Kickstarter Works In (Not So) Mysterious Ways
The secret to a successful Kickstarter marketing campaign is to have a multi-pronged attack. If you want to engage your audience fully (and you do!) keep your head on a swivel. Listen to the demands and suggestions of your backers, reach out to your target audience through blogs and social media, and take advantage of the trends that are already out there. Many Kickstarter project leaders burst onto the scene thinking they are going to reinvent the wheel, and that mindset will often backfire. Let’s take a look at some campaigns that made clever use of the systems already in place, and did it right.
The Coolest Cooler
62,642 backers pledged $13,285,226
Ok, so the trajectory of this project is truly mindblowing. This Kickstarter is a study in viral marketing, as the YouTube video for this product exploded. Their video featured an insanely clever product idea: a high-capacity, ultra efficient cooler with a built-in blender, waterproof bluetooth sound system, clever storage compartments, a USB charger, and beach-friendly wheels. As their campaign stated: “The Coolest is a portable party disguised as a cooler.”
In the end, their original goal of $50,000 was torpedoed in a matter of 36 hours. By the time the project was finished, the funding had climbed to nearly 13.3 million dollars!
A noteworthy incentive - the guys at Coolest offered their backers a chance to get the Coolest at a deeply discounted price - according to their Kickstarter, $115 BELOW retail. Of course, they also welcomed backers offering as little as $5, because those pledges add up. Especially if you get over 1,000 backers at that level.
Pebble Time
78,471 backers pledged $20,338,986
The highest funded Kickstarter to date, clocking in at over 20 million (their original goal was a comparatively modest $100,000), this project is so intertwined with its campaign, it’s often just called “The Kickstarter Watch.”
Part of what made this campaign so massively successful was the creator's keen eye for emerging trends. Wearable computing was cresting just as this campaign was announced, so interest was already pretty high. The team then proceeded to keep their backers at the forefront by continually communicating and taking suggestions into consideration. This Kickstarter became more of a community than a crowdfunding endeavor.
Potato Salad
6,911 backers pledged $55,492
If the internet loves anything, it’s tongue-in-cheek comedy. Yes, this is really a campaign started by a guy promising to make potato salad (as stated: “I haven’t decided what kind yet.”), and asking for people to back him for doing so. So how did this project earn over $55,000? Never underestimate the power of a good chuckle.
Part of the genius of this Kickstarter marketing campaign was offering hilarious rewards for backers, such as: “I will say your name out loud while making the potato salad,” “I will carve your name onto a potato,” and even “A bite of the potato salad.” Nearly 7,000 people found these quirky promises funny enough to pay for, and hey - it looks like he’s following through!
Giroptic
3,916 backers pledged $1,419,068
This is a real rags to riches story. Giroptic is the world’s first 360 degree, full HD camera, but it almost died in the pipeline. See, the interesting thing about this product is that it had already been around for a few years prior to the launch of the Kickstarter. Giroptic’s previous marketing partner seemed to have just thrown it on shelves with little fanfare, and let the product flounder, positioning it as a GoPro competitor.
The developers took their idea to Kickstarter instead, and after spending $50,000 on improving the product, and $50,000 on marketing, they saw that money returned over and over again. The campaign breathed new life into a solid product that was suffering from some bad marketing strategies.
Glyph
3,331 backers pledged $1,509,506
It certainly helps if you have a product that looks sleek and futuristic. It also doesn’t hurt if your product catches the attention of industry giants, and you get them to appear on your Kickstarter video, giving ringing endorsements. When your product will complement existing products, like the Xbox or MacBook, you can have yourself a rabid fan base. In this case, a fan base that funded the project in 4 hours.
Glyph is a mobile personal theater, offering built in high definition visuals and audio. You literally wear your own movie theater on your head. There’s a Star Trek-esque visor attached to top of the line headphones, all coming together to give you a groundbreaking audio visual experience. We definitely want one!
Pono Music
18,220 backers pledged $6,225,354
Admittedly, there was a little (actually a lot) of star power behind this one. Pono Music is the brainchild of none other than Neil Young. You figure the “Young” of “Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young” might know a thing or two about sound quality, and that was the impetus for this new music player. He developed a new platform which would allow listeners to experience their favorite songs with more depth and “realness” than with a smartphone.
The initial goal of $800,000 was hit, and then surpassed within the first 10 hours. Of course, if you announce your campaign at South by Southwest, you’re going to reach a lot of music fans that way. Another way to reach them? Offer awesome award tiers like a VIP listening party with the man himself.
Bibliotheca
14,884 backers pledged $1,440,345
Every now and then, someone hits on an idea, and addresses a problem you didn’t even realize existed. That’s what Adam Lewis Greene did when he thought “What if the Bible was written more like… a book?” Even the most devoted scholars will admit that the broken-up nature of the Bible, and all its verse notations can make for a daunting reading experience. What if you took away the intimidation factor, and just presented it as a story?
Sometimes, a passion for your product, and a small supportive group of backers is all you need to get started. If the product stands on its own merits, the backers will find you - and that’s exactly what happened here. There was no huge audience already awaiting Bibliotheca before the Kickstarter was announced. Instead there was just one guy with a truly great idea; and it sold.
It’s a powerful tool, and when used correctly and honestly, it can give projects the boost they need to become real business endeavors. Who knows? Maybe your Kickstarter could be on our next list.
Any type of marketing campaign requires a solid strategy and a devotion to your buyer personas. And when you need to think outside of the box, you need a solid team of UI/UX professionals and top notch designers on your side! Whether you want to kickstart your Kickstarter or put your marketing in overdrive, a conversation centered around marketing and design is where you should begin.
