Crowdfunding Nerds: Kickstarter Marketing, Business, & Beyond!

Social Stretch Goals & Mobilizing Your Crowd

The Crowdfunding Nerds discuss the importance of crafting social stretch goals that engage your crowd and give some tips to generate your very own!00:00:43 – Defining Social Stretch Goals00:03:55 – Where Do You Post Social Stretch Goals?00:06:56 – How Often Should You Update Social Stretch Goal Results?00:09:26 – Do Not Spam!00:13:02 – Leverage Your Community Culture00:17:10 – Crowdfunding Projects That Did Stretch Goals Well00:20:40 – Gamify Your Social Stretch Goals00:30:37 – Social Stretch Goal Rewards00:35:21 – Pledge Boosting00:40:31 – Where People Go Wrong With Social Stretch Goals00:45:00 – Make Social Stretch Goals Attainable00:49:30 – Crowdfunding Nerds Community Questions Answered
Shownotes
Exploding Kittens Kickstarter Campaign - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/elanlee/exploding-kittensElan Lee Social Stretch Goals Lecture - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCIgcvK8eloFrosthaven Kickstarter Campaign - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/frosthaven/frosthavenHand To Hand Wombat Campaign Update #3 - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/elanlee/hand-to-hand-wombat/posts/3422260Team Fortress 2 War Update - https://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/WAR!_UpdateSkyrim Social Stretch Goals - https://gamefound.com/projects/modiphius/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-the-board-game#/product/20870Fractured Veil - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paddlecreekgames/fractured-veil-a-survival-and-base-building-multiplayer

The ”Art” of Marketing Board Games

The Crowdfunding Nerds talk about board game art as it relates to marketing, including where to find great artists, how to know if your art is or is not up to standard, and more!
00:02:10 – You Need Great Art00:03:57 – Does Andrew Own Any Board Games With Bad Art?00:05:42 – Poor Game Design Can Lead To Bad Art00:09:06 – Artist Vs Art Director00:12:23 – One Card Game Challenge00:16:07 – Good Art Reduces Your Cost Per Lead00:17:56 – Can You Afford To Self-Publish?00:21:55 – How You Know Your Art Is Good?00:31:24 – Where Do You Find Artists?00:39:34 – Raster Vs Vector Art00:42:49 – Saving Money With Your Art00:46:19 – What Do People Think Of Your Art At Conventions?00:47:47 – Allow Your Artist To Be Honest With You00:49:52 – What Makes A Good Logo?
Shownotes 
The Flood Board Game - https://thefloodboardgame.com/
Radlands - https://roxley.com/products/radlands
Color Wheel - https://www.canva.com/colors/color-wheel/
Art Station - https://www.artstation.com/
Deviant Art - https://www.deviantart.com/
Adobe Behance - https://www.behance.net/

Ep 67: How To Make An Awesome Kickstarter Video w/ David Diaz

The Crowdfunding Nerds are joined by David Diaz of Mesa Game Lab to talk about crowdfunding video trailers.
00:01:09 – Mesa Game Lab & Deliverance00:02:54 – David Diaz Has Skillz00:04:26 – How Long Have You Freelanced?00:06:20 – What Services Do You Offer?00:12:01 – Your Art Assets Need To Be Ready Before Seeking A Video00:16:30 – Pricing: How Do You Charge?00:18:41 – How Much Time Do You Need To Create A Video?00:20:16 – Video Production & Consulting?00:24:48 – Use Your Trailer For Facebook Advertising00:32:26 – Your Board Game Trailer Needs This00:38:03 – How Long Does It Take To Export A Video?00:45:07 – Live-Action / Stop-Motion Videos?00:48:47 – Make Sure Your Assets Have Layers00:51:20 – Backups?00:53:49 – Advice For Those Coming Up To LaunchShownotesMesa Game Lab Crowdfunding Videos - https://www.mesagamelab.com/
Fossilis Board Game - https://www.mesagamelab.com/board-game-design
Quests & Cannons Kickstarter Video - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/short-hop-games/quests-and-cannons
Pericle: Gathering Darkness - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jeremy-morgan/pericle-gathering-darkness

