With 412 ICOs completed in Q1 of 2018, 5% more than the previous quarter, an ICOs marketing and branding strategy has never been so important in being able to stick out from the rest of the pack.
While a company’s white-paper and business credibility are integral to the success of a campaign, the marketing efforts are what distinguishes the best ICOs from the others.
In the last 3 months, Facebook, Google, Twitter, MailChimp and even Taboola have come out and prohibited companies advertising wallets, exchanges, trading advice and ICOs on their platform. While this has caused panic, this is not that bad and I'll explain why.
The recent ad bans are put in place to stop scammers. These platforms are all one step ahead of regulators in taking the necessary steps to protect investors from projects that take advantage of investors. This way, we can all get on with our job and market real and beneficial crypto projects.
Having said that, there are still ways to work around this and advertise your credible company indirectly and cleverly on these platforms.
Usually, I advise companies to go all out on paid advertising. If someone is willing to invest 500k towards paid advertising with good content in the right places, they will usually get bang for their buck and launch a successful campaign (obviously given they have ticked many other boxes). However, as the landcape changes so does my advice.
I believe that if companies want to launch a successful campaign, they must be their own channel, and pull investors through enticing and creative content.
Below is my take on how:
- Swim Upstream
If everyone is doing one thing, do something else. In a time where over 1000 ICOs are competing with you, why do what everyone else is doing. Ask yourself why you want to open a telegram group? Can you manage it properly? Why are you writing a blog post? or are you just doing it because that's what everyone does? Remember, there are no industry best practices, we make them. That's the beauty of this fresh new industry, so do something different. You do you.
- Credibility first
When crypto investors analyse a project, they actually don't look at the idea first, but rather focus on its credibility. Things like the team you have, what stage is the product in, previous success stories, whether you have the best crypto advisors and the list goes on. If you are a serious company with incredible talent and a vision for the future SHOW IT.
- Don't pretend who you targeting
Don't lie to yourself. You are not targeting the product's end users, you are targeting a community of crypto investors. If you think you are building a community that is wanting to buy your token so they can use it in a few years, you are dreaming. You are actually targeting those that are going to put Ether in your pocket. Thus, do not skim over the hard question about token economies. Things like total supply, bonus structure, token allocation are the most important aspect for a crypto investor, so be ready.
- Don't advertise your company
This one is the hardest- stop advertising your company all the time. If you can find a way to help crypto investors through the gloomy and crowded space, you will indirectly be helping your cause and selling yourself way better. Make sure you find a voice as a thought leader and provide value every single time you reach out to your community. No need to spruik your company, they will come.
- Stop posting shit
A content plan should not be easy and cant be done overnight. If you are pushing out content just because, you are missing the point. You are conforming to the ICO ways. Instead create viral videos, helpful articles, amazing interviews, cool PR stunts to get your name out there. Remember, content creation is HARD.
- Be part of the community
The team must be ready to lead the community. Don't leave it all up to the community manager or an external moderation team. If you are serious, the CEO should be on call to answer the community. Imagine being answered to by Jeff Bezos. Credibility. Bang.
I hope this info finds you well and helps you on your journey in the world of crypto.
By Roi Abraham, BlockchainIL Marketing Manager