Disney “Twist” Villains and Posting on Forums for Tabletop Games…
(this blog post is part of an ongoing series about Kickstarter board game marketing:
Learn what crowdfunding does/doesn’t do for customer acquisition (read here)
Learn which marketing channels NOT to use (read here)
Learn why you need both organic and paid social media (read here))
In the previous blog post in this series, I discussed how both paid and organic social media marketing are important for your tabletop game crowdfunding campaign.
But those only focus on YOUR social media. And that isn’t enough; you also want to focus on OTHERS too. Accounts, profiles, servers, threads, and channels that deal with subject matter related to your game.
It’s important to post organically on Reddit, Discord, and Other Forums.
I know, you this might be thinking “duh” and probably already know this, but its worth repeating…
Places like r/boardgames on Reddit or the BoardGameGeek forum are filled with people passionate about tabletop game development. Most of these people are a special version of your target audience…
Because not only are they likely to become backers, they are potential advocates for your brand and game.
These are people who care about games so much that they not only play them, and not only support them, but take their precious free time to talk about them with strangers on the internet. These people CARE. And you want people who care on your side!
It’s good to have passionate and active board gamers on your side!
This is another form of social media marketing. Which means it can work in tandem with your other social media marketing efforts. Definitely a “the more the merrier” kind of situation!
Anyways, back to posting on board game forums. Rather than directly promoting your upcoming Kickstarter campaign, you’ll be commenting on someone else’s question, comment, or work.
And not just “Hey, that’s cool, have you seen my cool thing?” No no no. You’ll be allowing others to steer the conversation. Simply logging on and dropping a link to your Backerkit page is not going to help you reach your crowdfunding goals.
(In fact, like any bad marketing, it might actually HARM your marketing strategy. Causing you to raise less money than you otherwise would.)
No… for posting on forums to work, you need to be these two things:
Selfless
Genuine
Why?
Well, think of those (not too common) twist Disney villains.
You know, the ones that pretended to be good, and then you discover they were actually bad in the end?
For me, the one that comes most to mind is Prince Hans from “Frozen”.
For those that were living under a rock since 2013, here is Hans involvement in the movie:
He arrives for the coronation of Princess Elsa.
He discovers that her sister, Princess Ana, is desperate to live a more exciting life. And she is thrilled so many people are visiting.
We learn that Hans is the last of 12 brothers
He showers Anna with affection
She is smitten and they fall in love, singing about how their love opens all sorts of possibilities for their lives.
(other plot stuff happens)
After Elsa flees and Anna pursues, he is the voice of reason back at court
(more plot stuff happens)
Anna is wounded, and can only be saved by a true love’s kiss
Both the characters (and audience) know that she must be taken to Hans
He arrives as Anna is freezing to death, and right before he kisses her…
He reveals that he never loved her…
That he wanted her throne…
Planned to kill her and her sister all along…
And promptly leaves to let Anna die and kill Elsa himself.
Hans’ affections were not genuine.
Now, Hans is a villain because he has villainous motives and committed villainous acts.
But if the audience had known this from the beginning, there would have been no drama or emotional reaction to his actions. We might have disliked the character, but we wouldn’t despise him.
But by having the deception, betrayal, and self-interest, Hans becomes despicable in our eyes and hearts. We have a visceral emotional reaction to his treachery.
Even if you haven’t seen the movie, I am sure that you understand the feeling. Just imagine a time when someone gave you an insincere compliment. Or a moment when you realized that someone was only helping you because they wanted something in return.
Feels icky.
Makes you angry.
Makes you want to avoid that person.
Why?
Simple:
People HATE inauthenticity!!!
When people encounter someone who is not genuine, but is pretending to be authentic, they have the following reactions:
They do not trust them
They feel used
They do not feel seen or heard
They feel manipulated
They feel annoyed or awkward.
Are these the types of thoughts and feelings that will turn someone into a Kickstarter backer?
No. No they are not.
Ok, so back to forums for a second…
These forums are places for people to discuss topics they are passionate about. They are NOT places for advertisements.
So you hop on a social media forum, pretending to be conversing, but really you are just wanting to advertise your game, how do you think people will feel?
Used. Ignored. Manipulated. Annoyed
And not only will your link get ignored…
But your reputation in the tabletop games community will suffer.
For posting on forums to be successful, you have to be GENUINE:
Genuine about your insight on the subject matter…
Genuine about your curiosity about others…
Genuine about your willingness to help…
Like organic social media, this is a loooooong game. You are earning trust by being a genuine human being. And earning trust this way takes time and effort!
So don’t just randomly post a link to your crowdfunding campaign! Interact with the subject at hand. Ask questions. Answer other questions.
Ya know, have a normal human conversation!
But don’t worry. You are not wasting your time.
Because, eventually, your game and crowdfunding campaign will ORGANICALLY come up.
And when that happens…
Others on the forum will be OPEN and RECEPTIVE to anything you share.
What do you share?
Tell the story of why/how you created the game
Talk about any recent updates
Mention the features and benefits
New ideas or give quick looks at your playtesting.
Questions to get their feedback
The time will eventually come to drop direct links to your project. When you share your vision there, you can get feedback and make connections. It will help bring your backer experience to the next level. You can talk about the key features of your game and
When you talk with people in a true way, you build trust and get more support for your project. Let people show interest in what you are making at their own pace. Sooner or later, you’ll draw in people who want to back your Kickstarter.
Long story short…
Get on relevant Reddit threads and start conversing with like-minded tabletop nerds!
And when the time is right, talk about your upcoming crowdfunding campaign!