Ep 66: Questions To Ask Marketing Agencies Before Going To Kickstarter

The Crowdfunding Nerds talk about the questions you need to be thinking about before going to Kickstarter and hiring a marketing agency to help you achieve your goals.
00:02:01 – The Importance Of Being Prepared To Talk To Marketing Agencies00:05:55 – What Is A KPI?00:06:17 – How To Know If Your Marketing Is Effective?00:13:56 – Benchmarks Vs KPIs00:15:12 – Return On Ad Spend (ROAS)00:17:52 – Crowdfunding Is Not Like Traditional Ecommerce00:25:21 – What Is The Process / Funnel?00:29:24 – If An Agency Does Not Qualify You – RUN!00:36:19 – Fees / How Do I Pay For Ads?00:46:49 – Diversify Your Audience Reach
Shownotes
From Client to Employee – Ryan and His Kickstarter Journey https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode21/ 
The Virtuous Cycle Of Kickstarter Marketing - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode14
Ponzinomics Book - https://www.amazon.com/Ponzinomics-Untold-Story-Multi-Level-Marketing-ebook

Ep 65: Listen To This Podcast Before Launching On Kickstarter

The Crowdfunding Nerds discuss the ultimate checklist of things to do and not do before launching your game on Kickstarter.
00:02:30 – Do Not Add Shipping In Your Pledge00:16:51 – Know Your Numbers00:19:41 – Things That Can’t Be Changed About Your Project When Live00:27:08 – Make Sure To Send Out Your “Now Live On Kickstarter” Email00:35:57 – Tips For Designing Your Kickstarter Page00:44:49 – The Most Funded Kickstarter Of All Time – Brian Sanderson00:48:40 – Risks & Rewards Section
ShownotesFrosthaven MSRP update - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/frosthaven/frosthaven/posts/3451092
The Bad Karmas and The Curse of the Zodiac - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/xplored/the-bad-karmas?ref=blbexf
Bloodstone (Canceled) - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/druidcitygames/bloodstone
The Tabletop Find-It Book - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/oldmangames/the-tabletop-find-it-book?ref=83jm2y
Zombicide: Undead or Alive - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cmon/zombicide-undead-or-alive
Gloomhaven (Second Printing) - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/frosthaven/gloomhaven-second-printing
Sword & Sorcery - Ancient Chronicles - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ares-games/sword-and-sorcery-ancient-chronicles
Chronicles of Crime - The Millennium Series - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/destinies/chronicles-of-crime-the-millennium-series
Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/faroffgames/arydia-the-paths-we-dare-tread
Surprise! Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dragonsteel/surprise-four-secret-novels-by-brandon-sanderson

Ep 64: Listen To Joe Slack Before Launching Your Second Kickstarter

The Crowdfunding Nerds continue their discussion with Joe Slack on how to transition from your a successful Kickstarter campaign to another project.
00:00:54 – Being The Face Of Your Company?00:07:55 – The Game Design Course00:12:36 – How To Leverage Past Campaigns For Current Launch00:16:35 – How To Launch An Expansion To Your First Game00:22:35 – How To Get The ‘Project We Love’ badge on Kickstarter00:28:31 – We Launching An Expansion Did You Have Existing Copies Of The Base Game?00:29:46 – Keeping Email Lists Separated00:34:29 – Questions To Ask Fans After A Successful Campaign00:47:00 – Final Thoughts
Shownotes
Joe Slack’s Board Game Design Course - https://boardgamedesigncourse.com
Interviewing A Sales Master: Dan Boe – Part 1/2 - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode61/
Anya Combs: Director of Games Kickstarter - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anyacombs/
Coffeezilla Influencer Scams - https://www.youtube.com/c/Coffeezilla/

