Promoting a crowdfunding campaign on Google means tapping people's interest at the exact moment they are looking for information or solutions. 

It is important to remember that most people who invest in a crowdfunding campaign are not people who have generically searched for investment opportunities online, but rather people who have searched for information related to the specific company they are going to invest in or the solution to a problem that that company proposes: they are customers or potential customers. 

Using Google to promote a crowdfunding campaign, therefore, means publicizing the company itself, beyond the campaign itself, and it is not just about "advertising," but about activating a strategic engine that, if used well, can bring qualified traffic, expressions of interest and conversions. In this article we want to offer just the first smattering of How to use Google effectively for online capital raising.

When does it make sense to invest in Google Ads for crowdfunding?

In planning to include Google in the activities of paid advertising for crowdfunding, first of all, it is necessary to distinguish between the various stages of the campaign:

• Precrowd: The ideal stage for Google Ads. The goal is to collect expressions of interest from a target audience through forms and landing pages.

• Live campaign: at this stage Google can be useful for the remarketing and to keep attention high, but it is less effective if you have not built a warm audience first.

Not all crowdfunding campaigns then are suitable for promotion through Google. As for the type of project, this tool is particularly suitable for:

• Innovative products and practical solutions (especially in reward crowdfunding), which solve a need sought by users.

• Startups and SMEs operating in already well-known and competitive sectors, for which there is active demand on Google (energy, food, tech, health, innovative services).

• B2B campaigns in equity crowdfunding, when the target audience is investors with specific interests that can be intercepted through targeted keywords.

In general, Google promotion is effective When the project responds to conscious demand: if someone is looking for that kind of product, service or opportunity, Google will bring it up.

Avoid investing in Google Ads if:

• Your product or project is too niche or too innovative and does not have keyword searches (better to start with other channels, such as Instagram, Facebook o LinkedIn ).
  
• Your budget is very limited and you cannot support testing.
  
• You don't yet have a well-structured landing page or defined funnel.

Types of crowdfunding and promotion strategy

The different motivations that drive investors-participation in venture capital for equity or fixed return and return of capital for lending-impose radically different approaches in terms of messaging, targeting and selection of campaign types on Google Ads. 

For equity crowdfunding, communication will need to emphasize the long-term vision, exponential growth potential, and direct participation in the success of the venture. For lending, the focus will shift to yield stability, defined loan term, and risk management. This is also true for reward crowdfunding, for which the product is the focus. For all three types, however, special attention must be paid to the reward offered through crowdfunding.

As a result, keywords, ad texts, and even targeting channels within Google Ads will need to be finely tuned to the different psychologies and expectations of investors. Below, however, we provide a general overview of the Tools offered by Google to promote a crowdfunding campaign.

The advantages

The importance of Google as a promotion tool stems from its ability to:

• Reaching customers at the right time: Google Ads search network campaigns allow companies to appear when users are actively searching for specific products or services, tapping into an existing demand.
• Building brand awareness: Display campaigns, with visually appealing ads, and Video campaigns, with engaging content, are effective for increasing brand awareness and reaching a wider audience.
• Maximizing conversions: Advanced tools such as Performance Max, powered by Google's artificial intelligence, help identify and reach the users most likely to convert across all channels in the Google ecosystem.

Google Ads, therefore, is not simply a crowdfunding marketing channel, but it acts as a catalyst that amplifies the inherent benefits of crowdfunding same. Its ability to generate targeted traffic and conversions makes it a tool for market validation, building a base of supporters and generating organic advertising. This creates a virtuous circle of gaining both customers and investors and increasing brand visibility. 

Google's main tools for promoting crowdfunding

Google Ads offers a suite of tools and campaign types designed to achieve specific marketing objectives that can be effectively leveraged for crowdfunding campaigns. The choice of the most appropriate campaign type depends on the type of capital raising and the stage of the potential investor's journey to be tapped.

