KickstarterForum.org

Hello,
I am a social media novice (apart from facebook) and would like some advice on reaching out through other networks.

Many of my friends have not expressed interest in pledging for our campaign so we really need to up the 'ante' on getting the word out to the public.

Thanks - any advice will be much appreciated.

Kerry

OneSuitWonder
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/12 ... uter/posts

1. Your link, above, is linking to your project Updates page, and not to the home page of your Kickstarter project.

2. In the other thread, when you informed me that you had created this dedicated thread to discuss your project, you didn't post a link to this page. When you post about your project, or a thread on a forum somewhere, make sure that you make it easy for anyone who stumbles across it, or who is reading through threads, to find what you are referring to. I've backed projects I wasn't eve looking for, simply by stumbling upon a link in a forum, and then end up liking the project.

3. The core idea that you have, this rainwear as you call it, is a good, solid concept. It is functional. It has utility value, as it is something that people can use, as a part of their everyday life. Therefore, it is something that has value, and which can make their life better, in certain instances - namely, when they are out in the rain (whether riding a bike or not).

4. It should also work for motorcyclists, shouldn't it? Do you stress this?

5. The rainwear, itself, doesn't make you pretty or handsome. It is useful, but not what I would view to be fashionable, as far as looks go. In layman's terms, it's fairly ugly. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but the colors don't stretch the visual envelope, to say the least.

6. For women, particularly, it sends the message of baggy and wrinkled. I grasp that it is rainwear. It's functional. They will want to look good while wearing it. It lacks decorative stitching. It lacks patches. Bicyclists tend to be social people. They socialize. They form clubs or have group cycling events. It reminds me of an astronaut suit, and those have colorful patches. What you have on display is plain looking. In essence, you need to spice it up, aesthetically. Make it look better. I don't think that you have to sacrifice functionality, in order to achieve this.

7. What about a visor? Does it come with a full face visor?

8. Look at the photo of the women in Ghana who will produce the product. Look at the colorful designs on the clothing behind them. Then, compare it to your plain Jane rainwear. See the difference, visually?

You need better visual dividers, either larger text (and shorter), or photos or art, to break up the mass of text on the project page, visually. IN acknowledgements, you have names listed. Put their photos up. Human beings, pretty or ugly, add visual interest.

9. Women and men tend to be different. Basically, you have one sales pitch for two audiences, and you trying to sell them on something to wear. Is that how clothing is usually marketed?

10. People will want to personalize it, I suspect. Is it easy to customize? Don't expect them to know - show them! It has to do with facilitating the expression of their individuality, to help them stand apart from the masses. How do you accessorize it? Or can you? Yes, it's rainwear. In this day and age, so what?

11. People tend to dislike rainy days. How does your marketing of this product make a rainy day something to look forward to? You want to generate positive energy, right? Then, hype the positive. make them see rainy days in an entirely different light.

12. Look up cycling wear, and see what Google reveals to you, image-wise. Yes, you are advocating for rainwear, but visually, bicyclists tend to be seen in very colorful and imaginative cycling wear. Visually, that's what you're competing with, whether you realize it or not. Then, do a Google search for images of cycling rainwear. That tends to be a lot less imaginative. You want to sell this in droves, right? Then, make it imaginative. Figure out ways to do that. Make it more visually appealing, if you want it to sell like hotcakes, or if you want people who encounter it to promote it for you by sharing it like the best thing since sliced bread.

Thanks for your detailed and constructive feedback, Charles.

Any advice about social media?

Kerry
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/12 ... r-commuter

onesuit wrote:Thanks for your detailed and constructive feedback, Charles.

Any advice about social media?

Kerry
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/12 ... r-commuter

Well, keep in mind that when I post on here, I am usually just posting whatever comes to mind, right off the top of my head.

So, for social media, always remain cognizant of the fact that social media is not something that you control. You are trying to herd cats - and you're trying to do it while bound, gagged, and blindfolded.

Focusing upon social media is all fine and dandy, and yes, it can and does yield results. But, often times, the results will be mediocre or lukewarm, at best. People will spend so much time focused upon social media, that they fail to focus upon marketing. They are not one and the same thing.

I just now, just a couple of minutes ago, actually clicked on your project video. I like it. It made me smile. It was super short, and it got my interest and attention (the music/audio made me raise my eyebrow, first, and set the stage for the video portion, itself). You got my attention, and then it faded out. A great video that left me on the edge of nowhere.

So, I'm more interested in the video than I am in the project. Kickstarters are campaigns in motion. Your Kickstarter campaign provides you an opportunity to get movies like that one, short and sweet, in front of people. More than one would give you a chance to give people a reason to follow you aside from your actual product. You build the brand, you gain new people. Just make sure that it is legally OK to use the music that you used. I'm not saying that it's not. Just make sure.

