Quail… can I just call him Martin?…

Martin’s Kickstarter really knocked a couple of marbles loose for me and got me to thinking:  it is possible to optimize your project description and marketing copy based on crowd response.

But first, what makes this project?
Purpose. Worth. Backing.

When YOU Are The Purpose Worth Backing

It is clear from reading the project description and watching the video that this project is intensely (even insanely) personal.

Martin readily shares that he is experiencing a difficult, tragic phase of life and that he is using music as a means towards healing and coping.

Very often we discuss how, as an artist, you need to get your viewers believing in what you are trying to do. Often, this is “taking it to the next level” or realizing some super-creative artistic vision. You will find us discussing how you shape your purpose.

In this instance, the purpose shapes the project… putting a life back together… well, that is something that will undoubtedly resonate.

There really isn’t much to “learn” here as far as finding or defining purpose. But what is great about Martin’s project is that the purpose is clear and, even better, each piece of content is synonymous with this purpose, putting it at the forefront of the project.

“Optimize” Your Kickstarter Project Description And Marketing

You probably know this already but the idea is core to this section.  Understand that you can edit your project description as well as marketing “copy” at any point during your campaign.

I was reading through Martin’s project updates and noticed a few things.

First, I noticed some peculiar language in his 1st project update, so thought I’d check out the blog that he linked to… Wow, this tugs at the emotional strings. But not only is it moving, there is a really amazing Call To Action at the end. Good stuff.

Second, I noticed in update #6 that Martin put out a great call to action to backers to help spread the word.

These two instances together got me thinking about how to harness the power of social media by simply doing some optimization work with your project.

The idea is basically this: in the blogosphere, an arena that uses the notion of content-based marketing, every single piece of content that is released is monitored for traffic stats and efficacy.

If something doesn’t work, it is often pulled, edited or replaced within the day, maybe even hour. If something does work, it is pimped, pumped, submitted, and tossed around like it’s going out of style.

All of this in an effort to gain traffic and/or increase total conversion.

You can easily apply this to your Kickstarter campaign in a more manageable framework by simply paying attention to what is working!

Every time you release a different versions of “marketing copy” through social media, pay attention to the resulting level of backers.

When a particular idea or language works:  use it, duplicate it, pimp it, put it in your project description, use it in your next blast!

When something doesn’t work, toss it.

Yes, clearly there may be other variables affecting your level of backers, so do your best to be smart about what’s going on and take those variables into account.

Also, it is likely that you will only have 30 days for your project. Not a terribly large amount of time to be fiddle-farting around with “optimization”.

If you have the time and focus, it might be a good idea to do some of this work over the month leading up to project launch by sharing your Kickstarter preview or a special page on your website dedicated to your upcoming project. See how the sharing and/or interaction goes and take note.

THE TAKEAWAY

Language does matter.

This is one of the finer points we have made over the last few months but it’s true.

Do not neglect making personal connections for this notion.

But do make sure to incorporate into your current project and marketing campaign when something you do works smashingly well.