A successful crowdfunding campaign is not a simple endeavor. Building and launching the campaign is only half of the work; you also need to help it continue to attract backers as it progresses. Well-run and ultimately well-funded campaigns require a major commitment to market the campaign throughout the duration of the campaign. This is especially important during the middle of a campaign, after an initial rush and before a final push. In order to do this, you’ll need to continually shine a spotlight on your project in order to keep funding steady.
The beginning and end of a campaign drive the most traffic (and dollars), so crowdfunding campaign creators want their campaign to burst out of the starting gate and hit impressive initial amounts. After launch, creators should plan to incorporate continued communications and ways to inject new life if the campaign stalls.
Increasing Your Kickstarter Or Indiegogo Page Traffic
Here are some specific ways to get your project seen during a mid-campaign lull:
- Rely on Your Inner Circle – The most important source of initial funds in a crowdfunding campaign is the creator’s inner circle of family, friends and colleagues. Realistically, strangers are not likely to believe in your idea if the people who know you don’t. You likely used your inner circle to kick off your campaign and drive initial traffic. Midway through your campaign, reach back out to this group of people and ask them to dig deeper and play a role in spreading the word to their contacts. An initial funding spike is normal, but a sudden bump midway through is unusual and could attract new attention from potential backers, and perhaps even from the media.
- Use Multiple Social Media Sites – Cross-media promotion is essential to a successful crowdfunding campaign. Throughout your campaign, use Twitter, Facebook and other social networks to share updates and promote your project. Additionally, switch up the content so people who have seen information about your campaign on one channel stop to look if they encounter it on another.
- Pitch the Press – Use an old-fashioned PR campaign to hopefully generate press and draw the attention of the broader public initially, midway through the campaign and during a final push. Research writers or bloggers, publications and other media outlets that have covered similar topics. When your campaign launches, distribute a press release that details the project, and if possible, include a sample. Follow up with all journalists midway through the campaign with new information and a progress update.
- Run Facebook Ads – In addition to developing a Facebook page and regularly posting about the campaign, consider using Facebook Ads to get your message in front of a highly-targeted audience. This is a low-cost way to get in front of those who are most likely to back your Kickstarter or Indiegogo project and get you out of a mid-campaign slump.
For more tips and tricks for running and sustaining an effective crowdfunding campaign, check out Art of the Kickstart’s podcast, subscribe to the newsletter or contact us. After having run hundreds of campaigns and interviewing more than 150 experts, we have the expertise and tools to help make your campaign a success.
Pssst – Don’t forget to check out our podcast sponsors! Listing your project on The Gadget Flow is another great way to get more eyes on your crowdfunding project, while BackerKit is perfect for surveying backers, organizing data, raising additional funds with add-ons and managing orders for fulfillment after a successful project.
