When it comes to launching a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2021 — you can’t simply build a campaign page and expect backers to show up for you.
No matter how great your product is, if people don’t know that it exists, you aren’t going to be able to get them to back your project.
So how do you create hype surrounding your campaign?
With the most age-old business tactic out there: marketing.
Because platforms like Kickstarter provide a non-traditional method for raising funds, you need to be using tested, modern marketing techniques to set your campaign apart from the pack.
In this article, we’re giving you 5 key things to consider to maximize your Kickstarter marketing strategy.
You’ll come away with a thorough understanding of what it takes to get your campaign out there to the masses — and how to execute your plan.
1. Make a Budget
In order to build an effective marketing strategy for your campaign, you first need to have a deep and tangible grasp of your project goals.
Some things you need to consider:
- How much does it cost to produce your product? (Don’t forget about shipping costs)
- What is the minimum amount of funding you need to reach a minimum order quantity?
- What are other projects in your niche doing with their campaign pages?
Once you’ve garnered a better understanding of how much money it’s going to take to pull off this project, you can start to build a marketing budget.
Naturally, for larger funding goals, you’ll have to put more into marketing. It conjures the old phrase: You’ve got to spend money to make money!
2. Dedicated Pre-Launch
Your marketing doesn’t start the day you launch your campaign, or even the week leading up to it.
The most successful Kickstarter campaigns start marketing weeks in advance through the development of a dedicated pre-launch strategy.
Your pre-launch strategy should include:
- A landing page where you collect email addresses in exchange for special offerings
- Social media outreach and the creation of a Facebook page to build community
- Press outreach where bloggers, influencers, and media outlets talk about your product
- Targeted ads on social platforms that lead to your landing page
By building a crowd before you even go live, you’ll have a better chance of getting a large initial funding dump — which is super important.
You want to raise about 30% of your funding goal within the first three days in order to trend on the Kickstarter platform.
Once you’re trending, you’ll be driving free and organic traffic from strangers that stumble upon your campaign through newsletters, the Kickstarter Home Page, and more.
3. Make a Killer Video
The most important part of any campaign page is your Kickstarter video.
Your video appears at the top of the campaign page, and introduces backers to what your product is all about.
In order to create a video that converts, use these tips:
- A duration of about three minutes
- Show the use cases with b-roll footage
- Tell a story
- Provoke emotion – how will your product improve backers lives?
In most cases, it’s best to hire an agency to make a professional video for you. If backers don’t take you seriously from the get-go, they’re unlikely to continue scrolling down the page, let alone back your project.
4. Cultivate Engagement
You should always be building your Kickstarter project page with the backer in mind.
You have to educate, excite, and promise a solution to a problem.
While you need great copywriting, the dense text is hard to read. Use images, gifs, and graphics to make the content easy to understand to easily deliver value.
You should also be sending out frequent updates on the page, responding to comments, and continue messaging through social media and your email list.
Also — make sure to celebrate your achievements. You’ll show appreciation for backers who have already donated and provoke those who are on the fence to go ahead and make that donation they’ve been considering.
By keeping people interested throughout the duration of your campaign, you can avoid the dreaded Kickstarter plateau.
During this phase of marketing your campaign, it’s all about keeping the momentum from your pre-launch. You can rest when the campaign is over! For now, it’s all about interaction.
5. Consistent Messaging and Brand Recognition
Talking about crowdfunding, it’s easy to focus on the funding portion of the word.
But experts and those who have run successful campaigns in the past disagree. What’s more important is actually the crowd itself.
Here’s the deal — if you use proven and researched tactics — the funding is going to come naturally.
Therefore, it’s actually more important to focus on building a crowd that is genuinely excited about the product you’re trying to bring into the world.
People want to feel connected and loyal to your brand. The more personalized messaging you can put out there, the more likely people are to respond and engage.
And when people engage, they share your campaign with their friends. They talk you up. Imagine how much organic reach just one backer holds, then multiply that by 100.
It’s free and viral traffic. Potential backers who are referred to your page in a positive light are already primed to donate when they show up — which means more conversions for you.
All this to say: 100 high-quality fans are much more valuable than 10,000 disinterested ones. The big-time Kickstarter campaigns that smash their funding goals know this and give special attention to those who are most interactive with the campaign.
To build your brand. Keep your messaging consistent and engaging. Make people feel proud to support your project.
Takeaways
Your Kickstarter marketing strategy is the difference between a wildly successful campaign that smashes its funding goal and a campaign that falls flat.
Expect to spend between 10-30% of your funding goal on marketing.
If you do everything right and have a truly outstanding product, you’ll blow past your funding goal and recoup the up-front costs of building a crowd.
If you’re looking for more information on marketing for your crowdfunding campaign, make sure to check out my book: The Kickstarter Launch Formula.
You can also utilize my course on UDEMY, which will take you step-by-step on how to create a truly effective Kickstarter marketing strategy.
And if you’re looking for an expert marketer specializing in the crowdfunding industry to give you specific, hands-on instruction about your crowdfunding campaign, it’s time to book a coaching call with me.
I’ve helped tons of successful campaigns reach and exceed their funding goals in the past through a dedicated marketing strategy, and I’m ready to go to work for you!
Good luck with your campaign — and happy marketing!
