Kim Boekbinder is one prolific Kickstarter jockey!

She has created 16 projects in all (and one test).  Five have been for various recordings including a project with Amanda Palmer and  the remainder were used in a rather innovative way – to fund tour dates in various cities.

This is obviously a great deal of experience so it will be interesting to dive into her current Kickstarter project, The Sky is Calling…

[button link=”http://kck.st/O5D9PK” color=”teal” window=”yes”]View This Project[/button]

THIS IS NEVER EASY

Current and future Kickstarter jockeys, take heart!  Even for Kim who, again, has a ton of Kickstarter experience under her belt, there is fear and uncertainty in launching a project.

KB:  The fear that it will fail. Always, for me, that is the hardest. Putting together the pitch can be tricky, the video is always a challenge. Hitting launch means subjecting your art to public value. But the stakes are even higher because you’re asking for so much: not only for people to like your work, but to believe in your future.

It is normal to experience these emotions of fear and uncertainty.

Just don’t let it dissuade you.

No, it won’t be easy, but if you have the vision, understand the scope you are working in, and work to establish the connection with your audience, you can do this!

Hard Work and Diligence Pay Off

Kim is a great example of this.  Her first project was for $1300.

Then a failure!

But she came back and completed a project for just over $3300.

Then she hit on something with Amanda Palmer and funded a $13,000 project.

Now, $35,000!!!!

What an inspiration for artists out there.  You CAN grow your career on your own!

WORK YOUR CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE WITH VALUABLE CONTENT

Another strength of Kim’s is how she works her Circle of Influence.

KB:   I send out an email roughly once a month, and stay engaged with fans over twitter, facebook, and something I call MISSION CONTROL (which is a password protected subscription site where my extra supportive fans watch the writing process of this album…)

Staying connected is crucial to your mission as an artist.

If you collect emails while you are out on tour, throw them in the corner for a year and then email everybody on launch day of your Kickstarter, you have just screwed yourself.

Content = Connection

People do not want to be contacted just because you need money.  They want contact that contains value…

And the value is you!

In Internet Marketing lingo, this is called Content-Based marketing.

You create an audience with the valuable content that you provide, in your case it is music and personality.  Here is what we are doing this summer…  Here’s a demo of a new song…  Hey, check out this cover art…  The craziest thing happened at a gig the other night…  Watch this video skit of Tri-County Cops (yes, this is me, along with Levi James, in my old band!)…  You get the picture.

Do this and the connection is made!  Then, when you offer the opportunity to participate in your Kickstarter or buy your Christmas CD, you aren’t just pandering for money.

A Content-laden Project Description

Take a look through Kim’s project description.  She isn’t talking about how much she wants to do this project or about how these songs are her “best ever”.  She offers content:

• Introduction to the artistic concept
• info on Project Collarborators including cool pictures
• a breakdown of the project budget
• much more in terms of images and descriptions

This content is made even stronger by the fact that, for her current Circle of Influence, it is building on a relationship and connections that are already established.

This demonstrates that Kim is sincere, legitimate, and credible.

THE TAKEAWAY

The Sky is Calling is a BOSS example of how the principles of Internet Marketing apply to music.

You can really dig into things if you want, but at the very least, realize the power that lies behind these principles.

Communicate with your Circle of Influence on a continuous basis.  (Don’t take for granted that people will remember why they like you if they haven’t heard from you for a long time!)

Offer them valuable content for free AND a valuable product that they can help fund.

And remember that, even for the old pro’s, it can be scary to launch a project.  But you have to do it and you have to keep doing it even if you fail.

Do that and you will find success much like Kim has!