Monthly Archives: May 2012

Opinion

Artist Answers: How Do I Propel My Kickstarter Project Funding?

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Lynette Music: Funding debut album via Kickstarter
Photo Credit: Emma Rodrigues (click pic for site)

‘Artist Answers’ is a weekly feature that will help to deliver one of my three guide words for this year: Serve. I ask some like-minded creative types for their most burning new media questions, then set about providing some insight into the topics it raises.

This week, Parisian-based pop/folk (polk?!) artist Lynette jumps into the fray with a detailed question about Kickstarter campaigns. Currently in the last few days of a campaign on the platform, to fund recording of her debut album – you can listen to her music here and, if you dig, back the campaign here – Lynette asks the following:

“We started our Kickstarter campaign at the same time as a couple of other similar music projects and  noticed that one, with the same $25K target, met their goal sooner than we have. We have 1000+ Facebook “likes” to our Kickstarter page, while this particular project just cleared 800.  With what looks like more Facebook exposure, how could we translate that awareness into the $1-$50 donor level participation?”

 

Levels & Layers

As with the fluffy adage about a snowflake, no two Kickstarter campaigns are exactly alike. At least, they shouldn’t be, if the artist is truly seeking to build the project around their own particular fans and the community that they represent. That said, it can be more difficult to distinguish campaigns, especially those related to music, at the lower levels of rewards.

One of the crucial factors is to layer rewards so that each one offers something just a little sweeter than the last. Find the balance between having too many, which can overload a potential backer (paralysis by analysis), and creating enough to suit a number of single and  double digit level backers. The difference between just $10-15 is larger than it seems in this region, so be sure to throw in neat flourishes that will encourage and excite your backers.

Above all, focus on injecting these levels of your campaign with fun and making it accessible to all who wish to support you. Focus on the “every pledge counts!” mantra and show that you value each reward, by weaving some of your (soon to be) famed creativity into each level.

Some examples of neat little extras at these lower levels, that can be achieved with minimal expense to yourself, might include:

  • Handwritten, personalized thank you notes,
  • A link to their web presence and thanks for donating,
  • A blog post on your site, about or including the backer,
  • Smaller merchandise items, such as stickers, tattoos, pins, drink koozies etc,
  • Oddball random items of your own that are limited in number…song notes, guitar picks…I know someone who gave away socks used in the update video…. (you know who you are 😉

 

Let the Music Play…

Of course, in all of the excitement about personalized rewards and creative merchandise, it can be easy to forget about the music.

Don’t! 

Your music is the crucial element of these lower reward levels, as it will be the core of what draws people in to support you. Plan to weave as many of your songs as possible into the fabric of your campaign video, project updates, social network promotions, and, of course, the end reward outputs.

Some additional thoughts:

  • At the very entry level rewards, up to $10, find ways to include perhaps a song or some advance streaming, so that not only those that pledge at the full album reward levels are included in the musical side,
  • Remember that you can send exclusive updates to just the project backers, something that you can communicate in the reward levels, so those who have not yet pledged understand that they get the inside track on the development of your songs once they back you,
  • Including exclusive previews of music can be exciting to media outlets such as blogs or local press, furthering your reach into their audiences and potentially bringing in curious new listeners, willing to back at the lower levels to explore further,
  • Your existing fans will likely pledge at a level that gets them the full album, regardless of the lower rewards. This effectively acts as a pre-order facility. Newer listeners, perhaps even first timers, however, often need an easier entry point. This  means staggering the music you have available so that they can listen to some for free, get on board, then commit at whichever reward point gets them the music they desire,
  • Also remember that once someone pledges, you have them on your updates list and they can be reached with new music, notifications, and any new rewards that you choose to add. This can be a useful way to bring new listeners into the fold, then persuade them to a larger pledge as their relationship with you and and your music develops.

A Note on Facebook

Facebook Music

Although the exposure that Facebook likes bring on a Kickstarter page is a valuable sharing resource, it appears only as a link on their Facebook Timeline  and the News Feed of their friends. Even visibility of the latter is questionable, given Facebook’s limiting EdgeRank algorithm (more on that here) and the clutter that we all wade through in our feeds nowadays.

Therefore, you should encourage fans to share the project and its page on Facebook and other social media, but not at the expense of the campaign content, which is what will ultimately sell the visitor on backing your project.

