What Kickstarter Is and Is Not
Kickstarter is a fantastic platform to raise money for worthwhile projects. It is a way to take a well-planned-out dream and turn it into reality. Kickstarter funding, like a bank loan only without the strings attached, is a type of funding for projects that have every detail of the plan in place and a responsible, capable person (or people) in charge. There are other platforms available for funding someone’s life or raising money for past due child support or other needs, but that is not Kickstarter. Kickstarter is fantastic launching innovative ideas like new hydroponics gardening filtration systems requiring a certain amount of capital to begin production, or releasing a band’s first cd. Kickstarter hosted many thousands of campaigns in 2013, and of those 19,911 were successful. Kickstarter works very well combined with a promotion.
Why Do Some Kickstarter Campaigns Make it and Others Don’t?
Some Kickstarter campaigns make their goals easily while others struggle or never even get the first donation. This is because of price and promotion. Marketing involves four Ps. Product, Place, Price, and Promotion. The product (or idea) is the entire point of the campaign. The product has to be presented well in the initial video for the campaign. It should look like something worth putting money toward. A stunning video cannot be underestimated. Good quality and most of all good content on the video is the first step.
Continuing with the four Ps of marketing, Kickstarter is the place. Price is a fantastic place to get creative with the campaign; this means to create suggested donations and offer incentives for these donations. For a band, an example could be offering one of the new CDs with any $25 donation, T-shirt and CD with any $50 donation, and live performance anywhere within 200 miles with any $1500 donation. This portion of the formula is essential, but will not ensure even $1 in revenue if nobody sees the campaign. Most people do not simply browse Kickstarter looking for worthy campaigns that could use donations. Kickstarter campaigns need promotion. The campaign needs to be put out there where the right people can see it. There are endless ways to promote and get that campaign seen, but below are a few that are tried and true.
Kickstarter Campaign Promotion Through Social Media
Most people get started using social media: Facebook, Twitter, maybe a small video on Instagram to brag to their friends about the exciting new step their exciting new project has just taken. Share your campaign link often, and encourage friends and fans to share it. Private message friends and ask them to share and encourage their friends to share. This isn’t a one-time thing either. Private message your list every few days talking about incentives. The point of this is to be persistent and successful, not to hide behind a cool image of one’s self and hope the internet does it all. If this project is something worth donations, it is something worth talking about all the time. The person starting the campaign has to believe in it the most, and this belief is contagious.
Network with Bloggers to Promote your Kickstarter Campaign
Bloggers with large followings have to continuously find new and exciting things to blog about. A new and exciting Kickstarter campaign might be the perfect promotion for a successful blogger as well. Keep in mind when approaching a blogger about your idea that bloggers are approached about many ideas all the time. These individuals will likely disregard form letters or impersonal requests that are “copy and pastes” sent out in mass format. If there is a personal appeal to the blogger, the chances of getting your campaign picked up by a blogger increases.
Ads on Apps to Target Market
One really exciting idea that is available right now is advertising through banners on apps. These banners show up on cell-phone games, news apps, and even social media sites.
Stay Active in Your Kickstarter Campaign
One very important factor in a Kickstarter campaign is to stay active. Often potential investors will ask questions through the Kickstarter site. Prompt answers show potential investors that you really care about what is going on. Promptness also helps potential investors to go ahead and put their money in before they change their minds or put their money elsewhere.
Realistic Expectations
It is essential to set the expectations for the campaign realistically. You cannot count on large percentages of people who hear about the campaign to rush right to the internet and invest. It is important to realize this and create a strategy before beginning the Kickstarter campaign. Kickstarter promotions are essential when trying to raise a large amount of money. One successful Kickstarter campaigner planned on only 1% of the audience he reached donating $50 each. This same individual raised $135,000.
Promote, Promote, Promote
The key to a successful Kickstarter campaign can be summed up in three words: Promote, promote, promote! By actively promoting your campaign through social media and creating third-party credibility through blogs, articles, and reviews that can be seen by a wide audience and show up under a wide array of keywords your Kickstarter campaign can really take off.