[Success Maker Online Guide] #2. I’ve completed everything up to shipping—what should I do next?
This content is
Part 2 of the <SUCCESSFUL Makers Online Guide>
series.
Don't forget to take this with you!
- Please stay in touch with your supporters through News and events so that those who have received their Rewards can share their feedback.
- If you’re preparing for an official launch or a follow-up funding campaign following your funding campaign, consider asking for satisfaction ratings.
- If you’re planning to upgrade your product or develop a new one, actively seek comments from your supporters.
The “real funding” begins after the Rewards are shipped.
It’s not over until it’s over. There’s still work to be done even after Rewards are shipped. “I’ve finished shipping the Rewards, but there’s still more to do? Running a funding campaign once would leave me completely drained!” I can almost hear the makers’ inner thoughts, so let me be clear from the start. The tasks you’re about to read—the things you need to do after shipping Rewards—aren’t required of every maker. However,
- Makers preparing for an official launch following a funding campaign
- Makers considering ongoing follow-up funding campaigns
- Makers who want feedback to upgrade their products
- Or makers who need ideas for developing a brand-new product
if you are one, it’s no exaggeration to say that the “real funding” begins after the Rewards are shipped.
The real work starts after shipping...? (Pause)
Just remember these two things.
First, request satisfaction ratings. Second, ask for supporter comments.
Once your supporters have received their rewards, they’re sure to be itching to share their thoughts with you. After all, they’ve finally got their hands on the Rewards they’d only seen in Stories—Rewards they’ve been waiting for so long to receive since funding your campaign. All you, as the maker, need to do is set the stage for your supporters, who are bursting with things to say.
- Wait—what if your funding campaign was successful but you haven’t shipped the Rewards yet?
Shipping should be your top priority! Check out our guide that brings together all the best tips for successful makers—from announcing shipments to protecting personal information. - Go to Episode 1 of the Successful Makers Online Guide
1. Ask for a satisfaction rating.
Let your supporters say for themselves, “Our product is really great…” For most makers, this is the first time they’re unveiling their product through a funding campaign. As a result, while makers know better than anyone that their product is great, it’s not often that others recognize it too. That’s why, before the campaign, the phrase “Our product is really great…” often feels like nothing more than an empty cry from the maker.
Those pre-funding days when no one listened, no matter how much you shouted (choked up)
But once that great product reaches the hands of the supporters, the tables turn. That’s because the supporters, having experienced the product’s merits firsthand, are ready to join in and shout, “This product is really great!”
Satisfaction survey results that feel like a reward for all the hard work
Moment Corporation (Ho-eun) Maker
About 3–4 days after the Rewards have been shipped, try posting a News update asking for satisfaction ratings. That’s just human nature. We want to spread the word to the whole neighborhood when something is disappointing or unsatisfactory, but when we’re truly satisfied with a product, we’re often too busy enjoying that feeling to remember to tell others. So, to get as many high satisfaction ratings as possible, you, the maker, need to take the initiative.
[Chuseok Gift] You’ve probably never tasted this before! 100% Real Domestic Sows’ Meat Gift Set
If you run a review event asking for satisfaction ratings around the time supporters receive their Rewards, they might react like this. When people are excited at home, thinking to themselves, “Wow, what is this? Why is it so good? This is amazing, absolutely amazing!” and then express that satisfaction in writing, they’ll naturally end up logically articulating why they fell in love with these Rewards. Rather than just saying “It’s good,” they’ll become more loyal to Rewards because they have clear reasons for why it’s good.
We recommend holding review events during a specific time period. Not only can you collect as many satisfaction reviews as possible in a short amount of time, but when supporters see the positive reviews being uploaded, they’ll realize they’re not the only ones who feel this way—they’ll see that other supporters share their satisfaction. The experience of thinking, “See, my judgment wasn’t wrong!” and feeling twice as satisfied will give them the courage to more actively recommend the Rewards to those around them.
With a flood of satisfaction reviews, the message “Our product is really great!” will no longer be just a lone voice.
If you’re a maker like this
Requesting satisfaction ratings is a must.
- First, makers preparing for an official launch following their funding campaign
Even if you’ve made a strong impression on wadiz supporters through a successful funding campaign, your product is bound to be unfamiliar to customers in broader markets, such as open marketplaces, social commerce platforms, and Sm*sto*. Perhaps that’s why many products officially launched after funding highlight their wadiz funding results and satisfaction ratings on their sales pages.
It would be a good idea to share the news of your official launch with your wadiz supporters, too, right?
(However, please be careful not to make it feel like overly promotional News.)
For new customers who might be hesitant about an unfamiliar product, nothing is more persuasive than the satisfaction ratings given by discerning wadiz supporters—it effectively says, “Our product has already been verified. You can buy it with confidence.” Try requesting satisfaction ratings to secure this strong support for your official launch and sales.
- 2. Makers considering ongoing follow-up funding campaigns
Makers who have successfully completed their first funding campaign often consider launching an encore funding campaign before their official launch. At this stage, achieving high satisfaction ratings from your first funding campaign not only encourages existing supporters to support you again but also builds trust among potential supporters, acting as a driving force to attract new funding. Perhaps that’s why so many encore funding projects are leveraging the satisfaction ratings from their first campaign as content.
