Crowdfunding Campaign Planning

Six weeks ago, I went underground. Not off the grid. Just deep into the private Discord servers where sneakerheads spot fakes before they hit the market. The Slack channels where CMOs trade budget hacks they’d never tweet. The WhatsApp threads where collectors swap intel like it’s insider trading. I was lurking. Reverse-engineering how trust gets built in dark social. It seems like increasingly, we're seeing public feeds are for performance. And private chats are for proof. Back in 2010, Bitly found 69% of social shares happened in DMs and emails. Today, it’s closer to 90%. These spaces aren't controlled by algorithms, they're ruled by humans. Want in? Here’s how AI can help you: 1. Find the watering holes without wasting 100 hours: Tools like SparkToro reveal where your audience actually talks and track how those spaces shift over time. 2. Decode the language in minutes, not months: Drop top conversations into Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini and ask: “What slang, inside jokes, or recurring complaints stand out here?” A skincare brand did this and found its audience was skeptical of clinical claims—so they pivoted to raw, unfiltered before-and-afters. 3. Pre-test content before you post: Use Perplexity to analyze which links get shared most in those communities. Run your hooks through ChatGPT and ask: “Would this grab attention in a thread full of X jargon?” Last month, a supplement brand nailed this. They scanned 500-plus Reddit, Inc. threads on workout fatigue, discovered that everyone hated the term biohacking, and switched their messaging to old-school muscle science. Engagement tripled. Your move this week: 1) Pick one niche community, whether it’s Discord, Slack, or a tight-knit Substack. 2) Use AI to extract three insider phrases and identify one unaddressed gripe. 3) Draft content that speaks their language, not yours. High impact means going beyond being data-driven to being community-fluent. And fluency starts with listening smarter. AI can help. #hicm #DarkSocial #SocialListening #AI

Noise Vs. Signal in Performance Marketing. There is plenty of noise and only a few signals in performance marketing today. Sudden deviation in the key metrics often doesn't warrant any action. However, if this deviation persists or happens repeatedly, we need to understand why it is happening and take the right action. Few examples (with repeated occurrence) on this. 1) For one of the brands I am working with, we saw a particular search campaign repeated at various times of the month. - Spends goes up by 2-3x - CPC goes up by 5-6X - CAC goes by up 4-5X This repeatedly happened before my team took over the account, and we saw it happen for two months after we took over. There was no change in competition, no sudden increase in demand(search volume), yet it was happening. Regular actions (like bid and budget adjustment) were taken to arrest the cost spike. With them, the campaign will start performing normally for a few days, and this issue will repeat again in a few days. When we analyzed this issue for previous months, we saw that the campaign continuously underspent its daily budget. So, we figured out that the deficit budget is used randomly for a few days in a month, regardless of whether an opportunity exists. This happens when the campaign is bidding in CPA or TROAS. Engine tries to spend the extra budget to get an extra outcome even when there is none. This was a B2B client. Hence, we moved the campaign to manual CPC, solving the problem. We can also solve this by having a rule to reduce the budget based on the average spending for the last 3 days to minimize the budget-spend deficit. 2) Day of the week variation Almost all the categories I worked with have some week-of-the-day variation. If you happen to see any search impression trend (on the search console) of any big brand, you will see this trend. The impression always drops on some days of a week. When the user intent volume varies by day of the week, so does the purchase volume. In this case, leaving this day-of-the-week noise from the campaign optimization process is always important. Even better is to optimize the campaign only based on the weekly data. I always say, - Look at the data daily - Optimize campaign weekly - Strategize the campaign monthly However, there is always an exception here. Optimization event issue. Repeatedly, I have found that the performance marketing team finds the issue with the optimization event pretty late. This is because whenever something happens, they tend to check internally in the campaign instead of checking whether the events are flowing correctly. Once, it took the team more than two weeks to figure out the event issue after many irresponsive changes in the campaign settings. So, to summarise, when you see a big deviation in the campaign metrics, check the optimization event. If there is no issue, wait a couple of days before taking action.

