To crowdfund your product, project or idea successfully...you first have to build an army of true believers. Crowdfunding is not just about the crowd. It is about building a community around your project/idea/product BEFORE you crowdfund!
No doubt. I think one variable people miss is that you should make sure your idea is awesome, and then promote it to people who will THINK it's awesome. If you have a massive social media following, crowdsourcing comes much easier.
I'd suggest to read Seth Godin's blog about Tribes. Here is quick video to get started, vimeo.com/57400096 You definitely need a tribe, and that's the starting point towards making CrowdFunding possible. It's hard but its possible and worth it. If you only focus at crowdfunding, chances are you'll lose your persistence. So it's better you do your business and do this on sideline, eventually you'll make it. Best of luck!