You are hawking a product. But, are you building a brand? Think of he Dos Equis brand. I don't drink beer, but I love those commercials. Think about Super Bowl commercials. Think of many different commercials that are successful. They typically are brief episodes of entertainment.

As you use social media, entertain people. Don't send out boring ads. Send out entertainment. Send out something interesting, something informative, and if possible, make it entertaining, as well.

Rainwear, as a term, sounds boring. Dreadful boring! I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it's stuff that you wear while raining. Big deal!

The challenge isn't the rainwear - It's the boring. You are fighting an uphill battle against preconceived notions. How many people ask for rainwear for Christmas or for their birthday? Rainwear isn't cool. Make it cool!

Or.....make your campaign to market it cool.

How many ways are there to get wet? What about if you're trying to come up with ways to do it? Show them how effective the garb is, but do it in an entertaining way. People are taking that ice bucket challenge. Show them how to do it right - by wearing this OneSuitWonder.

A man and woman standing on a curb in the rain with umbrellas, and a car goes by and splashes water upon them both. He's in his business suit (or whatever you prefer). She's wearing your rainwear. Use cut scenes. Bam! he's soaked head to toe, while she arrives at work (or home, or wherever), and POOF! She's drip dry and ready to go. Make the man the rube that gets soaked. It has to do with women and their numbers, as they relate to backing Kickstarter projects.

Not all products are geared toward video success. Yours is. In the previous example, the umbrella is what most people gamble on to keep them dry. Show them why they're wrong. Show them why there are new options, now. Entertain them along the way.

If you have a size that fits kids, then show them watergun fights. Show them water balloon wars. You need one person in that suit to serve as the evidence, the actual proof, that they can see with their own eyes not getting soaked, even though they are getting soaked.

People like to share on social media that which entertains them. Then, give them a reason to share your marketing. Give them the tools that they will want to use. Your project video demonstrates that you know how to create a good, short video.

I haven't used any of those paid services that claim that they will promote your Kickstarter for you. My gut instinct tells me that most of that kind of crap is just, exactly that - CRAP! They charge you a good chunk up front, because they know that they won't get repeat business. You're buying into the unknown, a good sounding sales pitch, one that typically will yield mediocre results. If a site does nothing but send out a constant, never-ending stream of tweets on all sorts of garbage, how long does it take a typical person to tune that out?

Quality of marketing trumps quantity of marketing. People look for shortcuts, even and especially where social media are concerned.

You are marketing to cyclists. How about to hunters? What about to fishermen? What about to school crossing guards? What about to mailmen?

Flooding Twitter with tweets is not marketing. It's saturation. Flooding Facebook begging for shares is panhandling.

Give them something that they will WANT TO SHARE, that they HAVE TO SHARE, to feed the share bug that lives inside of them.

Your project page takes about cycling in the rain. How come it's not showing me that?

Your project page says:

Living in Amsterdam means that we ride our bikes everywhere; rain, hail or shine!! We wanted to be dry and stylish when cycling in the rain and have discovered that lots of other cyclists want that too.

Show everyone that - show them Amsterdam, with you and others riding in the rain. Why? Because, the outside world is beautiful. It will make for great visuals. It takes the viewer to a different place, a distant place. They can imagine themselves there, doing THAT, in YOUR rainwear.

Caption the photos, tell them where you're going - and why. That helps you to create a story. People like stories, because stories inform and entertain. They also share stories - if they're interesting and entertaining.

Selling a product is hard. It's damned hard work. It's very time consuming. That's why you create a vehicle of some kind that makes it easier to sell that product. The vehicle is marketing.

Much of what is foisted upon social media is anti-social, at its core. You have no photos of people in ordinary places wearing that garb, in groups. Show them that it is the new norm, that it is typical, that they can fit in.

On social media, people like to stand out. They like to customize their pages, in some way, if possible. Is your rainwear customizable? Show them how to personalize their rainwear. Show them how to accessorize it.

Have them to send you a photo of themselves riding bikes in the rain. They will want others to see them on your page.

You presently have 18 backers. Send each one an e-mail, individually, asking them to explain to you what persuaded them to back your product.

Charles always has some great, lengthy comments...

Im a novice as well. If you haven't done so already, use Facebook's Ads Manager and focus advertising on specific audience. You can build an audience and catagorize your ads based on age, sex, region/country, and interests.

Thanks JayRM - will get going on that today.

Kerry

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/12 ... r-commuter

I am a social media novice (apart from facebook) and would like some advice on reaching out through other networks.

Here is a free social media guide put together by Moz (well-known site): http://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-social-media

How to communicate with people on twitter (forum thread): post9333.html?hilit=social%20media%20tips#p9333

What types of questions do you have? Are you looking at a particular platform? Or do you just have general questions? I would love to help as much as possible if I have any knowledge you need.

Your link in the signature takes me to your update page as opposed to your main kickstarter page.