I Run a 6-Figure Personal Branding Agency, And I’m about to hand you my Pitching Playbook for FREE! Why? Because my inbox can’t handle another one of these: “Hey Aaina, I think we could do something cool together?” “Loved your last post! Let’s collab!” “Hey! Big fan. Check out our SaaS tool?” I see it. I sigh. I delete. Let’s save us both the pain. Because great pitches aren't written, They're architected. Let me show you how: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 5 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 (𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬): 1. Research First But not just any research…do real research. Here’s what real research looks like: ✓ Read their last 3–5 posts and actually absorb them ✓ Look for patterns in what they care about (topics, tone, goals) ✓ Catch details most people miss (product launches, pain points, team changes) ✓ Reference something specific—a line they wrote or even a strong opinion they shared. Why? Because vague = ignored. And personal = powerful. 2. Value Before Ask ( Always) Don’t just drop your Calendly. Instead: ✓ Share a relevant insight ✓ Ask a smart, curiosity-piquing question ✓ Offer something they can use right now For eg: “Your last post did well. But if you had shaped it into a carousel, it could’ve driven much better engagement and sparked richer discussions". Give them value first—no strings. Then earn the right to ask for time. 3. Proof & Context: ✓ Reference clear results ✓ Show relevant credibility ✓ Build authentic trust For example, if you’ve helped improved the online presence of a similar client, reference those results. Use percentages, figures, or specific achievements like: “I helped Brand X increase their LinkedIn engagement by 40% in just two months by implementing a tailored content strategy.” This provides hard evidence that you know what you’re doing. 4. Easy Response: Remember, they're busy... ✓ One-word reply ✓ Clear next step ✓ Zero pressure Make it easier to say yes than to ignore. For example, rather than saying, "Let me know if you’d be available to chat next week," you could say, "Would you be open to a quick 15-minute chat about how we can improve your LinkedIn presence?" The recipient can respond with a simple “Yes” or “No” rather than feeling obligated to write a more elaborate answer. And the Golden rule… 5. Make It About Them! Because it's never about you. It's about their growth. There you have it: Our 6-figure pitch formula. Yours, for FREE. Because great ideas deserve great pitches. And my inbox? It deserves better messages. ~ Start here. ~ Watch doors open. ~ You can thank me later:) PS: Now, as I’m wrapping this up, I realize (shamelessly) that I forgot to talk about the subject line—the most important part! Want me to dive into that next? Drop ‘TGC’ in the comments, and I’ve got you covered. ♻️ Repost to help someone 🔔Follow Aaina for more such content. #strategy #personalbranding #research #learning #business #growth

Campaign goal setting is the foundation of any successful marketing initiative. If the goal is misaligned or poorly defined, no matter how well-executed the tactics are, they will likely fall short. A campaign goal acts as the North Star for the entire team—guiding strategy, creative decisions and the way performance is measured. At the heart of a strong campaign goal is the intersection of two crucial truths: brand truth and consumer truth. 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 refers to the authentic essence of your brand—the values, mission and unique attributes that set it apart. It’s what your brand stands for and how it’s perceived in the market. If this truth is unclear or inauthentic, consumers will notice and the connection won’t be strong. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 is about understanding the motivations, needs and desires of your target audience. It’s the deep emotional or rational triggers that influence their decision-making process. If a campaign doesn’t resonate with these insights, it risks being irrelevant or, worse, disconnected. When both truths align, the campaign message feels authentic and powerful, leading to greater engagement and stronger results. This is why goal setting isn’t just about choosing an objective, but about crafting one that reflects both who you are as a brand and what your audience truly cares about. I spend most of my weekends teaching students the fundamentals of marketing with a specific focus on digital, since that's my forte. This one's from my interaction with students at IIDE - The Digital School. #Marketing #DigitalMarketing #Campaigns

