Proven ICO Marketing Strategies to Promote Your Project

The cryptocurrency industry’s rapid and robust growth only made the upgradation of initial coin offerings inevitable. As per the current data, more than $3.3 billion USD was raised in 2019 alone. Current trends also show that the performance of ICOs improves year after year. Despite these facts, not all coins follow the same path, with some losing value over time. According to a TUM School of Management ICO market report, up to 65% of tokens in July 2020 lost all of their value. This only emphasizes the importance of developing and implementing better ICO marketing strategies to promote your ICO. Because, ultimately, it’s yet a lucrative field where the best stand out — much similar to the fields of investing and business.

What is ICO?

ICO stands for Initial Coin Offering which showcases the highly unregulated procedure of elevating funds for a project of cryptocurrency. Early investors are sold a portion of the cryptocurrency in exchange for bitcoin or legal tender. This is similar to an IPO, in which investors purchase company stock.

ICO is a relatively new venture that is rapidly expanding due to the development of new cryptocurrencies. 2017 was a watershed moment for cryptocurrency, with over $5.6 billion raised from various ICO projects. This sum was raised through approximately 430 successful cryptocurrency ventures. Despite this success, there have been many failed ICOs, with only 48% of ICOs in 2017 reaching their soft cap. There are currently over 1500 cryptocurrencies in existence, with more cryptocurrencies on the way. This has enhanced competition, making it even more difficult for new cryptocurrencies to emerge as their soft copy. 

To make cryptocurrency successful in 2023 there is a requirement to have an impactful ICO marketing strategy to circulate the ICO and enable it to reach its target audience. 

How to Promote ICO? 

1. Create a Great Website

A good website can serve as the foundation for your digital marketing strategy for your ICO. It is what will make an impression on your target audience. So, before you launch your ICO, make sure your website is optimized. Plan out the layout of your website ahead of time. It should be simple to navigate, with a simple design that allows visitors to obtain as much information as possible in the shortest amount of time. A website with a lot of unnecessary information can turn visitors away, hurting your ICO marketing.

2. Make sure you post everything on the Website related to ICO Project

Giving your site visitors a lot of information builds trust, which promotes your ICO. Quality traffic to your website is also attracted by easily accessible information. To capitalize on this high-quality traffic, make sure your website includes a call to action where investors can invest in the presale.

3. Airdrop Campaigns

Getting free is something everybody wants to try or to have and so tokens are not exceptional. Campaigns of airdrops necessarily include facilitating users to learn about your cryptocurrency. Throughout the process, you can easily spread awareness about your recently launched ICO. 

It’s a splendid method that’s been constantly working for the last many years and now because it also enhances the value of the coin regardless of how you manage it. Records from 2017 to 2018 show an exponential increase in daily airdrops. They are also likely directly proportional to the increase in the number of ICOs over time.

Of course, it is not without risks, as are most campaigns. To increase the chances of your campaign’s success, you must follow these guidelines from the start:

• Create trust by creating a high-quality, responsive website and being active on social media.
• Determine the appropriate number of free tokens to distribute.
• Last but not least, set a firm goal for the airdrop campaign and stick to it.

4. Taking part in the top events, Trade Shows, and Conferences.

Following any of the three will suffice because they frequently feature the top companies at the time. Most of these programs have defined enrollment, so take advantage of the opportunities they provide, especially while you’re still building awareness and demonstrating your reputation.

5. Publish Massive  Events on Calendars 

In the same way that it is critical in business to acquire loyal customers, you must also find ways to retain your current audience. Calendars are just one effective tool that investors use to keep track of the activities of numerous companies.

This is why, as a company, you should use calendars to notify investors of any significant events that occur in your company. These can be notable accomplishments or current feedback. This way, you’ll be killing two birds with one stone because you’ll gain exposure while also convincing investors that your company is highly transparent.

6. Immediate Messaging Applications 

Using apps like Whatsapp or Telegram, you can easily share concise posts to engage your audience and communities. Look for platforms with demonstrably large and active crypto communities, and pay attention to the level of security they provide. Because new token enthusiasts, curious people, and coin experts frequently congregate in these communities, they also provide an excellent opportunity to expand your network.

7. Crypto Influencer Partnerships/ Influencer Marketing

Crypto influencer or Influencer marketing collaborations are different beasts from plain, old interviews. Along with them, you can surely work with an influencer who dedicatedly shows faith in your project, to the extent that promotion turns out to be smooth sailing. Else, this could end up doing more harm regardless of good. 

If you also have any highly – reputed financial institutions and firms you can collaborate with, it goes without claiming that, this will create wonders for trust-building. 

8. Interviews & Podcasts 

Audio content has always worked, and it continues to have clout through more modern options like podcasts. It’s safe to claim that you shouldn’t be afraid to take advantage of their benefit of allowing you to inform interested parties about the details and features of your project. Frequently releasing podcasts keeps your audience engaged, especially if you can consistently come up with interesting content.

