by @EzeOguejiofor and @0xsexybanana
Forget about all the hype — the GameFi enthusiasm, the DeFi revolution, the NFT gold rush, without the network effect of communities, the crypto space will be a graveyard of shiny ideas about a futuristic version of the internet.
In the web3 space, everything is done for the community, by the community, and with the community. Hence, as a first-time web3 founder, you should know how to design and execute a smart community-building strategy.
In this article, we guide you on how to build a super-active web3 NFT/Game-Fi community.
Know what you need to get what you need
First things first, you need to know the right demographic of people to attract to your community.
By answering the following questions, you can get a rough idea of your community members’ persona:
● What value will your project deliver to the web3 space?
● What distinguishes you from co-competitor projects in the broader industry?
● Who is an ideal member of your community?
● Why would a community member want to support you?
● How and where are you likely to find the right people?
● What social media platforms will serve you best?
Talk and Act like they do — Understand Web3 Culture
Web3 is everything from the decentralized projects that want to reward creators for being active on social media to the hypnotized founders scheming to get digital nomads to part with significant bucks for a bizarre PFP (Profile Pictures).
A cult-like identity that expresses itself through memes, specialized lingos like WAGMI, odd-looking profile pictures like the BAYC, and a deep longing for “moon” trips. Those elements constitute the unique web3 culture.
So, you may need a high but healthy dose of irrationality to touch the hearts of web3 users and foster a positive, inclusive, and thriving community.
Here are different ways you can do that:
● Story Telling — This medium of communication which is almost as old as when humans started to exchange ideas, is still highly relevant in web3. For example, suppose you are building a GameFi project. In that case, you may need to create interesting lore that explains the inspiration behind the shape and form of the characters in your game.
● Memes — **Do you want your community members constantly laughing hysterically at the edge of their seats? Use memes! And memes are effective tools you can use to educate group members about crucial aspects of your project in a comical way. They also have the great effect of keeping conversations at a light-headed level, clearing away all forms of uneasiness that might make new members feel uncomfortable.
● Fanarts — **Another way to bring out the humorous side of your community members is by organizing fanart contests. To understand how to do this better, you may need to spend time learning from how other projects have integrated this. Aside from that, fanart as works of creative exercise will help attract creators who are like conversation catalysts so your group will never be boring.
Selecting the right social media platform
More often than not, Discord, Telegram, and Twitter are what come to mind as the best social media networks for starting a web3 community.
Nevertheless, you don’t need to present on all platforms. The general thumb rule is to focus on where you can easily access the right audience
● Discord is especially popular amongst GameFi, PFP, and NFT project lovers.
● Telegram is the grand chat app, operating at light speeds to facilitate instant communication among users and project team members.
● Of the three, Twitter is perhaps the only must-have. It is the most diverse, vibrant, and resourceful network for all things web3.
However, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok, and Snapchat are beginning to see an uptick. Therefore, don’t overlook these ones.
Be Transparent and Build Trust
The web3 space is inherently open-source, and anything that contrasts that ethos may be treated as a red flag.
With too many rug-pull projects these days, crypto investors have learned to do their due diligence. So much so that they’d mobbed down any project exhibiting fishy signs.
To boost your chances of getting accepted, you can proactively assist them in carrying out in-depth research about your project by:
● Consistently engaging them with updates on behind-the-scenes activities;
● Announcement of project development progress;
● Make info about your team member’s previous accomplishments if available.
● Leaving no questions unanswered and respectfully entertaining feedback and constructive criticism;
● Set clear goals and objectives from the beginning and be upfront in fulfilling them;
● Painstakingly explain via long-form articles, interviews, or videos when any critical or unexpected decision is taken.
You may say these are tedious, but they are the ways to draw a line of difference between you and the many scams out there.
Get the Community Involved in the Decision-Making
The enthusiasm and love shown by your community are like every other human emotion; they can degenerate into feelings of dejection or maltreatment if they are not appreciated.
A way to prevent that from ever happening is by always putting them first. Sharing the highly significant initiative with them first before making the info public. Organizing community-only giveaways. Exploring as many avenues as possible to provide exclusive perks reserved for only community members.
On Discord, for example, you can assign unique roles within access to special privileges for the holders.
Besides, this can be an enriching exercise because some persons in your channel might have more exposure to the web3 space than you. Be laser-eyed to spot such persons, and when possible, find a way to recruit them into your team.
Don’t Just Dox…Be friends and fam with the Community
Of course, you should employ moderators that will have oversight on the community side of things. Nonetheless, there is something about web3 psychology whereby users feel ghosted when top-placed team members don’t show their “faces.”
Sometimes, it can be a 5–20 minute brief hangout saying Hi’s to the community. It can be a short video or voice chat session on Discord to share snippets of future updates.
And then, almost nothing is as sparking as seeing that great “CEO” display memetic energy. It can basically be anything that will lead to a WOW moment. The point is that even the most effortless gesture if expressed in goodwill, will be surely appreciated.
Collaborate with other projects to gain continuous web3 exposure
Unlike web2, where founders see themselves as competitors, web3 is a harmonious space. Similar projects with similar products for similar audiences can often be seen uniting and co-hosting events today.
As a young project that is starting out, synergizing with other existing projects in this way can help you grow faster. So, reach out to others and form partnerships. There are collaboration managers out there that you can employ to make this easier for you.
Moreover, since web3 evolves very fast. Newer changes, ideas, and innovations are getting introduced daily. By collaborating with other communities, you will get hands-on knowledge of how successful projects make a strong positive impression on their communities’ sentiments.
Extra Tips for Building Web3 Communities
Here are other things you should do:
● Make your channels safe from bad actors and impregnable for hackers to exploit.
● To make the best use of Twitter, host and attend as many Spaces as possible.
● Attend offline meetups and share highlights with your community.
● NFT world has a relatively short attention span, you need to create topics in the space constantly.
Conclusions
After reading this article, we believe you will be equipped with everything you need to launch a community for your crypto startup.
The most robust evidence of a web3 project’s success is seen in the strength of its community. While the journey to building a thriving crypto channel is bumpy sometimes, it is no less of an intriguing and fun experience.
Happy hunting!
About Treasureland
Treasureland is a multi-chain NFT platform for NFT issuance, NFT trading, NFT collections, and tailored in-shop services. It provides a one-stop solution to business-end users from 0 to 1 and a multiple-chain aggregation experience for C-end users.
Treasureland raised a seed funding round led by HashKey Capital and Youbi Capital, with participation from Assembly Ventures, NGC Venture, GBV Capital, DFG, Spark Digital, SNZ, Mask Network, and other top institutions.
Treasureland has deployed on multiple blockchains, including Binance Smart Chain, Ethereum, Polygon, IoTex, Moonriver, and diverse multi-chain NFT assets. And it will deploy on more chains soon.