively affect your workflow, like forgetting to specify a time delay between two steps. Pricing: $17/month for up to 3 users and basic features, $49/month for up to 25 users and additional features, $99/month for up to 50 users and advanced features, $149/month for unlimited users and all features. Net-Results From lead generation and nurturing to email marketing and social media management, Net-Results makes it easy for your team to create, manage, and collaborate on campaigns, as well as measure results with shareable dashboards and reports. Top feature: Drag-and-drop builders let you quickly create responsive emails, forms, and landing pages. Pricing: Starting at $800/month for 10,000 contacts. Flow A simple teamwork app that lets your team prioritize to-dos, delegate tasks, clarify priorities, and collaborate with both teammates and freelancers. Top feature: The app’s simplicity makes onboarding your team quick and easy. Pricing: Starting at $17/month for a single user, with unlimited tasks, projects, teams, and file storage. Flow Pro pricing available upon request. Communication & Chat Apps *Everyone knows about Slack, Skype, and Google Hangouts, so we'll skip those tools here and feature a few other chat tools worth checking out.  Microsoft Teams A Wrike project added as a tab in Microsoft Teams.When you need to outline a campaign strategy or discuss a new proposal, Microsoft Teams channels help your team not only talk about work, but get work done. Write quick chats, a full wiki of documents, or longer messages, complete with a subject and importance indicator. When it’s time to hold a meeting, create a new chat room to jump on a video call, share your screen, and take down minutes. Top feature: Integrations with Wrike let you create and manage projects within Teams. View tasks, update details and due dates, and view your project schedule. Pricing: Included with Office 365 plans, starting at $5/user/month. Flock Flock lets you chat with your team, connect Google Drive to share files, and host video meetings. Load your shared to-do list in the sidebar, add tasks, and assign teammates for a quick way to reference what needs to be done, who’s responsible, and how it all connects. Top feature: In-chat polling lets you quickly take your team's temperature, or hold a vote on what to do. Pricing: Free for unlimited users at 10k message history. $3/user/month for unlimited messages, history, and integrations. Discord Designed for gamers, Discord offers voice channels: always-on phone calls that let you talk to anyone in your team at the push of a button. Keep your mic muted, then tap a key to start talking and join the discussion. Discord works on both your desktop and mobile device, so you can keep the conversation going from anywhere. Top feature: Quickly add a colleague from another team to your conversation with an Instant Invite link. Pricing: Free, or $4.99/month if you want custom emoji, GIF avatars, and larger file uploads. ChatWork If you frequently work with outside agencies or freelancers, it can be tough to manage all that communication via email. ChatWork makes chatting with people outside your company easy. Create a profile and you can message anyone else with a ChatWork ID, and access all your conversations from the sidebar. Top feature: See mentions across all your teams in one place, including a comprehensive to-do list. Pricing: Free for single users and up to 14 group chats, $4/user/month for unlimited group chats, $5/user/month for user and file management. Ryver Use Posts to organize ideas and conversations. Select messages, add a subject, and include a message with details, instructions, action items, or follow-up. Ryver saves all your Posts to a tab for easy reference. Top feature: Click the Set Reminder button on each chat and longform post to have Ryver send you a notification reminder. Pricing: Free. Unlimited users, teams, guests, search, storage, and integrations. Coming soon: Ryver Task Manager, pricing TBA. Digital Asset Management Systems Canto Flight Tag, search, collaborate and report on all your company’s digital assets. Make it easy for your team to follow established brand guidelines with a clear approval processes, copyrighting, and watermarks features. Top feature: Smart albums automatically assign images, videos, audio files, and presentations by type. Pricing: Contact Canto for plans and pricing details.   MediaValet A central library that helps your marketing and creative teams easily manage, collaborate on and distribute marketing visuals and content, improving productivity and increasing ROI on marketing investments. With unlimited users, support and training, teams worldwide can access the content they need, whenever and wherever they need it.     Top feature: Audio/Video indexing using Microsoft’s best-in-class AI to leverage searchable transcripts, text and object recognition and sentiment analysis for a game-changing search experience for DAM users.     Pricing: Contact MediaValet to request pricing details.   