One of the powerful things about crowdfund investing is that it enables you to turn your investors into your most passionate consumers. Have you ever made an investment in a public company that sells a product or service that you love? Sometimes the product or service may be the primary reason for the investment. Do you believe in Apple? Coca-Cola? Disney?
If you live in a town with five car washes and you’re invested in one of them, which car wash are you going to use every time your car gets dirty? The one you invested in, of course!
You’re proud of your investment in your community, and you want to see how the store looks and check out how busy it is. You want to see if the manager is on duty, if the owner is onsite, and if the technicians do a great job on your car.
Then, when you go to a business meeting and are talking with colleagues, you might mention, “Jimmy’s Car Wash is running a special today. You should check it out.”
This scenario may sound a bit silly, but just think about all the things you’ve purchased or done because someone you knew recommended them. If you’re an investor, you’ll do what you can to support that company and drive business to it whenever possible. How great would it be to have hundreds of salespeople (investors) in your community talking about your service or product every week?
You can do exactly that, but you need to make it easy for your investors to tout your business. Come up with a list of three to five things you want each of your investors to know about the business. Write them in bullet points, and send them to every investor. Ask your crowd to share this information with their networks.
For the local car wash example, here are some ideas:
Every Tuesday, Jimmy’s Car Wash gives a 20 percent discount.
Jimmy’s Car Wash gives 5 percent of its profits to the local Boy Scout chapter.
A lot of the soaps that car washes use are bad for the environment. Jimmy’s Car Wash uses only environmentally friendly soaps.
Getting your investors to be passionate customers and brand evangelists can be as easy as keeping them updated about your business. Everyone likes to know something that other people don’t know.
Keep your investors up-to-date about your business, and chances are, they’ll enjoy sharing their “insider” information with all their friends. Doing so makes them look like they’re in the know and, of course, helps ensure that their investment will pay off.