Here’s the truth:   A dream without a plan is just a wish.  Big achievements don’t happen by accident—they happen because you set the right goals, and you commit to them.  But not all goals are created equal.   Without clarity, purpose, and a plan, goals can feel overwhelming.  That’s where the right frameworks can transform your process.  --- Here are 6 frameworks to help you achieve any goal you set:  1️⃣ S.M.A.R.T. Goals   Make your goals:   - Specific   - Measurable   - Achievable   - Relevant   - Time-Bound  ➡ Example: “I want to increase sales by 20% in Q1 through better lead conversion strategies.”   Why it works: You know exactly what success looks like and when to celebrate it.  --- 2️⃣ The Golden Circle (Start With Why)   Simon Sinek’s framework is simple but profound:   - Why: What’s the deeper purpose behind your goal?   - How: What steps will make it happen?   - What: What action will you take today?  ➡ Example: “Why do you want to grow your team? To create opportunities for others to lead.”  --- 3️⃣ The Goals Pyramid   Break down goals into manageable levels:   - Ultimate Goal (The big picture)   - Strategy (How you’ll get there)   - Execution (Daily and weekly tasks)   - Resources (Tools and support)  ➡ Example: “Goal: Launch a new product. Strategy: Build a 3-month timeline. Execution: Weekly milestones. Resources: Team and tools.”  --- 4️⃣ BHAG (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals)   These goals push you to dream bigger than ever:   - Competitive BHAGs: Outperform your rivals.   - Transformative BHAGs: Inspire significant change.   - Internal BHAGs: Challenge your team to grow together.  ➡ Example: “Double our market share in 3 years by becoming the industry’s sustainability leader.”  --- 5️⃣ H.A.R.D. Goals   Set goals that are:   - Heartfelt: What inspires you?   - Animated: Visualize success clearly.   - Required: Make them non-negotiable.   - Difficult: Stretch your limits.  ➡ Example: “Launch a program that impacts 10,000 lives this year.”  --- 6️⃣ W.O.O.P. (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan)   - Wish: Define a meaningful goal.   - Outcome: Visualize the best result.   - Obstacle: Identify the barriers in your way.   - Plan: Map out your next steps.  ➡ Example: “Wish: Start a new career. Obstacle: Balancing work and learning. Plan: Dedicate evenings to online courses.”  --- 💡 What I’ve Learned:   Goals are your compass. They give you direction, focus, and the power to measure progress.  But frameworks like these are the bridge between setting goals and actually achieving them.  --- The Takeaway:   Dream big—but plan smarter.   Your goals don’t have to feel overwhelming when you break them down into clear, achievable steps.  💬 Which framework resonates with you most?   Let’s share ideas in the comments! 👇  ♻️ Found this helpful? Share it with someone who’s working on their next big goal.   ➡️ Follow for more strategies on leadership, growth, and goal-setting.  