Bynder A central hub for all your creative assets that offers real-time collaborative edits and approvals, auto-formatting for channels and file types, and clear version control. Auto-tagging powered by artificial intelligence identifies thousands of objects within images and automatically generates the appropriate tags. Top feature: Create a shareable, interactive style guide with Bynder’s brand identity guidelines to ensure a consistent customer experience across all channels and communications. Pricing: Contact Bynder to request pricing details.     IntelligenceBank Sick of searching messy shared drives? Categorize all your creative assets by file type, keyword, or metadata. Set permissions to specify which content individuals can access. Top feature: Custom brand guideline pages displayed within the app make it easy to keep guidelines up-to-date, and ensure your team knows exactly which assets to use. Pricing: $9/user/month for 10+ users, or $19/user/month for 10+ users and advanced features like workflow and approvals. AssetBank Upload, preview, and search for assets easily with AssetBank. You can create and share lightboxes both internally and externally, create user groups, and define what users can view, upload, and download. Top feature: Edit assets before you download, including cropping, resizing, reformatting, and masking. Pricing: $430/month for 50+ users and basic features, $700/month for 100-500 users and advanced features, or $1,120/month for unlimited users and all features. Widen A truly collaborative DAM that lets you view an activity feed of user uploads, downloads, shares and comments, plus comment threads, custom statuses, favorites, and ratings. Top feature: The Asset Engagement tool lets you see each asset’s popularity score, and quickly compare with your other creative assets to see what’s working best. Pricing: Start a free trial, or request a demo for detailed pricing information. Marketing Analytics Dashboards SEMrush What keywords are your competitors targeting? What are their ad strategies and budgets? SEMrush can help your team keep an eye on rivals and adjust strategies accordingly, so you come out on top in search engine rankings. Top feature: The keyword difficulty tool helps you pinpoint easy targets for your SEO strategy, or determine whether it’s worth investing time and resources overtaking the #1 spot from a competitor. Pricing: $99.95/month for 5 projects and 500 keywords, $199.95/month for 50 projects and 1,500 keywords, $399.95/month for 200 projects and 5,000 keywords. Cyfe Set up a series of dashboards for social media, web analytics, SEO, and more. View historical data alongside real-time reports, and add custom data sources as widgets. Top feature: Pre-built widgets make it easy to connect Google Analytics, AdWords, Salesforce, and dozens of other data sources. Pricing: Free version available; Premium starts at $14/month. Domo Bring real-time marketing data from your CRM, web analytics, PPC, social media, marketing automation, and financials into a single place. Give your team instant insights into metrics like ROI by channel, revenue and lead attribution, cost per acquisition, customer LTV and more, so everyone has the information they need to make smart decisions. Top feature: Get alerts via email or text message when key metrics need your attention. Pricing: Start a free trial, and contact Domo sales for pricing information on the Professional and Enterprise subscriptions. Moz Pro Get a complete picture of your SEO performance, including keyword rankings and research, competitor rank tracking, mobile rankings, backlinks, page optimization, reporting, and workflows. Top feature: Get actionable insights into website errors, competitive research, and SEO opportunities with the site audit tool, or use the Learn & Connect tab to access advice from industry experts and find SEO resources. Pricing: Starting at $79/month for 2 users and 5 campaigns; $119/month for 10 users and 10 campaigns; $199/month for 25 users and 25 campaigns, and $479/month for unlimited users and 100 campaigns. Kissmetrics Kissmetrics uses audience behavior analysis to help you find ideal customers—and keep your current ones. A blend of analytics and automation, Kissmetrics helps you understand customer behavior and trigger automatic actions to nurture relationships. See where you’re losing prospects, improve retention, and view trends in customer behavior. Top feature: Pre-built behavior reports provide meaningful customer insights, right out of the box. Pricing: Starting at $500/month. Bonus Drumup Drumup is a social media management and content curation tool that helps marketing teams discover trending content and drive customer engagement. Its social employee engagement and advocacy platform lets you broadcast marketing content to your fellow employees, making it easy for them to share to their social networks. Top feature: A built-in gamification module lets you run monthly contests and display leaderboards to keep colleagues sharing your content. Pricing: Start a free trial, or contact the DrumUp team for detailed pricing information. Choose the Right Marketing Collaboration Tools for Your Team Looking for a new marketing collaboration tool? Get advice for selecting software that will help your team work faster, communicate better, and accomplish more with our downloadable evaluation checklist. Sources: SEMrush.com, searchenginejournal.com, oliveandcompany.com, capterra.com, zapier.com

