Community-building in the blockchain industry is imperative. In a couple of our previous blogs, we explored a number of the dimensions of why communities play such a massive role in the overall blockchain ecosystem and at a project level.
Of course, the obvious reasons like a decent level of interest in your project and its objective are a given, but is there more to it?
In a decentralized, predominantly online, and geographically dispersed industry like blockchain, the need for community is essential. In fact, this very characteristic of the industry harks back to a very primal human predisposition - to gather as like-minded individuals.
Individuals operating in the world of blockchain are more than likely to have a very different approach to governance and traditional organizational cultures. They have thus sought to create an environment based on code - a trustless space dominated by absolute democracy and decentralization.
Thus, communities are formed around a rebellion against the norm and the wish to seek a better, more accessible, and versatile system that is inclusive rather than exclusive and can’t be easily manipulated. These are strong ideals and if you are building or working on a project that furthers this revolutionary endeavor, then you could not find a more committed bunch of people than the blockchain, crypto, and DeFi communities.
Of course, we are not talking about the crypto dabblers, newbies, or scammers - we are talking about the blockchain enthusiasts. Although once bitten by the blockchain bug, dabblers and newbies are often absorbed into the enthusiastic nature of communities and the opportunities represented by participating fervently in the community.
We, the AmaZix team, have seen countless cases of disgruntled and unappreciated communities leading to failed projects. Our motto is “Community Matters” and we know a thing or two about it as pioneers in the field of community management for blockchain. It was the very first service the company offered in 2016 and the success of this intervention has led to us providing even more services to help grow the blockchain industry.
When you are involved in community management on a daily basis, you start to understand the community's pain points. AmaZix has managed many communities over the years and we have been able to pick up on recurring pain points of most communities.
That is why we have been able to build and tailor our services to the industry and consult broadly on business, marketing & PR, legal compliance and due diligence. Essentially we can help you to build your project from concept to a success story.
So, if you are just getting started and want to build a community around your project, here are some tips we have to offer:
Know your story
What are your projects’ purpose and intent? How will it benefit its users and the blockchain community as a whole? How will it further the ideology of a decentralized alternative to traditional systems?
You must have a strong narrative, strong brand idea, and an impactful elevator pitch that breaks through the clutter of our modern-day world. Why should people be interested in your project over others?
Make content out of your story - break your story down. If you have a whitepaper, split it into chunks of content that properly explain every aspect of your project so that anyone interested in the project has the answers at their fingertips.
Make your community accessible
Making your community accessible has a dual inference.
Firstly, you need to make sure that your community is easy to find and visible.
Even though you may just be starting to build your community, make sure you take every opportunity to make your community easy to find. Have links to your community on your website, your email signatures, and even cross-reference your different communities on all of the platforms that they exist.
For example, on Twitter, you can direct those followers to your Telegram group and vice versa. On your blogs, Medium and Reddit articles always direct people to your socials and community groups wherever they are. Typically blockchain enthusiasts take up residence on Telegram and Discord.
Secondly, accessibility extends to making your community inclusive and not exclusive.
Be aware of the culture you perpetrate in your community especially for newcomers. You may not be aware of it, but if your community comes across as cliquey, it can be off-putting. Furthermore, there is a lot of jargon and technical concepts being discussed that can be overwhelming to someone interested in blockchain but without a technical background. Ensure the content you are creating is easy to understand.
As the project owner/s time needs to be dedicated to your community especially at the start. Welcome newcomers and regularly post educational content about the project. Check-in on the newcomers to see if they have questions or need help. Be responsive and helpful.
If you don't have the resources or time to put into your community and engage with them, then you need another strategy. You need the services that companies like AmaZix offers or assistance from people in the know.
Obviously, new projects are building and developing the actual products so it can be difficult to split your attention. That said, you now know how important it is so you may need to seek someone with experience in these services, like AmaZix. Also as your community grows you will need to be aware of BOTS which can be problematic and irritating to your community.
Create awareness of your project
With your story in place, you need to actively reach out to other blockchain communities and projects with synergy to build your profile. Furthermore, you need to build a profile with popular online news feeds and publications to make them aware of your offering and gain exposure. In order to do so, you will need to be persistent
The importance of a community cannot be underestimated but it does take time, energy, and effort as well as transparency and authenticity. The projects we work with become part of the AmaZix family through our community management services we look after them and with our marketing, content, and PR services we grow them.
It brings the AmaZix Team great joy to see communities grow from strength to strength. For more on our services visit our website and reach out to us if you need support for your community or if you need to grow awareness of what your offerings are.
AmaZix is a full-service consultancy and we can help you put in place a full strategy to ensure success!