by sachin » Tue Dec 15, 2015 5:01 pm
We didn't meet our goals with Kickstarter, but I can't say that its been a negative experience. We've made some mistakes, but I think we can learn from them and become more successful with our relaunch.
- Have you learned any new skills (marketing/social media)?
I have learned more about marketing and trying to get the word out. Its a lot more difficult than it seems, but its still possible.
- Have you gotten any backers you don't know?
We have. Most of our backers are from people we didn't know.
- What has been frustrating?
Its been really frustrating sending out hundreds of emails and not getting any responses. I'm wondering if thats even the right approach to marketing, or if my email isn't compelling enough? Would it help to include an image of our product?
- How did you motivate yourself daily?
What motivates me is promoting our good idea, having a potential portfolio piece and learning how to start a business from a basic idea. If this becomes successful, I'll have more courage to use Kickstarter to launch other ideas in the future.
- Are you planning on starting a business if your Kickstarter goes well?
Yes. Our plan is to launch one design and expand into our other designs. After that, we may branch into other bathroom accessories.
- What tools or websites do you recommend (others than this one haha)?
Facebook has been a decent tool. It seems like it would be nice to launch a basic squarespace website in addition to our Kickstarter page. I'm still keeping my eyes open towards other great resources.
Overall, I've really learned the value of putting the effort into marketing and the prelaunch. It takes a lot of effort to effectively market your idea to get funding and interest on Kickstarter. To get peoples attention, you must have a compelling story and make a case for your idea. I think we have a good idea and good design, but I feel we've turned away many people by asking people to vote for the winning design (people were afraid that the wrong design would get picked) and we've asked for too much money.
I want to fix these issues and try again!