If you're drowning in student loan debt, then you might want to get creative. One option is to consider crowdfunding, where you raise money online from a large number of people.

It's easy to do and doesn't require much of an investment to start. Moreover, the people who donate generally don't expect anything in return, so you don't have to worry about becoming indebted to anyone else.

As an added bonus, if your campaign is successful in the end, then you could also show the results to potential employers as proof of your business acumen and marketing skills.

While you can't just launch a crowdfunding campaign and expect it to immediately go viral, here are steps you can take to ensure that it is successful:

Set a goal.

Pick a platform.

Create and launch your campaign.

Promote your campaign.

Thank your donors.

Set a goal. First, you'll want to set what's known as a SMART goal for your campaign, meaning one that is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely.

If you have $100,000 in student loan debt, it might be tempting to set a goal to pay it all off within just one month. But remember that raising $100,000 will be much more difficult and probably time-consuming than raising $10,000. So make sure that the goal you set for yourself is realistic. Otherwise, you might get frustrated or be tempted to throw in the towel halfway through.

Pick a platform. There are a number of crowdfunding platforms out there to choose from, some of which are better suited for financing education than others.

Probably one of the most popular crowdfunding platforms out there, GoFundMe has raised $70 million a year for more than 100,000 education campaigns, according to its website . Others to consider include FundRazr and GoGetFunding.

Explore the different platforms and find out which one would best help you meet your goals. Each platform offers different incentives and charges different fees, so be sure that you do your research beforehand.

Create and launch your campaign. Once you've set a goal and chosen a platform, it's time to create your campaign. Try to think of a catchy, attention-grabbing name for your campaign. After all, the goal is to get as many people to contribute as possible – not just your friends and family.

Create a video so that people know you're a real person. Share a bit of your personality. Reveal your hopes and dreams for the future, and tell people how paying off your student loan debt would help you achieve them. For example, maybe it would give you more time to give back to your community or focus on what you're truly passionate about.

On that note, think of an incentive that would encourage people to donate. Getting family and friends to contribute is one thing – but why should strangers want to help you? For example, you could offer to volunteer once a week or donate part of your monthly salary to charity once you pay off your student loan debt.

You also might want to consider putting a time limit on your campaign. Doing so can create a sense of urgency that will make people more likely to donate.

Promote your campaign. Once your campaign is up and running, it's time to promote it. Start by sharing it on social media, and ask your friends and family to share it with their network as well.

Make sure that, when sharing your fundraiser, you tell people why you need those donations and when you need the money by. Share a new post about your fundraiser once a week or so, but make the posts unique each time. For example, you could tie in the latest news about the student loan debt crisis and what certain politicians or companies are planning to do about it.

You could encourage people to spread the word by creating a contest, whereby everyone who shares the campaign on social media will be automatically eligible for a free prize. At the end of one week, a winner will be chosen at random. As for the prize, get creative! If you love to cook, your reward could be a home-cooked meal. If you have painting skills, you could create a painting for the winner.

Every time a GoFundMe fundraiser is shared on Facebook, it raises an average of $43 , according to the company's website. So don't underestimate the power of social sharing.

Thank your donors. Last but not least, don't forget to thank your donors. Whether they contributed $1 or $100, be sure to write each contributor a personalized note thanking him or her for the donation and explaining how much it meant to you.