A quality email list can help to get more backers.
You have your prototype, a plan in place, and are ready to create your campaign page. However, have you spent any time developing your email list? An email list is essential and forms the basis of your outreach actions to engage people, get traffic to your campaign, and turn visitors into backers and loyal customers. Building a rock-solid email list is the foundation of a good crowdfunding marketing plan and should begin weeks or months in advance of your campaign launch.
In this blog, we will review several strategies for growing your email list before launching a Kickstarter campaign to help you attract a high converting audience on day one to build the early momentum to improve your campaign's visibility. Established companies may already have a large email list to work with but if your team is a new startup, you may be starting from scratch. The good news is that even new creators can build a quality list by properly executing a few simple steps.
Many of our conversations about crowdfunding success center on having a good landing page prior to your campaign. The reason is simple, it is the destination that you direct your marketing funnel to with one goal in mind, to gather emails. We have explained what makes a good landing page in previous blogs but in review, it must demonstrate the value of your product, convey a sense of quality, have a concise marketing message and a clear call to action, in this case, to get visitors to enter their email and opt-in to future marketing communications. A great landing page will also get people interested and excited about your project and have them looking forward to your launch. Incentivize signups by offering something of value, a launch day deal, or a special campaign Add-on.
Now that you have your landing page in place it’s time to feed it with traffic. During this crucial pre-launch phase, you can begin to develop multiple channels that drive traffic to your landing page. These channels will also drive traffic to your campaign page after launch, so now is the perfect time to test and optimize your strategy with ads, content, and marketing messages. The actions that people respond to during list building will likely be the best ways to build and maintain traffic when your campaign goes live.
Use an established email marketing platform to collect, categorize, and store your emails. These programs can also help you run sophisticated email campaigns to engage your list at critical times before, during, and after your launch.
So, let’s get out there and build your list. Here are some smart ways to get started…
The people closest to you are always willing to help support your endeavors. Reach out to friends, family, and close personal and business networks and ask if they would be interested in learning more about your project. Give them a taste of what is to come and put them in a special category in your email list if they express interest. You will be personally contacting them when your campaign launches and they will be valuable first backers that you can count on.
It’s never too early to begin building a community around your product or solution. Create social accounts that include your landing page link in the bio. Fill your pages with useful content, great images, and visually appealing shareable content. Ask questions, conduct polls, respond to comments, and have a link in your posts to direct interested persons to your landing page. Turn social followers into valuable email contacts. You can also participate in Facebook and Forum groups to participate in the conversation about your product’s niche.
Creating a social contest that encourages sharing and referrals is a great way for more people to learn about your project. Ask your followers to engage their networks in exchange for a chance to win a prize or earn a Kickstarter special. This kind of activity can be especially helpful if you are starting with a small email list. Let your biggest fans help you build your list.
Paid online advertising can be a powerful tool to build your list if you can properly target the right people. In earlier blogs, we discussed in detail how to identify the right audience for your product and establish an audience profile based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. Now is the time to use it. Both Facebook and Google have incredibly good targeting metrics that can help put your ad in front of the people that are most likely to respond. Review advertising best practices, nail your marketing message, and test different ads. Track and analyze what works using the ad platform tools to optimize and boost return on your ad spend. When you find what works, keep pushing ad traffic to your landing page and watch your email list grow.
Many campaigners choose to hit the ground running with a launch party. It’s a great way to celebrate your team’s efforts and get people excited about your project. Reach out to your networks and get as many people to attend as possible. Have an opt-in at the ready and collect emails that may not be on your list yet. Conducting a giveaway in conjunction with your launch party can also result in new emails.
Create a blog in your niche or write a guest blog. Be informative, act as an expert in your field, share knowledge and give value. Have a link to your landing page or social profiles in our byline.
Your most loyal followers are a great tool for trusted referrals. Each email you send should include a way for them to share with their social networks, post on Facebook, or email a friend directly. The people that believe in your project want it to succeed. Let them help by asking them to share your project.
Now that you have built an email list, you may wonder just what to do with it. This is where your email marketing campaigns begin. We will discuss this in more detail later, but your email campaigns will be the best way to communicate with the people most interested and likely to back your project. Your email communications should build excitement and anticipation for your launch and be the rocket that boosts your campaign to crowdfunding success.
