Leveraging Instagram and TikTok to Fund Your Restaurant on Kickstarter

TLDR

Whether you're a restaurateur or aspiring chef, launching a restaurant concept can be daunting. Start-up costs and figuring out the best marketing strategy can make your dream feel like a far off fantasy. But with the right knowledge and tools, you can make your restaurant concept a reality.

If you're looking to launch your own restaurant on Kickstarter, then leveraging Instagram and TikTok should be part of your plan. These two platforms provide powerful outreach potential for gaining attention and securing funding for your restaurant concept. In this article, we'll explore how to use Instagram and TikTok to get the word out about your crowdfunding campaign ahead of time—so that when it launches, people are already eager to back it.

Build Your Community First: Using Instagram and TikTok for Direct Response Marketing

Having a great product or service is just the beginning—you need to reach potential customers, and fast. As a restaurant owner looking to launch on Kickstarter, you'll want to build a loyal community of customers first. And that's where Instagram and TikTok come in.

To start with TikTok, they've recently launched "Instant Pages" to boost direct response capabilities. This means that you can link out from your videos directly to your Kickstarter page, making it easier than ever for followers to become backers.

You'll also want to take full advantage of Instagram—this is where you can use catchy headlines, cheeky text and direct response ads, allowing potential backers to swiftly take action after seeing your posts. 89% of marketers plan to increase investments in short-form video on Instagram and TikTok over the next year—will you be one of them?

Crafting Your Kickstarter Campaign Page: Tell Your Story and Share Visuals

Your Kickstarter campaign page is a chance for you to create a strong emotional connection with potential backers and tell your restaurant story. People are more likely to back campaigns that they feel passionate about, so make sure you're using visuals to pull them into your world.

Real photos of your concept, the people involved and the food are essential in showing people what the heart of your restaurant looks like. Digital renderings are also crucial for helping bring potential backers into the vision of what your restaurant will become. However, as important as visuals are, it's essential not to overlook storytelling when creating your Kickstarter video. Stories help backers feel connected to the project on a deeper level by giving them an insight into what drives you as well as why others should get behind it.

To make sure that you're creating something that will capture people's attention, consider leveraging platforms like Instagram and TikTok to promote your project ideas and gather support before the official launch. By engaging with users through these channels, you can introduce people to your concept and provide them with updates throughout the Kickstarter process.

Setting a Realistic Funding Goal and Timeline for Your Restaurant Concept

Setting a realistic funding goal and timeline is essential for the success of your restaurant concept. This will not only help you set the right expectations, but also provide you with a clear roadmap as you move forward. It's important to plan out where you want to be in three and five years – both financially and operationally — to ensure you're on track for success.

To start, make sure that the amount of money you are asking for in your Kickstarter campaign is actually enough to cover all of the costs associated with launching your restaurant concept, such as rent, licensing fees and equipment. You'll also need to factor in any anticipated expenses like taxes, insurance and payroll that you'll need to budget for once your restaurant starts operating.

Next, make sure that your timeline is realistic. Once funding has been secured, be aware of any local laws or regulations which will dictate how long it will take before your restaurant can open its doors to customers.

Finally, don't be afraid to ask friends and family for help with funding if needed. It's always okay to ask those close to you if they can contribute money or lend a hand – it could be just what's needed to get your dream off the ground!

Offering Rewards That Resonate With Supporters

Having the right rewards for your crowdfunding campaign is key to success. According to data, the average amount contributed by backers is $25, so offering lower tier rewards that are accessible can be a great way to get more people on board. Recognition and swag are perfect entry-level rewards for donations under $20 — think pins, stickers, card decks, or even a limited edition t-shirt that celebrates the kickstarter launch.

No matter what reward you offer, make sure it's unique and resonates with backers — show them what their donations are going towards and how they'll benefit from it. Visuals can go a long way in this regard, so be sure to take pictures of the products you're offering as rewards — create a short video clip or share images of your progress on Instagram and TikTok to engage your followers and get people excited about backing your restaurant concept!

Driving Traffic to Your Kickstarter Campaign Through Social Media

Social media is one of the most effective, and free, ways to get the word out about your Kickstarter campaign. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok give an ideal opportunity to represent your restaurant concept in visually interesting ways.

To draw attention to your campaign, create a hashtag that's unique to it—this gives followers something concrete to associate with the project, which will help spread the buzz organically. For example, if you're launching a vegan restaurant called VegeGems, you could use something like #VegeGemsBirthday or #VegeGemsLaunch.

Hashtags allow for greater visibility and engagement on social media platforms, so use as many relevant ones as you can when posting about your campaign. Keep in mind that it's not just about getting people interested in what you're doing—you also need to incentivise them to visit your Kickstarter page and pledge their support!

You can also use existing social media channels—such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn—to drive traffic to your Kickstarter campaign. Leverage influencers with engaged audiences who have similar interests or align with what you’re trying to achieve: this will help you reach a much wider audience quickly and effectively.

Fulfilling Rewards and Keeping Backers Engaged After Funding Success

Once your Kickstarter campaign has been successfully funded, it's time to start working on fulfilling rewards for your backers. Here's what you should keep in mind:

Fulfillment Starts at the End of a Successful Kickstarter Campaign

Fulfilling rewards can be one of the most time-consuming elements of the entire process, and it starts at the end of a successful Kickstarter campaign. You'll need to plan ahead to make sure you have enough time and resources to not just fulfill any agreed-upon rewards, but also keep in touch with your backers.

Shipping Costs Can Vary Depending on Distance from Fulfillment Location

Shipping costs can vary greatly depending on the distance from your fulfillment location. If you're unsure about how much shipping costs can vary, check out sites like UPS or FedEx for more details.

Different Reward Levels Should Be Offered to Appeal to Backers

It's important to offer different reward levels that appeal to all types of backers - from those who want something as simple as a thank-you card, to those who are looking for something unique like an exclusive dinner party hosted by your restaurant team. This is where Instagram and TikTok come into play - you can use these platforms to live stream virtual dinners or create exclusive recipes that may incentivize backers even further!

Final Thoughts

Building a successful restaurant concept on Kickstarter isn't an easy feat, but with the right tools, it can be done. Leveraging the power of social media, such as Instagram and TikTok, is a great way to reach your target audience, build a community interested in your brand, and use direct response marketing to market your restaurant concept. Utilizing these platforms to create engagement and excitement around your Kickstarter campaign is key for a successful launch. Matchaful was able to do this and build a successful restaurant concept by creating a detailed plan and executing it.

By following their example, you, too, can use Instagram and TikTok to help fund your restaurant on Kickstarter. With the right strategy and the right tools, your restaurant concept can be just as successful.