{"id":5295,"date":"2017-05-30T11:21:51","date_gmt":"2017-05-30T18:21:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.backerkit.com\/blog\/guides\/post-campaign-guide\/supporting-your-backers-tips-for-creators\/"},"modified":"2021-04-14T15:02:36","modified_gmt":"2021-04-14T22:02:36","slug":"supporting-your-backers-tips-for-creators","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.backerkit.com\/blog\/guides\/post-campaign-guide\/supporting-your-backers-tips-for-creators\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 2: Supporting your Backers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fielding questions from backers can flummox first-time creators and veterans alike. The bigger your crowdfunding campaign, the more likely you\u2019ll be flooded with feedback and queries \u2013 positive and negative. Keeping a cool head can be easier said than done, especially when you\u2019re juggling the demands of running and promoting a campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

Creators should aim to respond to backer inquiries in a timely and polite fashion. Being empathetic to backers\u2019 concerns is especially crucial: a little understanding can go a long way in placating your most fervent supporters.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re feeling stuck, don\u2019t worry! There are plenty of resources on BackerKit and elsewhere that can help.<\/span><\/p>\n

Providing Support on Kickstarter<\/span><\/h2>\n

Gary Canino, community support specialist at Kickstarter, says that the nature of the crowdfunding life cycle can be confusing for first-time backers. \u201cIt\u2019s not a store, it\u2019s about bringing projects to life,\u201d he says. \u201cWe often explain to people that they\u2019re backing something that\u2019s in progress, it\u2019s being made.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tensions can be mitigated by managing backers\u2019 expectations. Whether you\u2019re posting updates while the campaign is live or heading into the fulfillment phase, it\u2019s best to be clear with your backers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Questions from backers about shipping can often be the most thorny, particularly if creators run into production problems that result in significant delays.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Michael Kent, BackerKit\u2019s Head of Support, says keeping backers in the loop is important, although an update often begets more queries. \u201cOne the one hand, you want to be as transparent as you can with your backers,\u201d Kent says. \u201cOn the other hand, posting updates does seem to cause people to contact you, even if you\u2019re just checking in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Striking a balance is key. \u201cI personally like being transparent and posting project updates every month. That\u2019s a pretty good rule of thumb,\u201d Kent says. \u201cEven if you don\u2019t have much to say, letting backers know that you\u2019re there and you\u2019re working, it definitely puts their minds at ease.\u201d Kickstarter\u2019s Canino concurs. \u201cTransparency is good, honesty is good,\u201d he says. \u201cDelays do happen \u2013 and that\u2019s totally OK.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a tendency for creators to shy away from updates when they run into trouble. \u201cLots of creators, when they hit a hurdle or speed bump, realize that they\u2019ve got a delay in front of them, there\u2019s often apprehensive about sharing that with their backers right away, because they don\u2019t want to rock the boat or get backers angry and writing in,\u201d Michael says says. But the alternative \u2013 staying silent \u2013 will only result in more backer messages.<\/span><\/p>\n

If creators find themselves in a pickle, Kickstarter\u2019s <\/span>Resources Compendium<\/span><\/a> is a one-stop shop <\/span>for campaign troubleshooting. It includes the <\/span>Creator Handbook<\/span><\/a>, which covers all aspects of the crowdfunding journey from pre-launch to the fulfillment phase; <\/span>common FAQs<\/span><\/a> about the Kickstarter platform; and <\/span>Campus<\/span><\/a>, a forum where creators can ask fellow peers for advice on support best practices.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Minimize Backer Queries<\/span><\/h2>\n

Kent has worked on close to 1,000 projects. He says a number of recurring themes dominate the backer queries he handles.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe number one question for backers is, \u2018When is my reward shipping?\u2019, Kent says. \u201cThat\u2019s probably the case for crowdfunding campaigns all over the world.\u201d To allay these concerns, Kent recommends keeping backers in the loop with regular project updates. \u201cEvery single project update should mention some projected shipping date of some kind,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n

He also recommends making an \u201cincredibly conservative estimate\u201d when it comes to shipping dates. \u201cGet the estimate that you think you can do and double it, time-wise. No one will ever be upset if you ship your rewards to them early,\u201d he says. This will prove helpful should you run into any unforeseen obstacles in the fulfillment phase.<\/p>\n

Other common queries include requests to make changes to survey responses and product-specific questions about their rewards, including refund and return policies. Creators can minimize many of these queries at the start of their crowdfunding campaign by clearly outlining the information on their project page.<\/span><\/p>\n

Questions about return policies and refunds are extremely common. Kent suggests addressing these topics \u201cat the start of the campaign\u201d, and making sure that they are clearly articulated to backers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRefunds should be part of the FAQ of every single crowdfunding project across the board,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Handling Survey Questions<\/span><\/h2>\n

Backers might contact creators with questions related to BackerKit. They might have difficulty navigating the site, or responding to a survey. \u00a0The most queries are about making changes to survey responses, updating mailing addresses, \u00a0questions about <\/span>declined payments<\/span><\/a>,and the occasional <\/span>missing survey<\/span><\/a>. \u00a0If you\u2019ve enabled BackerKit support for your crowdfunding campaign, the BackerKit team handles all of these routine questions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes, backers might not be aware that they can make changes to their survey on their own before responses have been locked down. Similarly, backers can update their addresses until the creator marks the pledge as ready to ship.<\/span><\/p>\n

If a creator is handling support on their own, they can draw on the resources in BackerKit\u2019s <\/span>Help Center<\/span><\/a>, which covers the most common queries, or direct backers to relevant articles.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Manage Feedback<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u201cOne of the most difficult things for creators doing support is there are so many channels,\u201d Michael says. \u201cBetween the emails that come through surveys, the messages that come through Kickstarter, Facebook, social media, there\u2019s so many different places where you need to keep your backers updated.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Streamlining communications can make a huge difference to a creator\u2019s workload. \u201cIf creators are using BackerKit, they can post a link in their updates, which is a contact form that has backers contact us directly,\u201d he says. \u201cThat really takes a lot of work off their plate, because there\u2019s a place where backers have a portal and contact form where they submit their request and it comes straight to us.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Similarly, if creators receive questions from backers on social media, they can respond with a link that lets backers contact BackerKit directly.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If creators are managing their own support, Michael advises centralizing backer communications on the platform they prefer to be contacted on as much as possible. Doing so on the crowdfunding platform you\u2019ve used for your campaign makes sense, as it\u2019s the primary avenue where backers have placed their orders.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fielding questions from backers can flummox first-time creators and veterans alike. The bigger your crowdfunding campaign, the more likely you\u2019ll be flooded with feedback and queries \u2013 positive and negative. Keeping a cool head can be easier said than done, especially when you\u2019re juggling the demands of running and promoting a campaign. Creators should aim […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":5293,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-guide-chapter.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5295","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nChapter 2: Supporting your Backers | BackerKit<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.backerkit.com\/blog\/guides\/post-campaign-guide\/supporting-your-backers-tips-for-creators\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Chapter 2: Supporting your Backers | BackerKit\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Fielding questions from backers can flummox first-time creators and veterans alike. 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