Kickstarter.com is the Ford Mondeo of the Crowdfunding platforms. It’s been around the longest, it’s the most reliable and is an all or nothing platform; meaning, nobody gets anything unless the targeted goal gets hit.

There is a science to building a following online and it doesn’t happen for free. While the product has been finalised for industrial manufacture, social media has allowed for a connection between the product and the brand to be made in the eyes of future consumers. That in essence, is the opportunity the internet has brought us; exposure to a digital market and the facilities to sell and ship products online. That’s exactly why the product must sell itself too; when the 30 day campaign runs, tns will substantiate its outreach with digital advertising techniques that are tried and tested.

Everything from Google ads campaigns, targeted Facebook and Instagram ads, YouTube ads and database mail outs will be used to spread the product as far and wide as possible.

The search index using internet user only equates to about 3% of all the internet itself. For every product or service in the world, search engines use a taxonomy to categorise items and services. In a given location, for every word or term you use, there will be a total number of people you can access. The popularity of your chosen field dictates how competitive it is and therefore how much you have to bid – to get your advert to appear high for that search.

These tools allow for a drop shipping business whereby couriers can deliver the product direct to the consumer. Short of a warehouse to store stock, this process cuts out the high licensing demands of existing brands and traditional high-street retail. It’s tough to do, but Kickstarter gives the average person a shot at creating a brand of their own.

When the ball launcher was targeted at the general public, the reaction and engagement with posts was underwhelming. However, when the index of user for which the product is intended were targeted, the posts received thousands of likes and got tens of thousands of views. Posted during the 2019 Ashes series – one of the Instagram videos for the ball launcher has been viewed by over 10000 people. The outreach of the product prior to the campaign going live is critical to success. It’s a process and a numbers game. The best technology related Kickstarter campaign got 7000 backers and pledges vary between $5 and $250 – so you do the maths!