By Sharon A.M. MacLean

The idea of crowdfunding is irresistible.

Your potential investors want to see your wisdom packaged up and shared. And they want to receive that knowledge from people they know, like, and trust—not through a wall of interlopers who decide what they should like or not like.

Still, crowdfunding requires a marketing plan to take advantage of this new financing model.

 The good news is that companies don’t need to wait for someone else to control their destiny when investing in a crowdfunded proposal. Instead of buying media to get the message across, a business now owns all its media.

The solution is threefold:

1) Build a high-performing database called the Smart List—today’s new currency.
The Smart List can be segmented: the top 10 bloggers who have relevance to your enterprise in addition to reach; personal and professional champions who support your mission; circles of influence with people who can make a strong introduction.

2) Create quality content. Stakeholders invest after discovering they like your ideas–and are influenced by how you present key messages. Creating executive summaries, white papers, videos, blogs or podcasts is worth your time.

3) Publish across channels. Distribution has transformed and the rules have changed—massively. Publishing builds credibility, authority, and attracts fresh opportunity. Once a company has a clear framework of expressing thought leadership, investment follows.

Well-designed marketing informs everything said, written, posted, and produced by a passionate applicant. Crowdfunding levels the field.