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BackerKit Engagement Tools
Why is creating opportunities for engagement with your campaign important?
At BackerKit, our platform encourages creators to provide opportunities for backers to engage deeply in the crowdfunding process. By doing so, creators can develop a robust and engaged community of backers who are invested in the success of their current and future projects. We believe that backers make your project better. BackerKit helps you convert strangers into new backers, and helps convert your existing backers into super backers. Grow, nurture, and strengthen your community.
We have a few ways to support creators in creating these moments. Here are several examples of how creators have successfully engaged with their communities and got them excited about their campaign below. Please contact your BackerKit rep to brainstorm more specific ideas for your project.
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Polls
Polls allow creators to engage with their backers by asking a question related to their campaign, creating backer democracy, and driving high engagement between backers and creators. Polls are also a great way to create mid-campaign urgency. We have seen polls be the number one driver of engagement on campaigns.
Other Poll Examples:
- Purrtagonists: Fabled Felines
- ArchRavels: Magic Socks by XYZ Game Labs
- Return to Dark Tower Second Printing and New Covenant Expansion
- Smut Peddler X & My Monster Girlfriend
Updates & Discussions
We believe that a fun, rich, and engaging conversation around a creator, their project, and the backers makes the crowdfunding experience more meaningful for everyone. It’s what makes crowdfunding different from any kind of e-commerce experience. You feel connected to your community through the conversation with the creator, fellow backers, and to the larger community.
During and after a campaign, those who have backed the project can both initiate and respond to a discussion. These discussions and comments remain visible to all visitors to the project page under the Community page. Creators can “pin” a discussion, which keeps that post on the top of the Community page for optimal visibility.
Creator Update Examples:
- Wild Gardens by Rose Gauntlet
- The Weird by Monte Cook Games
- Land of Eem by Exalted Funeral
- May Campaign Update (Post Campaign)
- Coyote & Crow: Stories of the Free Lands
- Daybreak by CMYK
Backer Discussion examples
- The Weird by Monte Cook Games
Achievements
Achievements help maintain the game of crowdfunding past your funding goal. They make the experience of participating in your project as meaningful as getting something at the end of the campaign. Our Achievements feature supports the monetary “stretch goal” which we have come to know, and also gives creators the opportunity to determine what they want their community to achieve together, for example hitting a certain backer number goal.
Other Achievement Examples:
- Land of Eem by Exalted Funeral
- Spirit Island: Nature Incarnate by Greater Than Games
- Horror Classics by Georges Bess: DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN by Magnetic Press
- Parrotlet Plush Pals by Corviforms
Streaming
There are only so many big moments in a project, and letting your backers be a part of them is the best way to get the most out of the moments! We wanted to create a space to channel that big moment energy between the backer, the project creator, and other backers around a project launch. Creators have been using our streaming feature to hype up product reveals, campaign launches, and updates during their campaign—which has gotten their communities even more excited and engaged with their project.
Streaming examples:
Incentives
To maximize the success your campaign, implementing early bird and/or previous backer incentives is a strategy that can greatly benefit both you and your potential backers.
By offering freebies to early backers, you create a sense of urgency and motivate potential supporters to contribute sooner rather than later. Early bird incentives capitalize on the initial momentum of the campaign, generating buzz and attracting attention from a wider audience.
When backers see a campaign that is already gaining traction, they are more likely to jump on board, as they perceive it as a project with high potential. Early bird incentives help generate the initial surge of pledges, setting a positive tone for the rest of the campaign.
Previous backer incentives allow you to show appreciation to those who have been with you from the start. By offering exclusive freebies, you acknowledge the support of previous backers and make them feel valued, fostering a sense of loyalty and goodwill towards your brand.
What to Offer:
- Offer a free item. In the tabletop category, the most common items are free minis, promo packs/exclusive cards, art prints, patches, dice or other kinds of accessories. In other categories, we've seen complimentary stickers, keychains, and enamel pins.
- Offer a free digital content. You can use BackerKit's Digital Download feature after the campaign to distribute a free file or download.
- A dollar amount of credit to use in the pledge manager after the campaign.
What Not To Offer:
- Percentage-based discounts. If you want to offer a discounted pledge level, you can set up the pledge level at a discounted price and HIDE that pledge level after the 'early bird' time has elapsed.
- Free shipping — this is a lot harder to set up than one might think and is not recommended.
More exciting ways to engage with your backers are on the horizon, so stay tuned!