A number of digital marketers have taken a stab at marketing for Web3….and for many, the response has been eye opening. Just check out this excerpt from Mr. Josh of Gonzo Marketing about his early days in this field:

And, while some elements definitely are transferable, a large part of why Web3 marketing is a different game is because the values and the means of communicating with the audience are a bit different. …and then there's just the fact that targeting is not as defined and paid marketing is severely limited.

All of this to say, yes, bring your marketing skill! But, be sure to embrace some Web3 ethos and make some adjustments along the way.

So, what's different?

Well, like mentioned above, not quite everything. It's still your job to make sure the right people hear about the project or products you're marketing…and ideally hear the right things. But, how you go about doing that often demands a bit of difference.

So, to cover just a few of the glaring differences:

Audience

‍Understanding and being able to effectively target your audience is any marketer's bread and butter. In Web3, this is no different. The caveat is that the audience for Web3 is harder to understand and target….they also tend to be extremely privacy focused, making them potentially even averse to any targeting that's too personalized. (Remember, many of us are here to own our own data…instead of giving it to Google to sell.)There are also distinctions in Web3 audiences dependent on when and why they joined the space that can impact where and how to address them that do not apply to other audiences or follow more cut and dry targeting like age, gender, and location.

Channels

‍Unfortunately, Web3 is still in development, leaving many of the channels still rooted in Web2. But, not all Web2 channels are created equal in this space. For instance, Twitter has a much higher concentration of Web3 converts than other social channels, but you'll also find several channels that are not necessarily designed for marketing, or at least haven't been formalized for it, like Telegram and Discord. And, in addition to that, there are forums and crypto native sites where you can find some of the earlier converts or more tech-inclined.

Paid Marketing

‍Paid marketing is one of the starkest differences, purely for the strict policies that exist. Marketing Web3 projects is generally highly regulated by the biggest platforms, dictating what can and cannot be said, not only in ad copy, but even on landing pages. Making sure that you have a clear understanding of what can be said in paid marketing is important. But, beyond that, keeping in mind the limitations of paid marketing, regardless of policy, is also important. In this industry, you'll often need strong organic marketing, supplemented by paid, rather than the other way around.

Communication

‍Marketing is often still thought of as a one way street. But, in Web3, where transparency and community are both prioritized, speaking at your audience won't cut it. The community often drives the narratives, leaving you, as the marketer, the task of distilling them. Listen to your audience well, though, and you'll often get an extra boost with the community sharing your narratives for you!

Tech

‍The tech behind Web3 is new. Being able to describe what that tech does and why people should use it is the bare minimum. But, this space is also filled with a high density of devs doing the amazing work of building out this tech and driving the future of what's possible. As a marketer, having the ability to learn about new developments and the draws for devs is even better!

Final Thoughts

To be fair, it's far from everything. But, there is definitely enough difference that more than a few experienced marketers have stumbled on entry.

Perhaps most important for any marketer looking to break into the space is to DYOR, or do your own research, especially about why people are here. Try to understand the underlying missions and reasons that brought people to Web3, and keep them around. And, at a time like now, when the markets have not been the most inflated, you'll learn a lot about the space and what makes it tick beyond the opportunity for speculation.

By understanding that, and maybe even taking a small detour into a DAO or two to do so, you'll get a much clearer picture of the types of values and communications that will carry weight in this space.

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