If there’s anything that keeps the blockchain industry afloat, it is the community. Because it essentially started out as an underdog in the tech and financial world, it has only been able to go as far as it has through the support of committed communities. Thus, blockchain community building is an essential part of success in the sector.
New and existing projects are encouraged to curate a customer base that is as passionate as possible, as this will keep it afloat for years on end. If you’re looking to make the most of your blockchain community building efforts, here are a few tips:
Choose Dedicated Platforms
By its very definition, your community will need a space to congregate and engage, and in the world of the internet, this will mean a dedicated platform. The good news is that there is a myriad of websites that blockchain projects are known to use for fostering community. Some of the most common include Telegram, Discord, Reddit, Twitter/X, and the like. Successful blockchain community building will involve considering a myriad of platforms and determining the best one for you.
Some platforms, depending on their unique features, might be a better fit. If you want to create a very closed community, a platform like Telegram or Discord might be your best bet. If you want a community that is focused on growth, you might want to use a platform like Twitter.
However, it’s worth noting that you don’t have to limit yourself to a single platform for blockchain community building. You can have a Telegram channel while also having a Twitter community. This ultimately depends on your goals, tastes, and what resources you have to work with.
Hire Blockchain Community Building Staff
If you’re going to take your blockchain community building very seriously, you need to dedicate some resources and time towards it. One way to do this would be to hire staff with ample experience in blockchain community building and management. It’s not unheard of for blockchain projects to have moderators whose job it’s to manage their communities on various levels.
Some of the duties of a moderator or any other community-focused staff member will include responding to messages, posting announcements, stating and enforcing rules within the community, and making sure that engagement is as consistent as possible. So while it is certainly a time and money investment, such staff will make sure that your community doesn’t descend into chaos, is used for the proper purposes, and things are not derailed. This is especially important in the era of chat spamming and other such activities.
Engage And Offer Transparency
It goes without saying, but blockchain community building will involve a lot of engagement on your part. After all, people can simply buy your tokens, wallet, miner, or any other good or service your project offers. The reason they join your community is to engage with both you and others.
As such, you’ll have to provide this engagement, else they will go elsewhere. Post messages frequently in your chat and respond to existing ones. Encourage users to speak to each other through things like polls, memes, and much more. If you use a platform that allows for live sessions, consider hosting some for your community where they can speak to you and you can speak back. This is especially important in the run-up to or just after the launch of a new product or service, as this is a way to drive sales.
Reward Your Community
Part of the reason why a blockchain consumer will go out of their way to join a community as opposed to simply remaining a buyer is the possibility of a reward. As such, you have to create incentives for them to stay in your community compared to others. This could include free merchandise for community members, premium access to token sales, discounts on goods and services, access to the team, and so on.
At the very least, you have to make the community itself so enjoyable to engage with that this is a reward in itself. If there are no benefits to being a member of your community compared to a mere consumer or onlooker, no one will want to join, and it’s important to keep this in mind.
Organize Events
In the same vein of engagement, you should look to organize both virtual and in-person events for your community. Virtual events could mean live sessions, Q&As, as well as gaming tournaments, online scavenger hunts, and so on. Online communities are known to enjoy all manner of events, even though they are not in the same place, and there’s a wealth of tools to help with this.
If you have the resources and budget for this, consider organizing in-person events as well. You could have annual meet-ups if you have enough members in the same geographic area, and this could give people something to look forward to. If your company consistently has events like product launches, conferences, retreats, and so on, you could choose a handful of community members to attend as a reward.
Spread The Word
Ultimately, the goal is not just having a community for its own sake but, ideally, having it grow over time. To achieve this, you’ll have to spread the word regarding this community, and this can be done in several ways. First, have the link to your community channels cross-promoted on your website, on other social media pages, in newsletters, and so on.
Let people who see your business anywhere know that you don’t just sell products or services, but also have a community they can be part of. Have your community managers also work towards spreading the word, whether through collaboration with other communities, referral links from users, and so on.
Conclusion
Blockchain community building can take time to get off the ground, but if it is successful, it can benefit your business for years to come. As we’ve noted in this article, several steps will get you on the right path, including having dedicated staff towards this purpose, giving tangible rewards to community members, and engaging as much as possible.
