VirginiaMcClain wrote:I'd love some suggestions on how to help out a "final week" uptick in pledges that might get me across the finish line.
VirginiaMcClain wrote:Any other ideas for budgetless marketing? Would welcome suggestions! Thanks.
You've got eight days, or a little less, to generate $2,049 more dollars. You're slightly over half way to your funding goal, currently. Thus, you have to decide how much of a risk that you are willing to take, in order to try and get this project to move forward noticeably.
I can't speak for anyone but myself, of course. I can tell you the main reason why I never bothered, before tonight, paying much attention to your project. It was because of your project image.
You specifically asked for ideas for budget-less marketing. So, with that caveat in mind, here are some further thoughts that I have about this project.
Dump your project image. You may not have other art to use in its place, and you may not be an artist (to enable you to draw something better to use in your current project image's place), but photographs can provide you a viable alternative to imbuing your project with a more robust visual impact.
My suggestion for your new project image? This image that I saw on your Facebook page:
Why? Because, visually speaking, it's a very interesting image. It's far more colorful than that drab gray image with drab blue lettering on it that you are using, currently. Plus, it has a human being in it, and human beings are invariably visually interesting to look at. Plus, you're a woman, and a fairly young woman, at that. Additionally, it symbolizes the current status of your Kickstarter campaign.
I think that that image will draw human eyes to it. That's what you're wanting, right? You want them to notice your project image, in the hope that they will then click on it, correct?
The current incarnation of your project page is virtually devoid of social elements, as in human beings, who are by their very nature social creatures.
Your project story is not simply your project. It also includes you - yet, other than that small circular image of you and your dog over on the right hand side, you are not visually represented on the main page of your project page. You're willing to go on video singing Bon Jovi songs, or some other songs, and yet, your project page doesn't do a very good job of showcasing YOU.
You're young. You're attractive. But, you make no real use of those assets, except in your project video and update videos. But, other people should connect with you? Why? If they don't connect with your book, then what is your Plan B? There is your book, and there is you. Inject heavy doses of yourself into your project page. Your project page is starving for your presence on it, where still imagery is concerned.
Your youth equates to energy and vigor - but, only if you bother to present it.
You need to flesh out your entire project page with visual imagery. You have some images on there, but you also have large masses of text. Use images to break the text into more manageable bites, to make your text more inviting to consume. Don't worry about making your main project page too long. What matters is the visual interest of it, the visual impact, the visual energy, and not the actual length.
Swap out project images several times, if necessary. See which one(s) yield better backer and pledge numbers for you.
You have about 8 days left to reach your funding goal. But, focus, instead, upon the next thousand dollars. Try to get that last thousand dollars with at least 3 days left on the countdown clock. If you can't get that, then the rest of it simply doesn't matter, anyway. This way, you have a smaller number immediately in front of you. What you are after is not the win, at this point, but better field position, as they say in football.
Build upon your offer to sing songs on video. Offer to sing songs, for certain pledge levels (fairly low levels) and for every fifty bucks that your project gains in funding. The higher that pledge number goes, the more that you will feel like singing, anyway.
Do some short videos, also. Do more frequent videos. Forget that your project is only at 54% of its funding gal, at present. Focus, instead, upon being active, and actively churning out tidbits about your project. Tell us about yourself, even stuff unrelated to the book. Use yourself, your personality, to connect with people. Use it as an interface for them to find something about you to connect with. Do a Top Ten favorite book list, and ask potential backers to pledge a buck or more, and then leave a comment to tell you what their favorite book was - and why. You want their dollars? Then get them to engage with you. If you do, then they will engage with your project, by extension.
You're doing updates. Transition to having a conversation. You do not have to wait for responses to something that emanates from you, before you let something else emanate from you, again. Let your audience play catch-up to you. You just keep on marching forward down the Yellow Brick Road to the Oz that is your funding goal.
For a writer, you sure are stingy, when it comes to posting written updates about your project. Keep that up, and you'll bore people to death. Thus far, you haven't done a very good job of pouring out your heart and soul to your prospective audience. What is it that people should emotionally connect with? The photo of your dog wearing a hat?
It's time for you to come alive - really and truly alive. If you do, then your project just might, also.
