Best practices for backer communication

Why Backer Communication is Important

Backers are your first, most loyal customers. With any customer, backers have expectations. When those expectations are not met, backers can lose faith in you and your project. Frequent and clear communication is the best way to ensure your Crowdfunding comments stay positive, reduce the number of backers writing in support tickets, and reduce the frequency of chargebacks and refund requests. Here we will lay out some strategies for effectively communicating with your backers.

Smoke Test / Send Surveys - Backer Inquiries

Once you have sent your Smoke Test, please make sure to be available to field backer questions. The Smoke Test will reveal any issues with surveys (add-ons, shipping fees, etc) and backers will either write into BackerKit's Support Team, or send you direct messages through your crowdfunding platform (BackerKit / Kickstarter / Indiegogo). Please monitor your email inbox for forwarded tickets from our Support Team and messages or comments coming from your crowdfunding platform.

After you begin sending survey invites, please also be available to answer questions for our Support Team, as they will be handling most of your backer questions ( if Support is turned on in your dashboard). Our Support team will forward any tickets they are unable to answer, usually in regards to the actual rewards, or other special case scenarios. If you followup with our Support Team to let them know how to handle certain requests, they will add notes to our Staff Page to answer future similar inquiries. We are here to help!

Expectations: BackerKit will forward any requests we can't handle (including refunds of initial campaign fees). We forward these requests to the support contact email on file and we expect a response within 48 hours.

Post regular project updates

Let backers know how your project is progressing and what steps they need to take to receive their items. When posting time-sensitive information to your backers, be sure to make your announcements well in advance of a deadline.

Pro Tip: Send your survey emails early in the week, especially on a Monday, for the best response rates.

BackerKit recommends the following schedule for announcements:

Timeline	Announcement type
As your campaign is finishing or right after the completion date	Thank you
One to two days before sending surveys. While you may want to wait until you’re closer to production to start sending surveys, you should wait at least 14 days after your campaign ends to allow all of the funds to reach your account.	Sending surveys soon
One week before your order due date	Survey deadline reminder
One to two days before charging credit cards	Charging credit cards
Two days before your shipping address due date	Finalizing shipping addresses
Soon after your items ship.	Items are shipping

How to make announcements

You can make announcements to your backers on various platforms, such as through your crowdfunding platform, on social media, on your website, or by email.

Pro Tip: Centralize your backer communications as much as possible. Post important updates on the crowdfunding platform you used for your campaign, as your backers recognize the platform and expect communication from there.

To make sure all of your backers get the information they need, you may want to to post announcements on more than one platform. You can supplement the project updates you make on your crowdfunding platform with posts on social media to help spread information about your project. You can also post a link in your updates sent from BackerKit that includes a contact form for your backers to contact BackerKit directly with any questions.

Crowdfunding sites

Crowdfunding by BackerKit, Kickstarter and Indiegogo, all have a simple, built-in blogging system to keep backers updated on how things are going with the campaign.

The communication tools from your crowdfunding site are the best way to reach your backers.

Social media

Announcements you make on social media are not as visible as announcements posted from your crowdfunding site, but can be helpful in spreading information about your campaign. You should engage your backers and supporters regularly without overwhelming them with information.

Your posts should have a conversational tone and provide regular updates on your project’s progress. Regular engagement also helps to attract more followers to your project.

Email

In addition to your crowdfunding site and social media announcements, you can also email your backers directly. Note that your crowdfunding platform will automatically email new project updates to backers, so be sure to vary your message so your backers don’t receive the same message twice. If you need to get in touch with a specific group or segment of your backers, email is the best way to reach them. You can create a custom report containing the email addresses of a certain group of backers and use the list with your email platform, such as MailChimp or MailGun.

Create an FAQ page

In order to allow your backers to find their own answers to common questions, BackerKit allows you to make an FAQ (frequently asked questions) page. Be sure to post the link in your announcements.

We recommend including information such as a sizing chart, a color chart, technical specs, and anything else that may make it easier for backers to choose their items.

Pro Tip: Keep your FAQ page up to date. Backers’ questions will change as the status of your project progresses.You may even receive some questions you don’t anticipate.

