By At The Crowdfunding Formula (TCF), we are proud to have partnered with Particula on their groundbreaking third crowdfunding project, GoChess. This chessboard campaign not only shattered records on Kickstarter but also became the highest-funded chessboard campaign in history, raising over $2 million.
Our strategy combined a variety of proven marketing techniques, from targeted ads and public relations to email marketing and dynamic social media campaigns. This approach maximized the campaign’s visibility and generated excitement around GoChess, resulting in a 13-fold return on investment and a 5-fold return on ad spend.
Curious about how we achieved such remarkable success? Let’s dive into how our decade-long expertise, combined with Particula’s strong history of successful campaigns like GoCube and GoDice, led to this phenomenal crowdfunding triumph.
Laying the Groundwork: Building on Prelaunch Success
Before launching the GoChess crowdfunding campaign, Particula collaborated with Prelaunch.com, a platform that helps creators validate their product’s market fit. This critical prelaunch phase tested GoChess’s concept and price point, ensuring there was a real demand before the full-scale crowdfunding effort began.
The partnership with Prelaunch.com proved invaluable, confirming that GoChess was ready for the market. The positive feedback from the target audience provided strong validation, allowing the team to move forward with confidence into the crowdfunding phase.
Crafting an Engaging Landing Page
Once the GoChess concept was validated, the next step was to create a landing page that would captivate potential backers. The Prelaunch.com team built a page designed to display the product’s standout features, including close-up views of the self-moving pieces, the illuminated lights, and the high-quality materials.
The landing page also spotlighted Particula’s track record of successful campaigns, reinforcing GoChess’s credibility. The strategic use of visuals and content not only stirred interest but also generated anticipation for the upcoming campaign.
Feedback from early visitors revealed a desire for more information about the product’s technology and functionality, so we enhanced the landing page with detailed explanations. This additional clarity boosted customer confidence and encouraged them to reserve their spot as early backers.
Lead Generation Strategy
With the landing page optimized, we focused on building a community of potential backers. Our first step was to drive traffic through targeted Facebook and Instagram ads. These ads were designed to create a compelling narrative and direct traffic to the landing page.
Our design team developed several ad variations, but two specific strategies stood out for their ability to convert:
- The Magic: Drawing inspiration from the famous wizard’s chessboard in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, we tapped into the magic and excitement of self-moving pieces. The ad highlighted the thrill and wonder of GoChess, inviting viewers to relive that childhood fascination with chess.
- Close-up Visuals: The second design showcased a detailed, up-close view of the GoChess pieces, emphasizing their intricate design and functionality. These visuals connected with the audience on a deeper level, sparking curiosity about the product’s unique features.
This visual strategy paid off, with 90% of the sign-ups coming from these two ad directions. By tapping into emotions and showing the product in action, we captured the attention of our audience and kept them engaged.
Nurturing Leads with Email Marketing
In addition to generating leads, we wanted to ensure that potential backers were fully educated about GoChess before the official campaign launch. To do this, we implemented a comprehensive email marketing strategy.
Personalized emails were sent from the creator’s name, adding a personal touch that made recipients feel connected. These emails weren’t just text-based; they included dynamic visuals that helped potential backers visualize the product. The bright colors and appealing design increased the emails’ attractiveness and sparked greater interest in GoChess.
Our email campaign proved to be highly effective, with a 67% open rate and a 34% click-through rate. These impressive figures show that the personalized approach significantly increased engagement, establishing a strong relationship with our audience.
Converting Loyal Backers from Previous Campaigns
One of the keys to a successful launch was leveraging Particula’s existing loyal backers. We reached out to previous supporters with a special email campaign offering them VIP pricing with no reservation fees. This strategy not only acknowledged their past support but also incentivized them to join the new GoChess campaign.
By nurturing relationships with past backers, we turned many of them into VIP subscribers, and they, in turn, helped spread the word about GoChess, amplifying our reach.
Designing the Campaign Page for Maximum Impact
With the groundwork laid and the community engaged, we turned our focus to creating a compelling campaign page. The page was designed to be both dynamic and informative, capturing the magic of GoChess while highlighting its practical features.
The campaign page was titled GoChess: The Most Powerful Chessboard Ever Invented, a title designed to intrigue and convey the product’s unique value. The page featured a clear description of GoChess’s top features, such as self-moving pieces, real-time coaching, online play, and AI-powered functionality.
To build trust, we included trust seals on the page, which are known to increase consumer confidence. The dynamic visuals showed how GoChess worked, engaging visitors and inviting them to explore further.
We also structured the content around the “Why GoChess?” concept, answering key questions and reinforcing the product’s unique advantages. This strategy helped visitors clearly understand why GoChess was a must-have and guided them toward supporting the campaign.
Establishing Credibility and Trust
In the world of crowdfunding, trust is everything, and we knew that past failed chess projects had created skepticism. To address this, we highlighted Particula’s track record of success, showcasing their previous campaigns, GoCube and GoDice, to reassure potential backers that GoChess was backed by a reliable and experienced team.
We also committed to transparent communication, providing responsive customer support and addressing any concerns promptly. This transparency helped ease potential backers’ fears and solidified our credibility.
The Big Launch
Finally, the big moment arrived: the GoChess campaign was live. To incentivize early backers, we offered a free pouch for the pieces to anyone who backed within the first 24 hours. The response was overwhelming, and within a mere 24 hours, we had raised $500K.
The excitement was palpable as we watched the momentum build. The campaign was off to a roaring start, and we were just getting started.
Conclusion
The success of the GoChess campaign is a testament to the power of a well-executed crowdfunding strategy. By combining targeted advertising, thoughtful design, personalized email marketing, and leveraging the support of previous backers, we created a campaign that generated significant excitement and raised over $2 million. Stay tuned for the next installment, where we’ll explore how we continued to build on this momentum and achieve even greater success.