It’s been exactly 3 months since we launched our first ever ABM campaign, and the results are in: over $650,000 in pipeline in 90 days, with a nice $12 in pipeline per $ spend. If you‘re considering getting into ABM next year - I have a few learnings to share: 1) It’s brutal. There are no playbooks. Most ABM resources are very high level (‘strategic’) - there’s a painful lack of tactical resources on how to set the campaigns up, from whom to target and which channels to choose, how to set up the campaigns stages and account scoring, how to pick the right goals and metrics (so you can evaluate how the campaigns are doing and if you are on the right track), set the right budgets, and how to monitor the results. There are to benchmarks to measure against (ad CTR/CPM benchmarks are a vague leading metrics, and are so industry-specific you’ll be comparing apples to oranges.) We had to come up with nearly everything ourselves. One thing that helped us at the beginning was Kyle Poyar’s article “Your guide to GTM metrics 2.0” featuring “ABX benchmarks” (link in the comments). We used them (and tweaked) to set up our stages, benchmarks of how many accounts we’re expecting to move from one stage to another, and then - by combining that with our historical qualification rates, close rates and expected ACV - we got our revenue goals per 1000 accounts. Then working out was from the top-down revenue goals - that gave us an idea how many accounts we need to target. And then - based on the CPMs for the target personas in those accounts - we are able to come up with a budget. That’s theory, of course - and we’re already seeing how ‘real data’ diverges from the benchmarks, esp. for some stages/conversion points. We may need to adjust our forecasts based on real data to make them more realistic. But you need start somewhere. 2) Don’t start if you don’t have extremely strong MarketingOps (ideally - a dedicated MOps person). So far we’ve spent 80% on the campaign ops, and 20% on the creatives. SADLY. Even with ABM tools - there’s a ton of setup you need to do. 3) You need some tech stack to score your accounts, but you don’t need these expensive “ABM tools”. After evaluating tons of ABM tools (with platform fees of $30k - $160k per annum 🤯) we realised we don’t want to use display as our main channel for reaching target accounts. We used only ZenABM (from $59 - for de-anonymizing LinkedIn ad engagements, getting intent based on those engagments, account scoring --> and pushing it all to the CRM + providing revenue attribution) + Hubspot Marketing (~$1700 in our case - for audience building and management). TBC - I hit the character limit 😉

    🔍 The Real Trust Killer: It’s Not Poor Performance, It’s Poor Communication As someone deeply involved in the startup ecosystem, I’ve seen firsthand that the primary reason funds and startup founders lose the trust of their stakeholders isn’t due to poor performance—it’s due to poor communication.   When you raise funds, you are essentially borrowing money with the promise of making it work. It’s a partnership, not a transaction. Here are some key points to keep in mind to maintain trust and transparency:   🔹 Regular Updates: Keep your investors and stakeholders in the loop with consistent and honest updates. Whether the news is good or bad, they deserve to know the state of the business.   🔹 Transparency: Be open about challenges and setbacks. No startup journey is without its bumps, and your backers will appreciate your honesty.   🔹 Respect the Partnership: Remember, the funds you raised are not yours to use as you please. Treat them with the respect and responsibility they deserve.   🔹 Engage in Dialogue: Foster an open line of communication where stakeholders feel heard and valued. Their insights and feedback can be invaluable.   🔹 Accountability: Own up to mistakes and outline your plan to address them. Demonstrating accountability builds credibility and trust.   After all, the foundation of any successful venture is built on trust and mutual respect.   #StartupSuccess #TrustBuilding #EffectiveCommunication #InvestorRelations #Entrepreneurship

🔥 I burned ₹10 lakhs testing campaign structures on Meta Ads—here’s what I learned (and what actually works). Over the past 3 months, I’ve tested multiple campaign structures on Meta Ads. Call it “testing” or “wasting” – but it taught me one game-changing lesson. Here’s What I Tested: 1️⃣ Broad Campaign with Advantage+ Audience Enabled ▪️ Ad sets by creative theme. ▪️Concerned that spend might favor engaged audiences (e.g., website visitors), I moved to the test#2. 2️⃣ Broad Campaign with Original Audience (No Advantage+) ▪️ Ad sets by creative theme. ▪️ Outcome: Spend distribution across engaged audiences was the same as in Point 1. ▪️Hence, no delta benefit. 3️⃣ Advantage+ Shopping Campaign (ASC) + Broad Campaign ▪️ Idea: Identify winners in the broad campaign and scale them in ASC. ▪️ Reality: Marginally better performance with ASC but lower scalability due to a lack of creative freshness in ASC at scale. 4️⃣ Broad Campaign (Interests + Lookalikes) ▪️Hypothesis: Interests and LAL might perform better. ▪️Outcome: No significant performance improvement, even at scale. 5️⃣ Broad Campaign (Excluding Website Visitors) + Dedicated Website Visitors Campaign ▪️Hypothesis: This structure would improve efficiency. ▪️Outcome: Performance tanked. Meta’s machine learning thrives on frequency for conversions. The result? Nothing. No significant difference. Here’s what actually matters: ✅ Your creatives. Instead of overcomplicating campaign structures: ✅ Keep it simple. ✅ Focus 80% of your energy on testing creatives (hooks, angles, messaging). ✅ Use ASC only for catalogs or specific setups. ✅ Launch creatives by theme in a single broad campaign with ad sets aligned. ✅ Avoid remarketing campaigns unless you have a specific offer/messaging to hammer home. Summary: Stop chasing the perfect campaign structure. Start obsessing over creative quality. Note: - This learning applies to direct purchase campaigns on the web. - I’ll share separate insights for app campaigns in another post. What’s your take on this? 👇 #performancemarketing #metaads #fbads #campaignstructure