To create an FAQ page:

On the menu on the left, click Support.
Click Project FAQs.
Create answers to common questions you anticipate from your backers.
Click Save.
To preview your page, click Preview Project FAQ.
Include a link to your FAQ page in your announcements. The link follows the format: https://[project name].backerkit.com/faq.

Include BackerKit logos

Let your backers know you’re using BackerKit. You can include any of our official logos in your announcements. Find our official logos and posting instructions on our Brand Assets page.

Manage non-responsive backers

Most backers complete their surveys within three to seven days of receiving them. However, in the world of crowdfunding, it's common to have backers who may not immediately fill out their survey, and they may even fill it out a year or more after you send it.

To help your backers remember to fill out their survey, BackerKit automatically sends reminder emails to backers who don’t respond in a timely manner. You can also do the following to help your backers complete the survey:

Make announcements about survey deadlines through your crowdfunding platform, social media, via your website, and by email.
Resend surveys to backers who deleted them or never received the survey. For more information, see How do I resend a survey?
If requested, complete the survey for a backer. For more information, see How do I complete a backer’s survey?

Focus your efforts on delivering items to the initial group of backers who gave you the necessary survey information. Delivering items on time to these backers will help you run a successful campaign.

How to keep backers informed using Charge Shipping Later

Note: Please refer to Options for Charging Shipping in BackerKit before using the Charge Shipping Later feature. When using the Charge Shipping Later feature, backer communication is critical.

Make sure to communicate that you will be charging for shipping later to your backers via BackerKit, Kickstarter or Indiegogo updates. There is some messaging in the survey, but over-communication is always better!
- Example Update Template (Feel free to use and edit for your Campaign Update): Sending surveys soon w/o shipping prices entered
In addition to this messaging in the survey, it's recommended to post an update on the campaign page directly, to your project FAQ page, as a pledge question, and also in important pledge level information for each pledge level so backers are notified about this in multiple places, the more information the better so there are no surprises.
- Example Message: "We currently don't have shipping prices entered for physical rewards in BackerKit. We plan to wait until closer to fulfillment to enter & charge you for the physical items on your survey to get the most accurate/fair fulfillment prices. We will update backers after entering those shipping prices before we charge you in BackerKit."

Project update email templates

Use the following templates for sending updates to your backers.

Thank you
Sending surveys soon
Sending surveys soon w/o shipping prices entered
Survey deadline reminder
Charging credit cards
Finalizing shipping addresses

Thank you

Examples: Quicklock, Robin, Mini Museum 2, Gym Gekko

Title: Thank you + Next Steps

Thank you for making our project a reality! A few things need to happen before we can kick off production and fulfillment.

Here's a quick rundown:

First, <Backerkit | Kickstarter | Indiegogo> needs to transfer over the funds so we have the money to make the rewards (this can take up to two weeks).

Second, we have to find out <fill in the blank> and where we need to ship them. We’ll send out a BackerKit survey to collect this information.

We’ll give you a heads-up before we send the survey so that you can watch for it. You don’t need to create a BackerKit account to answer your survey. The invitation email contains a link to your personal survey. It is important to submit your responses as quickly as you can since we need this information to process your rewards.

If you need to change your survey responses, purchase add-on items, or update your shipping information, you can click the link in your survey email again or request your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page. (This page will only start working after we send the surveys out.)

Answering your survey help us get your rewards out to you faster. BackerKit helps us save lots of time by streamlining the survey process, automating data organization, and providing us with pledge management software to make it easy to process your pledge reward shipments.

If you used your Facebook credentials to log in to your crowdfunding account, the BackerKit survey link is sent to the email address you use for your Facebook account. If you have another email address that you prefer to use, please contact me.

Again, thanks for all your support. We can’t wait to send you your <fill in the blank>.

Sending surveys soon

Examples: ShockStop, BATTLETECH

Note: Please don’t post our support email address directly into your updates. Direct your backers to use the contact form at https://[project name].backerkit.com/faq. The contact form allows our support team to better identify the backer's project and their questions.