A successful encore project that actively incorporated reviews into the Story
<WADIZ No. 1 Cushion> Perfect Coverage Without Primer #InstantCushion2 [Perfect Review] My go-to cushion!
What if your satisfaction ratings are a little disappointing? Don’t just showcase the high satisfaction ratings—be transparent and openly share the comments that pointed out areas for improvement. If you explain “how this issue has been addressed in the encore funding campaign,” you can encourage existing supporters to participate again with renewed anticipation.
A project that succeeded in its encore funding by upgrading the shortcomings of the previous funding campaign
"Not a single grain of rice? That’s actually a good thing!" Cauliflower Rice 4-Meal Plan, K-Plan Ver. 2
2. Actively solicit comments from your supporters.
Whether you’re a maker who’s received plenty of praise from supporters or one who was disappointed by reactions that fell short of expectations, there’s one concern you can’t avoid: it’s difficult to sustain long-term success with just one product.
- Whether you’re gradually expanding your product lineup
- or developing new products,
In any case, to survive in the market, you need to consistently launch new products and generate stable revenue.
You might have thought that just getting the funding campaign off the ground would be enough…
It would be wonderful if a new product could just magically appear the moment you think, “Should I try developing a new product?” but I’m sure you, as makers, know better than anyone just how difficult that is. In times like these, the first thing you should do is ask for comments from the supporters who’ve actually used your product. After all, no one is as sincere toward you as your fans.
if you are a maker in this situation,
it’s essential to seek comments from your supporters.
- First, for makers who want feedback to upgrade their products
Are there any people in the world more curious than the supporters who fund products that have never existed before? When these curious supporters receive their Rewards, actively listen to what they’re wondering about and what they found lacking.
By not overlooking constructive feedback even amidst praise, they successfully launched an encore funding campaign
[Insulated] The Rebirth of the PET Bottle: Environment & Design! YUMMY Season 2 Encore
While your supporters’ praise may sound great right now, there are times when constructive criticism is actually more essential for growing your brand and products. What if you’ve improved your product based on that feedback? Why not introduce the improved product first to the supporters who’ve been waiting for it through an encore project?
- 2. Makers who need ideas for developing a completely new product
If you feel you need to develop new products for the post-funding phase but are unsure where to start, why not ask your supporters for ideas?
[100 Million Encore] Instantly minimizes pores and strengthens the skin barrier! What’s the secret behind this top-rated black sugar cream?Here’s how the projectgenerated ideas for new product development!
Makers who focus on developing a single product often find themselves thinking, “I’m out of ideas!” In these situations, since supporters are non-experts compared to makers, they can actually provide fresh and unique ideas. By combining ideas from various supporters, you might just be able to develop a product that’s truly one-of-a-kind, right?
- or makers who have a new product they’d like to develop but only have a vague concept or idea, seeking comments from your supporters is a great way to flesh out your product.
Before developing a new skincare product, we actively listened to our supporters’ comments
Reduces pore volume by 96% with just one wash! Clinically proven to improve skin texture by 86% #CharcoalCamCleanser
Those who have encountered the maker’s other products through funding are likely to understand the brand’s values, so they’ll be able to actively suggest ideas that align with the “brand fit.” Since the product concept is already somewhat established, you may also receive more specific comments.
- Of course, you don’t have to ask for comments directly.
If you have a distribution plan in place for after the funding or a product that’s already in the works, you might feel hesitant to actively ask supporters for their comments. It can feel like you’re making a promise—that you’ll have to incorporate their comments to improve the product. In such cases, simply use a tactful expression to simply show that you’re open to supporters’ comments—that’s enough.
Simply reassuring supporters that you’ll incorporate the comments received during the funding campaign and continue to evolve will give them hope that they might one day meet you in person. And if that day ever comes? Wadiz supporters will surely be the first to welcome your new products.
They say the end is just another beginning—and the same goes for funding.
What was your goal in launching this funding campaign? Of course, some of you may have wanted to generate revenue through the funding campaign.
- However, some of you might want to confirm whether the Rewards you’ve poured your heart and soul into will truly be recognized in the market.
For those makers, the real journey begins with gathering satisfaction ratings after shipping the Rewards. - Others might be curious about what needs to be improved in a product that seems perfect to them.
For them, the funding campaign— Only after supporters provided their comments did the team hold meetings to discuss how to incorporate improvementsto discuss how to incorporate those improvements.
If you’re a maker reading this, chances are you’ve already successfully launched funding. (Or perhaps you’re a maker who’s diligently preparing for funding that’s bound to succeed.) Whether you happily achieved the results you expected or fell just short of them, I don’t believe the outcome of a single funding campaign determines your success as a maker. After all, even after a single funding, there will surely be at least one supporter waiting for your next funding.
I have no doubt that it is precisely these supporters who will give rise to a new beginning for you as a maker. Wadiz will always be the place that comes to mind at that historic moment of a new beginning.
We hope these two online guides for successful makers will be of help to you. Thank you for reading this long post.
[ Successful Makers Online Guide ] Series
- [Successful Maker Online Guide] #1. My Funding Campaign Was Successful—What Do I Do Now?
- [Successful Maker Online Guide] #2. I’ve shipped everything—what’s next?