10 SUREFIRE TIPS FOR RELAUNCHING A FAILED CROWD FUNDING CAMPAIGN – If At First You Don’t Succeed…

10 SUREFIRE TIPS FOR RELAUNCHING A FAILED CAMPAIGN – If At First You Don’t Succeed…

CHAPTER EXERPT FROM THE BOOK: HACKING KICKSTARTER, INDIEGOGO: How to Raise Big Bucks in 30 Days (Secrets to Running  Successful Crowd-Funding Campaign on a Budget) by Patrice Williams Marks

So you’ve discovered this book AFTER your campaign fizzled.  No worries. In fact, you may be in better shape than someone who hasn’t gone through what you have.  How so?  Hopefully you’ve unintentionally learned a few things.  Take that knowledge and try again!

Here are a few tips to get you going:

1. Have a friend/colleague compare your campaign to others currently running in your category. Ask him/her what they have that yours doesn’t. (Be open to constructive criticism).

2. Take a closer look at your video.  Is it all about you or the product?  If it’s all about you, dump it and try spending more time on the product, giving visual details.

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3. Rethink your funding goal.  Too high? Too low.

4. Is your “story” compelling enough? If not, come up with a new story or tweak the one you have. People want to connect with you.  Give them a reason to do so.

5. Pie in the sky ideas.  I’m not one to crush any ones dreams, but you have to be realistic.  If your goal is to raise $500,000 to end world hunger by handing out smiley pins to kid’s in Uganda; it probably won’t happen. Set reasonable expectations and goals.

6. You misunderstood your target audience. Before embarking on another crowd funding campaign, think about the audience you are trying to reach. How much do you really know about them?  Do your research.

7. You misdirected your campaign.  Yes, you know all about the product you are trying to sell, or the movie you are trying to make.  But does your audience?  Put yourself in their shoes, then explain it in a way that is understandable to an audience who has never heard of you or your project.

8. Was your message clear and concise? Or did it get lost amongst all the other campaigns?  Make yours stand out by avoiding generic stories, descriptions of your product, etc.  Find keywords that fit your campaign specifically. Use in all of your marketing, as well as the actual campaign page.  Example: You have created an app that will help you lose weight.  Instead of, “Lose Weight With My App,” try, “Busy Mothers Lose 10lbs in Just 10 Minutes a Day with XX App.”

9. Did you follow up with everyone who left comments, or contacted you?  Did you follow up the same day?  I’ve visited websites where I was very interested in buying a certain product, but I had questions.  So I emailed them, and waited, and waited. If I don’t hear back from them within 1-2 days, I write them off. People may have written you off as well if you have poor follow up skills.

10. Is your project crowd-fundable?  Maybe it’s not.  Maybe there are just too few people interested in cats made with toothpicks. You’re better off finding alternative funds for your niche product elsewhere.

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