A Step by Step Guide to ICO Marketing Strategy
ICO (Initial Coin Offering) is the newest method for startups to raise funds for projects. It involves selling a percentage of cryptocurrency to different investors in exchange for legal tender or Bitcoin. Investors will receive their returns on investment after the official launch of the ICO. The backbone behind every successful ICO lies in consistent marketing practices across different channels.
ICO marketing strategy involves using different online tools (both free and paid) to capture the attention of the target audience. The focus must be on increasing the credibility and scope of campaigns to get more leads.
Steps Involved in ICO marketing strategy
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Develop a convincing Whitepaper
A detailed whitepaper is pivotal to your ICO marketing strategy. It will act as the first point of communication with prospective investors. Hence, ahead of launching your ICO in the market, create a professional whitepaper including the technical outline of your project along with the benefits provided to investors. Plan the template of the whitepaper to ensure a successful fundraising campaign.
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Create an engaging website
– Have different sections that portray a variety of information about your ICO to your customers. Post content regularly on the website keeping SEO in mind to get more traffic for your ICO.
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Utilize paid advertising
A faster way to go up the ladder is by using paid advertising tools. Major social media platforms and search engines allow for paid ads after following certain rules and regulations. Publishing SEO related content can boosts organic reach.Using Google Adwords one can run campaigns, and the metrics can be monitored continuously. However, the likes of Facebook and Twitter have banned posts about cryptocurrency marketing and ICO advertisements.
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Promote through social media
With the world working online, different social media channels can be tapped for your ICO by thinking out of the box. Promoting business-related blogs and articles on LinkedIn can gains Professional clients for your ICO. One can respond to user queries in discussion platforms such as Quora and Reddit. The users can makes Comments and latest updates on the already existing threads. Interacting with cryptocurrency communities like Bitcointalk can reach more clients. Short videos can be posted on YouTube and Instagram to instigate the buzz quickly.
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Email marketing
Attractive newsletters and frequent updates on new features in your ICO can be sent to interested users through email. Creating opt-in/sign up campaigns and adding subscriber forms can gains new users for your ICO.
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Instant messaging applications
Marketer can share short and well-informed posts on instant messaging applications such as Telegram and Whatsapp. Telegram has a lot of popular crypto communities, such as News Bitcoin and CoinTelegraph. It also has high security by removing chats after a user-defined period. Whatsapp also possesses end-to-end encryption.
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Public relations
Frequent correspondence about your ICO can be sent in the form of press releases, news bulletins to prospective investors. A Marketing person must share Informative content regularly. If the budget for your ICO is big, you can outsource the task to a professional agency for more exposure. Conducting an interactive Question and Answer session regarding your ICO will go a long way in clearing any doubts and queries of the audience.
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Affiliate marketing
It is a budget-friendly tool where one will hire and pay for performing tasks. Affiliate marketing helps in getting new leads. The person can recieves Instant information about trends, and it removes the need for detailed reports.Also, The platform can give a rewards in the form of free coins or tokens.
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Listing ICO on well-reputed websites
We can post announcements of the official launch of ICO on popular listing sites such as CoinSchedule and CoinGecko. This can generate a positive buzz and higher exposure for your ICO around its release. So, Keen interest for your ICO that received from crucial stakeholders. Most of the listing sites allow placement of posts for free.
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Bounty programs in an ICO involve the distribution of incentives to the participants after successful completion of specific tasks allotted to them in advance. They help in enhancing the awareness of your ICO. A fine balance needs to be struck as distributing too many free tokens can give your ICO a bad image while giving away too few tokens may lack people to be motivated enough to be part of your promotional campaign.
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Search Engine Optimization
SEO involves uplifting your search result rankings and getting more website traffic, which will eventually lead to an increase in the number of investments for your ICO. Besides, Guest blogging can improve your ranking in search engines to a great extent. You have to spread your link effectively across different websites for attracting your target audience.
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Conduct Airdrop Campaigns –
Airdrop campaigns consist of giving away free tokens to the registered users of a specific blockchain network. They will become active members of your community. You also need a smart contract with details of the number of tokens that needs to sent and the array of addresses to send the tokens. You can list your airdrop campaign on websites like Airdropalert, Airdropaddict, and Airdroptracker to generate more traction for your ICO.
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Google Adwords
It is a popular digital advertising platform where Google displays your ads at the top of the search rankings. Also, The platform will generates more leads and traffic to your ICO. You can indulge in remarketing to bring back the visitors of your page who did not finish the onboarding process.
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Influencer Marketing
They are popular personalities on social media who will review your ICO on platforms like Instagram and YouTube. Also, They will showcase your ICO to their large base of followers. Besides, They can improve the sales of your product through well-targeted messaging, ensure organic management, improve your brand’s credibility by sharing customized content, and improve the conversion rate of the sign-ups and subscriptions. Their valuable inputs will make your ICO stand out from the rest of the competition easily.
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Participating in the Leading Events, Conferences, and Trade Shows
This is also a part of an offline marketing strategy where you can attend the highly-attended blockchain and crypto events and meet the top companies and industry experts to promote your ICO and develop a solid reputation in the market.
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Community management
It involves building a strong trust among the members of your target audience. It also comprises different activities like community outreach, brand loyalty programs, participating actively in various social media groups, distributing badges and rewards, and organizing exciting competitions. A community manager or a community marketing consultant can handles all the communication activities .
Things to keep in mind during ICO Marketing
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Focus on the target audience
While promotion for an ICO is necessary, it must not go overboard. So, Strategic planning would help in choosing tailor-made strategies and circulating it among different sections of the target market. In the absence of clear thought, there can be a wastage of resources if the same messages are shared among the masses. Quicker conversions for an ICO can be realized if the target audience is divided into specific groups.
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Hire an ICO advisor
An ICO expert will have a thorough knowledge of the dos and don’ts involved in the process. They will help a company to tick the right boxes while implementing the project. This can help in saving resources during the ICO promotion by focussing on productive aspects.
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Be transparent in disclosure
ICO advisor should mention all the information during documentation and promotion of the ICO must be true. Competitors and Regulatory authorities can also heavily scrutinize minute details. Besides, The presence of transparency in your ICO increases the confidence and trust of investors and can lead to more collection of funds. One should appoint a responsive team to answer all queries and doubts of users regarding your ICO.
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Possess a unique story
More importance must be given to the vision of the company and aspirations to be fulfilled in their ICO project. Also, Every customer must be driven towards the success of the ICO through a realistic journey. So, one can conduct a study on understanding the likes, interests, and preferences of customers.
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Ensure end-to-end compliance for ICO
Not all governments of countries welcome an ICO with open hands. Every exchange owner must meet all guidelines and regulations laid down by competent authorities and law-making bodies. Non-compliance for an ICO can discourage investment by potential customers. It can also impact the operations of the exchange.
Make sure to follow all the above factors for a successful ICO marketing strategy. Reach out to Blockchain App Factory for improving your position in the industry. They also have a team of well-versed and accomplished developers who will fulfill your goals comfortably. Get in touch with them for tailor-made marketing strategies that can spark an interest in your ICO offering.