For greater reach and traction via Facebook, encourage your closest fans to post about why they have pledged, talk about their favorite aspects of your music, why they are anticipating the new songs…anything that communicates the passion and content acts as a better call to action than a simple ‘like and link’.

And Your Good Self?

Have you successfully funded your own artist project on Kickstarter? What kind of rewards did you offer at the $1-$50 levels to excite fans?

And fans, do you have any advice on what most attracts you to back a Kickstarter campaign? Have you seen artists doing anything especially creative at these levels?

What do you think of the reward levels on Lynette’s campaign?

As always, your input is greatly appreciated! 
Concepts, Web Presence Development

Discontent With Your Content? 8 Tips to Improve Its Allure

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Content.

Is.

King!

We’ve all heard how crucial – royal, indeed – content is to building a strong web presence, especially across social media, so I won’t retread the same old ground on that subject.

Rather, I’d like to zoom in on the preparation and execution of that content, in order to improve its allure for newbie and longstanding visitors alike.

8 Tips To Tailor Your Content

Here are eight tips to tailor your content for a more in depth, satisfying read that elicits return value for your audience:

  • Prep your subject matter early, then revisit – Don’t just jump into an idea as you start writing the final post; note it down, expand upon it by brain storming or reading around the subect and adding to your own thoughts. Then leave it and come back when you’re ready to write. Do this for multiple subjects as you prep and you can line up a number of articles in one sitting. This Social Media Examiner article has excellent practical tips for this purpose.
  • Define a take-away point for readers before you write – As with brain storming the subject, having a final summary thought that you want your audience to take from you article is key. It not only makes your content more memorable (and likely to be shared) but it helps to guide your final writing, keeping it on point of the final message.
  • “Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.” – Okay, that’s four tips in one point… just call it value for your attention. Leo Burnett, an early advertising pioneer, had this to say at the start of the 1900′s and it rings just as true about your content today. Don’t over-complicate the topic and send people off confused, looking for a more understandable source to inform them. Even subjects that are inherently complex can be kept simple to read, assuming a certain level of existing knowledge within your audience. Someone writing about website coding, for example, can reasonably expect their audience to understand the basics if they search for an article on detailed programming. Simplicity also extends into the following concepts of good formatting and entertaining writing, as you won’t get too bogged down in difficult language or detail.
  • Vary tone and type – Keep your audience coming back for more by alternating the types of content you post. A series of dry, technical posts, for example, could get monotonous and would benefit from being broken up by something more light-hearted like a poll or amusing takes on your specialist subject. Whether it’s something you create or simply sharing the work of someone else, be sure to offer your readers a variety of content to keep them engaged.
  • Involve and engage your reader – Although you’re creating the content, using it to connect to readers across social media is a two way street. Find ways to make your articles interactive, by asking questions through the post and at the end for example, encouraging readers to reflect on their own perspective on the subject matter. You could also ask for links to other articles they’ve read or content they themselves have created, increasing the collaborative nature of your work and making links back to it more likely. Another technique is to leave ideas open-ended, prompting free discussion in your comments sections.
  • Find your voice – This may take a number of posts but the more you write your own content, the more your ‘voice’ – your unique combination of style and passion for your subject – will shine through. Solicit plenty of feedback from family, friends, and colleagues of varied personalities to better understand how your content is received. Don’t force it too much, but think about your target audience and how best you can adapt your voice to keep them entertained and informed.
  • Write first, keyword later – Although your content will naturally gravitate towards certain keywords and phrases of your subject, avoid getting bogged down with the need to include these terms initially. This will only interrupt your flow and make the task longer. Instead, return to your final draft once you’re finished and put on your search engine optimization (SEO) hat. With a list of your keywords (usually already compiled if you have a website) in hand, aim to sprinkle those that are appropriate equally around 10-15% of the content. More on this aspect to come here in future posts (see next point!)
  • Follow up – Rather than simply posting your content and wishing it bon voyage, return regularly to review/reply to comments and add further thoughts or links on the subject. Chris Brogan’s “oldie but a goodie” article on 40 Ways to Deliver Killer Blog Content provides some helpful pointers for this in the ‘Encore’ section.

 

So in essence this boils down to preparing your topics before you dive into the content creation stage, having a clear direction in mind as you create it, using your own passion to make the subject matter memorable and engaging, and finally checking back to further the conversation surrounding what you have created.

Master these crucial areas and everything else will begin to fall into place. Happy creating!

 

Have you been able to establish an effective routine for creating your content?

What tips would you offer others just starting out?