Ep 63: How To Launch Your Second Kickstarter Project With Joe Slack

Joe Slack joins the Crowdfunding Nerds to talk about transitioning from game to game on Kickstarter!
00:01:30 – Joe Is A CFN Fan00:02:19 – Who Is Joe Slack?00:03:40 – What Projects Have You Been Involved In?00:04:51 – Seek A Publisher Or Self-Publish?00:08:37 – How Do You Know When You Are On Brand?00:13:44 – When Should People Go Into Game Design Full Time?00:20:08 – Game Design Course?00:28:08 – Playing The Shipping Game00:34:36 – The Value Of Communicating With Backers00:36:04 – Example Of A Game That Transitioned Well
Shownotes
The Board Game Design Course - https://jslack.lpages.co/board-game-design-course-launch/
The Board Game Design Virtual Summit 2020 - https://jslack.lpages.co/virtual-board-game-design-summit/
Relics of Rajavihara and Montalo’s Revenge - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/crazylikeabox/relics-of-rajavihara-montalos-revenge-expansion-and-re-print
Smirk & Dagger/Laughter Games - https://www.smirkanddagger.com/
Chip Cole - https://www.chipthedesigner.com/
Cryptid Cafe - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/squatchygames/cryptid-cafe
The Board Game Designer’s Guide to Careers in the Industry - https://boardgamedesigncourse.com/careers-in-the-industry/
Comic book burning - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/73258510/sad-pictures-for-children/posts/759318
4.5 Outcomes You Need To Consider Before Going To Kickstarter - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode5/

Ep 62: Interviewing A Sales Master: Dan Boe – Part 2/2

The Crowdfunding Nerds continue their discussion with Dan Boe, the sales master!
00:01:25 – The Psychology Of The Sale, How Customers Think00:04:28 – 3 Sales Shortcuts00:13:01 – Think For Your Customers00:17:04 – Marketing Is Honesty00:20:54 – Overcoming Buyer Objection By Getting To The Truth00:25:26 – Dealing With Cancelled Pledges00:32:03 – Leverage The Feeling of Missing Out00:33:40 – Customers Always Compare Pricing00:36:57 – Dealing With Failure In Sales00:44:13 – Casinos Know How People Make Decisions00:45:04 – Change Statements Into Questions00:48:45 – The Importance of Authenticity
Shownotes Pitch Anything By Oren Klaff - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10321016-pitch-anythingThe Tabletop Find-It Book - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/oldmangames/the-tabletop-find-it-book

Ep 61: Interviewing A Sales Master: Dan Boe – Part 1/2

Dan Boe joins the Crowdfunding Nerds to discuss how consumers make decisions in sales. He describes his sales process, which involves illustrating the problem, describing the ramifications of the problem, and then stating a solution.
00:05:17 – Who Is Dan Boe?00:10:31 – Where Andrew & Dan Met00:14:36 – Dan’s Process Driven Sales Funnel00:31:12 – How Not To Be A Pushy Sales Person00:35:32 – Building Trust Before A Sale00:39:29 – A Process To Build Trust00:41:54 – Cold Calling Tips

Ep 60: Meet The Crowdfunding Nerds Community Moderators

The Crowdfunding Nerds interview Ben Levy and Devon Mettlin who are help moderate the Crowdfunding Nerds Facebook Community!
00:01:47 – Who Is Ben Levy?00:02:38 – Who Is Devon Mettlin?00:03:42 – The Key To Building Community00:05:51 – Board Game Art And NFTs?00:10:32 – Learn As You Go00:13:21 – 7 Touch Rule To Sales00:23:45 – Gamify Your Emails00:27:56 – Know When The Right Time To Buy Is00:33:40 – Facebook Group Organic Marketing Tips00:40:42 – How To Craft Social Media Posts00:47:12 – I Hate Marketing, Help!00:56:28 – What Value Are You Adding To Online Communities?
ShownotesMantle Of The Keeper - https://mantleofthekeeper.com/BGDL Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/281973812325263Jamie Stegmaier's Blog - https://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter/Kristen Instagram Queen - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode59/Libretalia Game - https://stonemaiergames.com/games/libertalia/Megapulse Game - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/orion-games/megapulseFractured Veil Podcast - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode40/Valve On Alternate Reality Games For Marketing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIAkqYCw6aY