What NOT to Use to Drive Traffic to Your Gamefound Campaign (or Burger…)
In the last post, I talked about what crowdfunding platforms ARE and what they ARE NOT.
And how many board game creators misunderstand and overestimate what a crowdfunding campaign can accomplish in terms of customer acquisition.
In the next post, I’ll start sharing which marketing channels you should use to get board game customer’s attention.
But first, I want to do some apophatic reasoning…
And tell you which channels you should NOT rely one.
Because here is the thing:
Some of the best e-commerce marketing channels…
The onces that marketers swear by…
Are NOT viable options for crowdfunding tabletop games.
Literally, the most battle-hardened, time-tested, proven tactics will fall flat on their face if used in a board game crowdfunding campaign.
Why?
Because not everything goes well together.
Allow me to explain…
Board Game Crowdfunding is a Big Task!
You Don’t Need to Do it Alone
My Controversial Burger Topping Take
Ok, so in past posts I mentioned that I cook a lot.
And I have this culinary pet peeve that I really, REALLY want to share with you.
It might be wildly unpopular, but I don’t care; someone needs to say it, and it might as well be me.
Here it goes.
SHARP WHITE CHEDDAR IS A BAD CHEESE FOR BURGERS.
(If you are a passionate Irishman, stay with me for a second! Allow me to explain myself…)
For one, it doesn’t melt. Like at all. Its just this hard crumbly cheese on the burger.
And I’m not one of those crazy “american cheese only” fools that things that american cheese is the only cheese in existence that melts when applied to heat.
Provolone works
Jack works
Brie works
Goat works
Muesnter works
And that’s just off the top of my head… zero google search required
But two, the flavor of white cheddar WAY too powerful for a burger
When it comes to 99% of burgers, if there is white cheddar on the burger, then ALL you taste is the white cheddar.
Obviously, this applies to the standard american burger toppings like iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, ketchup, etc.
But it also applies to fancy burgers.
Even that GORGEOUS looking burger I used as the image for the blog post. Its backed with bold toppings like aioli and arugula and bacon. And yet, all those delicious ingredients will be washed out by the gut punch of that aged, irish curd.
Gone are the subtleties of aioli…
Sayonara to the buttery caramelized onions…
Au vieter zein to the nuance of the hand-ground 50% brisket/50% trip tip patty…
Instead… just WHITE CHEDDAR.
That’s all you’ll taste.
But all that “mad-man-raving-about-cheese” said… White cheddar is an EXCELLENT cheese!
On a cracker during Christmas with some fig jam by a cozy fireplace? Sign me the f*$% up!
The ingredient is not bad, but it is poor when paired with the wrong things.
It’s the exact same thing with blue cheese: 9/10 times it is far too powerful for the lettuce, dressing, nuts, or other veggies used in the salad.
But on iceberg lettuce? With bacon and some cherry tomatoes? Suddenly, blue cheese is not only invited, but asked to be the guest of honor in the form of blue cheese dressing!
Now, before I lose literally every reader with my opinion of bacon on burgers (maybe for a later post…),
Let me tie this into your board game Kickstarter campaigns/ creators crowdfunding tabletop games…
Not every marketing channel works for crowdfunding tabletop games.
What you need is a marketing channel that is:
Used by your target audience
Fits with your marketing budget
Able to gather the audience you need to launch your campaign.
Some channels meet those criteria… others do not!
Not every channel will give you the best ROI for your crowdfunding campaign. And unless you are Scrooge McDuck, you probably want to be wise with your time and money.
Some ideas may sound like a good way to reach people, textbook ecommerce methods are too big to fail, but they often do not work out with this particular business model. Here are three most common customer acquisition tools that fall short with Kickstarter, Backerkit, or a Gamefound marketing strategy:
Google Ads
When strategized and managed by a professional, Google Ads can be marvelously effective. They are a short-term marketing strategy designed to bring immediate, though modest, impact to your bottom line.
However, they’re costs can easily balloon upwards, as you pay per click instead of paying per conversion. As a result, they become cost-effective when you are dealing with A) huge customer bases (ex: “baby toys”) or B) localized searches (ex": “landscaper near me”).
Search Engine Optimization
If Google Ads is for the short term, SEO is the opposite. Search Engine Optimization is the looooong game, often taking 6+ months to see results. However, once you get those results, they pay huge dividends. Rather than convincing people to give your products/services a try, SEO brings people already interested in purchasing right to your online doorstep. Because there is a strong product/market fit, they are already compelled to purchase, and you can spend a lot less time nurturing that customer.
However, because it is so long-term and so expensive, it is not a viable option for most independent board game developers.
Marketing In-Person
On the one hand, the reason you cannot do this for an e-commerce Kickstarter is obvious: you’re business is virtual, not physical. In person, physical marketing requires your… ya know… IN PERSON… to physically make marketing materials. And your reach has geographic limitations, which is the exact downside that drive so many people to e-commerce. Your target audience is too niche for you to find enough supporters nearby.
But on the other hand, there is no reason you cannot spend minimal funds to visit a FLGS or a nearby tabletop games convention. These people might be the exact people you need for positive reviews, gameplay feedback, or initial support. But rarely is in-person marketing sufficient to fund a campaign, so you’ll need to look elsewhere.
There you have it!
Three e-commerce giants that are not real options for funding simple or complicated games, family or nerd games, accessible or niche TTRPGS.
But next blog post, I’ll explain which crowdfunding marketing channels are the go-to options for tabletop game creators everywhere.
