Web3 Marketing

Before we begin
Readers might be interested in understanding my approach to community building. To provide some context, I’ve included examples of how we’ve built and engaged our community at Particle Trade, along with samples of the posts and materials we’ve created.

The first community recruiting post > temperature check + shaping culture post > community recap post > community's post0 post 1 post2 post3 post4 post5

I believe the reason Web3 marketing is difficult is because it must operate in a more restricted environment compared to Web2 marketing.

1. Limited Channels

   Traditionally, most traffic originates from Web2 channels such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Google, and Netflix, which have limitations in accurately targeting Web3 users. Moreover, sudden policy changes banning crypto related content can disrupt advertising at any time.

2. High CAC and Budget Pressure

   Despite the increasing demand as various Web3 projects emerge, the number of channels to market to users and Web3 remains insufficient. Despite the anticipation of a boom leading to VC funding stories, projects still face pressure to reduce marketing expenses, lacking sharp marketing tools beyond airdrops.

3. Complex Onboarding

   Various onboarding solutions have emerged, but there are still many limitations in reality, making it very difficult to improve conversion metrics due to barriers like wallet creation.

4. Limits of KOL Marketing

   Most of the challenges mentioned earlier are overcome by KOL marketing, a channel where users interested in Web3 gather first and foremost, feeling informed rather than advertised to, resulting in high efficiency. However, there are many cherry-picking personas with high churn rates.

Ultimately, it all comes down frustratingly to community building.

"Foundation - Culture - Communication and Solidarity"

As in Web2, the best approach is to go viral, creating a community of users attracted through this and making it a reality. Of course the word community is thrown out every given opportunity, but how can we really create one?

To create a community, a strong foundation must come first, ensured and guarded by the following basic elements:

• Participants should receive answers to questions they have within 24 hours.

• Recognition for sharing information and tips with others.

• Community opinions should influence the product.

• Participants should have opportunities to grow throughout all processes.

• Together with growth, participants should form solidarity: the definition of growth can vary, including personal influence, understanding of Web3, and economic growth.

Next, culture arises among locked-in users. Depending on the values pursued by the users gathered, it can be expressed differently. Of course, this greatly affects which users the campaign targets.

1. Presenting Cultural Examples: Those running communities must read the personas and cultural codes of the gathered users and plan content strategies accordingly. If a specific user has created engaging content, administrators should actively reshare and promote it, using it as a basis for reproducing new content. This could be an image meme or a phrase, and it must be skillfully deciphered and expressed as culture.

2. Distinguishing: It can also lead to the distinction between contributors and external stakeholders. If subtle conditions can distinguish between insiders and outsiders, internal cohesion will increase. Discord role assignment, creating closed channels, adding community emojis next to Twitter IDs supporting the community, and various attempts can be made. Alternatively, methods can be created to encourage community participation. I think Vera Chain and Monad are using this strategy well.

3. Prohibiting: If the culture within the community remains stagnant without change, the community will eventually die. Therefore, while encouraging change, there should be a culture within the community to report and prevent acts that harm participants.

Once again, when people gather, their roles naturally divide internally. Administrators should recognize this and grant more authority and rewards to those who contribute more actively to provide growth opportunities.

There are generally the following personas in the community:

Community Personas

Consumers - The role upon entering the community, accounting for the highest percentage. By using the service and community, they are most interested in realizing their own benefits. By listening to their voices, valuable hints can be obtained for improving UX, especially by solving the problems they face.

Supporters - Beyond consumers, these members feel a strong sense of belonging within the community and want ongoing communication with like-minded supporters. Teams should prioritize engaging with them as they can evolve into leaders and promoters, actively voicing opinions on community issues.

Leaders - They join the community early and act as mentors, sharing their knowledge with newcomers. They effectively communicate the team's direction throughout the community, shaping public opinion, understanding the service, and supporting the team by driving unity. Leaders often emerge naturally, similar to community managers and moderators who are recognized from within rather than externally hired. Leadership isn't about titles but about self-perception and team recognition, like assigning simple roles—anyone can become a leader.

Promoters - There are two types of promoters: those who emerge from the leader group and those who, even without strong loyalty to the team, contribute by sharing tips and solving problems through good content. These individuals often juggle various projects, and their success can parallel the service's growth. If they create community content, it can go viral, so it's crucial to identify and engage with potential creators. Promoting their content to supporters can foster pride and enthusiasm within the community, incentivizing promoters to produce more. Thus, maintaining a strong connection between supporters and promoters is essential.

The ultimate reason for understanding these personas and roles is to create a more enjoyable community. By listening to their needs and meeting their expectations, you can drive organic growth.

There's no one-size-fits-all answer to community management. It hinges on how well you understand and cater to participant desires. Good management involves a supportive attitude, helping members grow and realize their potential.