Viral Marketing Strategies from Crazy Successful Campaigns
Marketing 3 min read

Viral Marketing Strategies from Crazy Successful Campaigns

It's the holy grail of online marketing: the campaign that goes viral. Massive numbers of views, a staggering amount of social shares, and the kind of brand awareness money simply can't buy. But crafting a successful viral campaign is no easy feat; in fact, most experts say you can't really plan it with a marketing strategy definition at all — it either happens, or it doesn't, and luck is no small factor.  But that doesn't mean you can't craft your campaigns to increase your odds of viral success. The key is to tap into your audience’s "lizard brain."  “Stories that evoke very primal emotions tend to work best,” says Neetzan Zimmerman. He should know: during his time at Gawker, he generated an insane amount of traffic — more than all of his other colleagues combined. So which emotions do you target? How do you start? By getting to know your audience and understanding what makes them tick, first and foremost! Then, try these three proven viral strategies to help your next campaign spread like wildfire.  1. Make them laugh.  Why it works: Funny marketing videos downplay the hard sell and instead go for "surprise and delight." They make people say, “I have got to see that again!” This cranks up the view count, and makes people want to share a laugh with friends. Positive emotions like joy are much more likely to trigger an action like social sharing. (Check out our recent work humor video, "Beware the Managers from Hell!") 2. Make a bold statement. Why it works: These campaigns go for the gut, tapping into powerful emotions. People connect to your message on a deeper, "Me too!" level and genuinely want to spread the word or share your cause.  3. Make their jaws drop.   Why it works: The awe factor. These are the videos that make people turn to their friends and say, "You gotta see this!" Everyone wants to be the first person to share something cool or amazing with their friends.  Warning! Don’t get so wrapped up in achieving viral status that you stray too far and your campaign ends up having nothing to do with your brand. If people remember your campaign but can’t remember what company or product it’s associated with, your efforts are wasted.  Follow the DroneCo Comic for More Startup Fun! Browse previous episodes of Welcome to DroneCo in the comic archive, and subscribe to the strip to get each new episode. Then follow DroneCo on Twitter to keep up with the gang all week long.   Share the comic on your own site with this embed code: Webcomic brought to you by Wrike

Secrets for Building an Integrated Marketing Campaign Calendar
Marketing 10 min read

Secrets for Building an Integrated Marketing Campaign Calendar

There’s no denying that an integrated campaign is a lot to keep track of. But here’s the good news: an integrated marketing campaign calendar can make your job a whole lot easier. Learn how, here.

Why Marketing Agencies Turn to Wrike for Campaign Planning
Project Management 7 min read

Why Marketing Agencies Turn to Wrike for Campaign Planning

Wondering how to create a marketing campaign plan? Wrike has tons of features that can help you plan, organize, and execute successful marketing campaigns.

Project Management Templates You Need for Your Remote Marketing Teams
Remote Working 7 min read

Project Management Templates You Need for Your Remote Marketing Teams

Whether it’s a project schedule or a marketing campaign strategy template, templates help project managers ensure success when working remotely. Here’s why and how to use them.

The Winning Coca-Cola Formula for a Successful Campaign
Marketing 10 min read

The Winning Coca-Cola Formula for a Successful Campaign

"Share a Coke" was one of the most successful marketing campaigns of all time. Here are some takeaways that can help improve your next campaign.

How to Use Automation to Streamline Marketing Campaigns
Marketing 5 min read

How to Use Automation to Streamline Marketing Campaigns

Automated task management helps teams cut back on small and repetitive work and focus on the bigger picture. Learn more about automated marketing with Wrike.