KickstarterForum.org

[Imane]

Hi everyone!
We are a team of two people, just founded our startup and plan to launch our first product on Indiegogo since Kickstarter is not available in our country. We believe in the novelty of our product and we are preparing a provisional patent to fill before the prelaunch as well as a prototype. We’ve made a massive research about online crowdfunding services but ended next to many choices. Limited by our budget which can’t exceed $3K, our location in North Africa so no offline networking, and the smallness of our team, we’re asking about the most useful and low-cost services to help us succeed and get backers.
We’ve been thinking of using “Krowdster” backer directories for targeted social media ads, but some reviews don’t welcome it. We are wondering if it is worth it to invest in a PR firm too, keeping in mind that they cost >$200 and that we have our PR already written.
We have set a social media editorial calendar and proceeded with the photos, teasers and promotional videos. We want to have everything ready before the prelaunch, but still wondering what’s better, to reveal everything from the beginning or gradually?
Also, any tips and ideas are welcome, we really need to make it succeed and are ready to give it everything we can but are afraid it won’t as we are limited by money and location.
Thank you for your time and replies.

[hyperstarter]

Have a look at this post written by the owner of this board (Hyperstarter is on there too!):
https://www.crowdcrux.com/best-kickstar ... companies/

Hopefully should answer a few of your questions before you go live.

[Imane]

Thank you

[DaveGarber1975]

Have a look at this post written by the owner of this board (Hyperstarter is on there too!):
https://www.crowdcrux.com/best-kickstar ... companies/

Hopefully should answer a few of your questions before you go live.

Yep, that's a rather good list.

My employer Funded Today is there also.

Perhaps I should clarify that, although we've found far more success with ads than with any other technique, we're not a "one-trick pony" but still use other techniques also. We like arrange cross-promotions for campaigns that accumulate more than 300 backers. And, depending upon how ads and/or CPs go, we might also put our Cashback Network and/or our PR experts to work.

After working with nearly 2,000 clients, we've definitely had some negative reviews, as Sal notes, mostly from creators whose campaigns didn't respond well to our efforts---but we've had our share of very positive reviews, as well. Those who want to hear from the other side might want to come check out this website...

http://www.fundedtodayreviews.com/

[dreamtea]

Thumbs up!

[eloisecrowdfunds]

I think that all of them are scams. If you build it, they will come. No marketing is ever needed if you have a killer product.

[DaveGarber1975]

No marketing is ever needed if you have a killer product.

That's generally true. Sriracha sauce became commonplace without any marketing at all, as far as I'm aware.

But it's also true that, even if marketing is not "needed," it can still help---and sometimes help a LOT. For example, Funded Today started working with Trakline Express on 2016 Feb 02, and with The Side Winder on 2017 Sep 26, and Kicktraq shows the difference that marketing made in each of those campaigns. Both campaigns were on track to get funded in any case, but they each got funded a LOT more with some great ads and other promotional efforts.

https://www.kicktraq.com/projects/11154 ... ress-belt/
https://www.kicktraq.com/projects/34133 ... -with-eas/

And there are rare campaigns for which marketing can make all the difference between getting funded and not. Like with SpineGym, which Funded Today began advertising on 2016 Apr 20. Or, quite recently, with Siggie Lodoen, which Funded Today started advertising on 2017 Dec 08. Both campaigns arguably offered sufficiently-good products and created sufficiently-good presentations, but each would have still failed without good marketing.

https://www.kicktraq.com/projects/76753 ... t-of-your/
https://www.kicktraq.com/projects/17831 ... sports-br/

Marketing definitely can't help everyone, though. Like ZLATE, for example. Funded Today started advertising that one on 2015 Dec 02 and, no matter what they tried, nothing worked. Not even a single page-visitor pledged.

https://www.kicktraq.com/projects/18936 ... and-and-d/

So, I do agree that having a "killer" product is the greatest key to any project's success. If you offer a great product (like the aforementioned Sriracha sauce), then it'll practically sell itself. And, for products like that, an effective presentation combined with effective promotion will only enhance the success that it would naturally enjoy without those things. But, conversely, no amount of skilled marketing or video-production/page-design can compensate for a fundamentally-flawed product (or service). As the tragic tale of Ford's Edsel illustrated so well. Ultimately, people are who they are and products are what they are, and salespeople can do little to change such realities---they can only try to present reality in the best light possible, but the rest is up to shoppers to freely choose for themselves.

[JOgden1987]

For me, personally onlypult tool became a game-changer because of the social media monitoring features. You can now have a business page not only on Facebook but also on Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, Linkedin and many more and control them at the same time. I thought it won't be possible unless my friend Briana told me about this application.