1. Google Search Ads

It is the prince's tool: it allows Show text ads to users searching for specific keywords. Campaigns on the search network are primarily aimed at tapping into informed demand, that is, users who are actively seeking information, products, or services related to crowdfunding or, rather, to the product or service proposed by the company. In fact, as we know, interest in crowdfunding usually comes after interest in the company itself in the investor journey. 

• How to use it: create campaigns on keywords related to your product, service or industry.
  
• Council: Do not use overly generic keywords ("startups," "investments," "clean energy," "artificial intelligence") because they are expensive and scattershot. Aim for long-tail keywords and informational queries.
  
• Target: high-intention users, thus good for qualified lead generation.

To maximize the effectiveness of Search Ads, as we have just mentioned, a careful keyword strategy is essential:

• Google Ads keyword planning tool to identify relevant terms, analyze search volumes, and obtain bid estimates useful in setting budgets. Selecting relevant keywords for promoting a crowdfunding campaign involves a delicate balancing act between search volume and search intention and between product/service interest and crowdfunding interest. An effective strategy must capture both explicit and latent demand by using an intelligent combination of match types and negative keywords.
• Choice of keyword matching type, crucial for controlling which searches trigger ads:

Generic correspondence (Broad match): Allows you to reach a wide variety of related searches, including synonyms and variants.

Sentence correspondence (Phrase match): Includes the meaning of the keyword, offering greater relevance than generic matching.

Exact match (Exact match): Provides maximum precision, showing ads only for searches with the same meaning or intent, but lower traffic volume.

• Negative keywords: They are essential to exclude irrelevant even seemingly related searches and prevent wasted budget. Strategic use of negative keywords is essential to filter out irrelevant traffic.
• Creating effective text ads: Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) allow multiple variations of titles and descriptions to be provided. Google's AI combines these assets to show the best performing ad. It is critical to include key elements such as the brand, distinctive project features, investor benefits, juiciest rewards, and clear and compelling call-to-actions. All in an extremely concise format.

The challenge is to turn the complexity of an investment opportunity into an immediate and persuasive message. A well-formulated ad not only attracts clicks but also pre-qualifies users, reducing irrelevant traffic on the landing page.

2. Google Display Network

It allows you to show graphic ads on Google partner sites (blogs, newspapers, portals) or on YouTube. They are particularly useful for intercepting latent demand, i.e., an audience that is not actively seeking but may be interested in the company and the crowdfunding project.

• When to use it: to create awareness and do retargeting.
  
• Target: cold audiences, thus useful in the early stages or as support, and audiences already met but lost, to be brought back into the funnel.
  
• Council: focuses on eye-catching creativity and a clear message with a call to action.

The broad reach of Display ads must be balanced with a precise targeting to avoid wasting budget and reach qualified users rather than just curious people. 

The following can also be used for this tool Responsive Display Ads (RDA), which allow you to upload multiple variations of images, logos, titles and descriptions for Google's AI to automatically combine them to create ads optimized for different placements. Warning: the combinations and their performance should always be verified by a human, however!

3. YouTube Ads

YouTube Video campaigns aim to emotionally engage audiences, build trust and increase the brand awareness, reaching potential investors as they watch or search for related videos on the platform. They are ideal if you have a well-crafted pitch video, a valuable asset for a crowdfunding campaign.

• When to use it: at the precrowd stage to spread the overall message, do storytelling, and gather traffic.
• Target: it is possible to target users who have recently made searches related to the purchase of the product/service on Google or who have interacted with YouTube channels of competitors.
  
• Council: short video, clear message in the first 5 seconds, direct link to landing page.
  

4. Google Performance Max

An automated format that leverages the entire Google ecosystem (Search, Display, Gmail, Discover, Maps, YouTube) to Optimize performance across all channels based on objectives. This type of campaign uses Google AI for optimization of bids, budget, audience segments and creative, operating in real time. It requires the provision of creative assets (text, images, video) and target audiences.

• When to use it: if you have a minimum database of conversions and want to automate.
  
• Target: useful for integrated campaigns, but less controllable.