A study done on 168 startups found something super interesting. Crowdfunding campaigns that use keywords like “by accident,” “unexpectedly,” “serendipity,” “stumbled upon,” and “unintended” in their stories are more likely to be perceived as innovative and memorable. Then, because they were perceived as more innovative.. They got more funding. The study found that originality and the “aha moment” narrative, when positioned as a fortunate discovery - boosted both excitement and word-of-mouth sharing among backers ⚡ 2 out of the 36 Fundraising Playbooks I built draw on that (The Pitching Playbook + The Storytelling Playbook) Use these keywords intentionally in your pitch, campaign copy, and investor outreach emails, but, strategically: 1️⃣ I'd start with the lucky "aha moment" narrative (1st cold email) 2️⃣ Then outline traction, metrics, achievements - show, not tell, to build conviction (1st Follow Up) 3️⃣ Then, dial up Urgency, FOMO, introduce Social proof/ namedrop (2nd & 3rd Follow Up) #fundraisingplaybooks #capitalraising #vcfunding #startups (Study: "The Aha Moment! The Effects of Serendipity and Innovation on Crowdfunding Performance", 2025)

When I talk about brands that understand the power of community… 🤌🏽 Topicals showed us a masterstroke of community engagement and taught us this lesson via Detty December in Ghana. In a world where every brand is vying for attention, the smartest ones understand that power lies not just in the message, but in the moment – a cultural moment. This is a story about capturing that essence and the remarkable power of community. December, a visionary move took the social media world by storm. A strategic influencer trip to Ghana, during the vibrant 'Detty December', showcased exactly how to tap into cultural moments with authenticity and impact. The trip wasn't just a celebration; it was a masterclass in community engagement. Twelve BIPOC influencers, including Victor Kunda, Broderick Hunter, and 'Love Island' 2022 favourites Dami Hope and Indiyah Polack, were immersed in the heart of Accra, sharing their experiences real-time on TikTok and Instagram. This wasn't an ordinary campaign; it was a MOMENT. Behind this initiative was Olamide Olowe, whose remarkable achievement as the youngest Black woman to raise $10 million in funding in 2022 speaks volumes of her leadership and the brand's trajectory. Olowe's strategy? Forthright selection of influencers that resonate with the brand's core, transparent communication, and an active engagement with the community. This ensures that the marketing messages are not just heard but felt, creating a ripple effect of authenticity and trust. What this brand teaches us is the importance of aligning with those who reflect your values and speak directly to the heart of your community. It’s about crafting moments that go beyond the boardroom strategies and connect on a human level, making every message a genuine extension of the brand. As we kick off this new year, let's take a page from this playbook brands - find ways to put these three things at the core of your campaigns; #inclusion, delivering stories that are genuine, and put #community central to your thinking… and if that all sounds hard, work with an agency that knows how to do it for you… cough cough… When we tap into the culture with authenticity, we don't just create campaigns; we create movements. This is a brand to watch, and a narrative to learn from. The question for all of us in branding and marketing is: How will we create our community's 'Detty December' moment? #storytelling #pr