Title: BackerKit surveys are coming!

Soon, you’ll receive an email from us with a special link to your BackerKit survey. It’s important to respond to your survey as quickly as you can since we need this information to fulfill your rewards.

You don’t need to create a BackerKit account to fill out your survey. When you receive the email with the survey, click the survey link to respond. Answer the questions about your reward preferences, provide shipping information, and purchase add-on items if you like. You don’t have access to this survey link yet, but it will be available soon via email!

After you respond to your survey, you can go back later and change your responses at any time before we close the surveys and get our final counts.

If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://[project name].backerkit.com.

If you used your Facebook credentials to log in to your account, the BackerKit survey is sent to the email address you use for your Facebook account. If you have another email address that you prefer to use, please contact support at https://[project name].backerkit.com/faq.

Sending surveys soon w/o shipping prices entered

Title: BackerKit surveys are coming!

Soon, you’ll receive an email from us with a special link to your BackerKit survey. It’s essential to respond to your survey as quickly as possible since we need this information to fulfill your rewards.

You do not need to create a BackerKit account to fill out your survey. When you receive the survey invite email, click the survey link to respond. Answer the questions about your reward preferences, provide shipping information, and purchase add-on items if you like. You don’t have access to this survey link yet, but it will be available soon via email!

After you respond to your survey, you can go back later and change your responses at any time before we close the surveys and get our final counts.

Due to the volatility of shipping prices globally right now, shipping fees for this project will be calculated at a later date once we have the best estimates for everyone. We plan to enter & charge backers for shipping a month or two before fulfillment when we have better estimates of what it will cost to ship backers rewards. We will alert backers when shipping costs are finalized & before we charge your cards in your BackerKit survey. We will keep you informed all along the way!

If you used your Facebook credentials to log in to your crowdfunding account, the BackerKit survey is sent to the email address associated with your Facebook account. If you have another email address that you prefer to use, please contact support at https://[project name].backerkit.com/faq.

After surveys are sent, if you did not receive the email, and you Signed in with Apple ID, your email address might be a private relay email address. We can help locate your survey and update your email address, please message us or post a comment with your Backer ID or Pledge # found on your confirmation. You can learn more about your email hiding for your Apple ID here.

Survey deadline reminder

Examples: Everyday Messenger Bag, Roost Laptop Stand, Lily Trotters, Tribal Collection

Title: Last call for order updates!

The last day to make final updates to your order is <deadline date>. After this date, we will lock your reward selections and charge cards for add-on item purchases, pledge upgrades, and pre-orders. You can update your shipping address up until we lock addresses for shipping.

If you haven’t answered your survey yet, if you fill out your BackerKit survey or pay for extra shipping after the <deadline date> order due date, we’ll still receive your information but your shipment may be delayed.

THANK YOU!

Thank you all again for being so responsive to answering our BackerKit survey—even though it may not seem like much as an individual backer, you have no idea how tremendously helpful this has been for me when trying to keep track of all <# of backers> of you!

Thanks everyone for your support!

Charging credit cards

Title: Heads Up - Charging Credit Cards for BackerKit Orders

Hi Backers!

Just wanted to give you a little heads up that we plan to charge cards for add-on items you purchased or any additional funds you may owe through BackerKit on <deadline date>. This charge will appear on your bank statement as < enter your Stripe statement descriptor here>. Please make sure that you have the correct card information on file. If any issues arise with your payment you’ll receive an email letting your know to correct your payment information.

If you need to review payment information, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://[project name].backerkit.com.

Locking shipping addresses

Examples: CHIP, Skies of Fire, Roost Laptop Stand

Title: Locking your shipping address!

This is it! We’re finally getting ready to ship!

We will locking shipping addresses soon. That means you have two days to update your shipping address in your BackerKit survey.

If you need to review your shipping address, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://[project name].backerkit.com.

If you haven’t answered your survey yet, you can still fill it out to get your rewards, but your shipment may be delayed.

We’re currently aiming to ship rewards on <Target Month>. If you need to change your shipping address, please make the changes in your BackerKit survey in the next two days.

Thanks!