How to structure a Google Ads campaign for crowdfunding

1. Set clear goals for each stage: e.g., in precrowd the focus is on collecting contacts and expressions of interest through forms; in the live phase on converting contacts into investors.
2. Define the budget for each stage.
   
3. Build a dedicated landing page: must explain the project, the benefits, and contain a clearly visible form (e.g., Typeform, embedded via Make).
   
4. Choose targeted keywords: use Google Keyword Planner to find specific queries related to your industry.
   
5. Segment the audience: for example, activate ads only on certain age groups, interests, or geographic areas.
   
6. Set up separate campaigns for Search, Display and YouTube: each has different goals and strategies.
7. Tax bidding strategies distinct and targeted for specific goals: Conversions, Clicks, Quota impressions, etc.
8. Create ads that are clear and consistent with the landing page: use copy to anticipate the reward, potential return on investment, or uniqueness of the project.

The quality and relevance of the content to which Google advertising refers (particularly the landing page) and the consistency between ads and the landing page are not just a matter of aesthetics or superficial engagement, but a crucial factor that directly influences the Quality Score (Quality Score) of Google Ads. A high Quality Score results in lower cost per click (CPC) and better ad positions, thus maximizing the efficiency of the advertising budget and the visibility of the crowdfunding campaign.

Targeting audiences on Google

To get results with Google's promotion tools, it is first necessary to define your target audience and segment it precisely-a crucial preliminary step for any communication for crowdfunding. Skipping this step results in overly generic adv campaigns that attract unqualified traffic and, as a result, generate low or negative return on investment (ROI). Preplanning, therefore, forms the basis for profitable advertising investment.

Here are the segmentation methods offered by Google.

• Demographic segments: age, gender, marital status, income.
• In-market segments: people who are actively researching and are close to purchasing specific products or services (from the company or competitors or related).
• Affinity Segments: people with stable interests, hobbies and habits over time.
• Life Events: individuals who are going through significant life transitions (marriage, work, home, etc.).
• Customized segments: tailored audience to be created by entering specific search keywords, URLs of websites visited (e.g., those of competitors) or names of apps used by the ideal audience.

KPIs to be monitored

To evaluate the effectiveness of the Google campaign, here are the main indicators to keep track of:

• CTR (Click Through Rate): ratio of ad views to clicks, indicating the attractiveness of the ad to the target audience. 
• CPC (Cost Per Click): indicates how much you pay per click.
  
• Conversion rate: How many visits generate leads or investment. It indicates the effectiveness of the ad and landing page from the point of view of clarity and persuasion.
  
• CPA (Cost Per Acquisition): How much does it cost you to get a useful contact.
  
• ROAS (Return on Advertising Spend): at the collection stage, assesses the return on advertising investment based on the capital raised.
• Quality Score: score from 1 to 10 reflecting the relevance and quality and consistency of keywords with ads and landing pages.

Practical advice

• Activate remarketing now: remarketing involves showing personalized ads to people who have already interacted with your business, for example by visiting your website or interacting with your YouTube channel. Particularly important in crowdfunding investor research, in which the user is unlikely to become an investor the first time and must be "nurtured" by repeated and persistent communication that keeps the campaign at the top of their thoughts.
  
• Use extensions in Search ads: callouts, phone number, links, offers, etc.
  
• Synchronize with CRM: integrates Google Ads with tools such as Mautic to automate follow-ups and lead nurturing.
  
• Monitor every day: even small variations in text or keywords can drastically change the results.
  
• Experiment, but methodically: A/B testing of text, visual elements, landing pages and audience segments, isolating one variable at a time. The success of a promotion campaign depends on proactive management and continuous optimization, based on data analysis and the ability to adapt.

Finally, it should be kept in mind that Direct promotion of an equity or lending crowdfunding campaign on Google is subject to specific policies akin to those for advertising financial products. For example, it is necessary to obtain Google verification certification, providing documentation on the type of offer, include all mandatory disclaimers in the ads, and avoid promoting the investment with misleading expressions and talking about certain returns.