When it comes to interviews, you don’t need to look any further than influencers to figure out who you should contact. This allows you to interact with a large, already-established audience. Who knows how many of them are interested in getting into cryptocurrency or learning about profitable investments?

9. Community Management

Who says you can’t create your community from the ground up? The fact that you nearly always have an involved number of followers or audiences within a short period pretty much opens the door to it. A strong community should be one of your long-term objectives because it lays a more stable foundation, which your project’s steadily rising reputation will support.

Finally, as long as you’re proactive in engaging with and assisting users, whether in other communities, social media, or forums, you’ll almost always be heading in this direction.

10. Advertising and Paid Promotions

If you want to promote something seriously, advertising is almost always a given. Because ICO ads are not permitted on mainstream ad platforms such as Google and Facebook, you must look for platforms that do. Certain Bitcoin advertising websites perform well in this regard. A good example is https://bitmedia.io/, which can provide tools that allow you to offer a variety of ad targeting options as well as easy tracking at low costs.

If you’re going for a multi-pronged approach, take the time to optimize your campaigns in each one. Otherwise, you can always use online marketing services.

11. Utilize the platform of Social Media to reach the community of Cryptocurrency

For the success of an ICO marketing campaign, social media is an invaluable tool. The difference between an ICO’s success and failure is in how you communicate your ICO to your target audience. Social media platforms offer an excellent opportunity to promote your ICO project and build community trust among potential investors. Some of the most common online channels for promoting your ICO include, but are not bound to;

• Network with LinkedIn –  You must be willing to go the extra mile in building networks and establishing and strengthening relationships, just as you would in business. Look for any opportunity to do so and don’t be afraid to take it. What’s great is that there is already a solid platform where you can do the majority of your networking, such as LinkedIn.

According to 2021 statistics, LinkedIn now has over 740 million users. Furthermore, nearly a quarter of that total can be classified as senior-level influencers, and up to 55 million companies have been listed on the platform.

What makes everything even better? Most of the preliminary steps are actually automatable. For instance, did you know that Linked Helper allows you to contact potential influencers and sponsors directly from the platform? It is an ideal opportunity because LinkedIn users respond to most types of messages better than other social media platforms.

• Facebook – There are many pages and groups on Facebook that discuss cryptocurrency, blockchains, and ICO. This is a great platform to update the community and create and publicize your ICO. 

• Reddit –  This showcases your ICO to the massive community of cryptocurrency. You can capitalize on this exposure by creating subreddits and commenting on existing threads.

• Telegram – Telegram has the ability to become the next top performer in messaging and community building. Each day the platform is emerging and also being embraced by the crypto community. 

• Quora Channels – You can gain more exposure by posting quality content on Quora and participating in regularly updated threads like https://www.quora.com/topic/Initial-Coin-Offerings-ICO.

• Specialized Forums – There are many cryptocurrency enthusiasts and investors constantly looking forward to learning more about cryptocurrency and other available opportunities. Advertising on such websites allows you a better chance to interact with your ICO with the right crowd. 

Most social media platforms do not require a large investment to operate and are thus the best channels to use if you have a limited budget.

12. PR and Media Outreach

Once your website is complete, you must conduct extensive public relations outreach. A press release is the most efficient and effective way to spread the word about your ICO project. There are several high-quality websites where you can publish your press releases. Some of these sites are crypto-specific and can help you reach your target audience. While most of these sites charge a fee, some will gladly publish superior quality and best-written content for free.

If you have a large budget for your ICO marketing, say $50,000, you can hire the services of an agency. These are experts who can handle all of your public relations and media outreach. While this may be costly, you are guaranteed widespread exposure.

You can use the Do-It-Yourself approach for a low-budget ICO marketing campaign. You will be expected to create high-quality content and have it published on various websites.

To maximize your reach, conduct extensive market research ahead of time and cultivate relationships with top-tier sites. The key to doing it yourself is to create good content that can quickly go viral.

13. Bounty Campaigns

Bounty programs involve providing individuals with incentives and rewards in the form of free coins in exchange for completing tasks. These programs can help promote your ICO if done correctly. This is because these tokens raise awareness about your ICO. Bounty programs should be monitored because too many free tokens can harm your ICO’s reputation. In contrast, too few tokens may not motivate people to assist you with your marketing camp.

14. ICO Listings

In the lists of ICOs, there are numerous top-tier Websites. Since, when your ICO enrolled on such sites offers huge exposure and coverage to your ICO. Some of these websites offer placement regardless of the fee, but if you need proper coverage then you can get placement on famous websites that demand a charge. 

15. Email & Affiliate Marketing

Better reach, as well as more direct and effective marketing methods, are some of the benefits of well-executed affiliate marketing and email marketing campaigns. Keep your email marketing messages targeted toward the audience you intend to send them to. Engage with them to establish trust and clarity.

Affiliate marketing is a fairly certain way to get the exposure you require, as long as you’re willing to pay commissions to businesses and other crypto project owners who choose to work with you. The greater their credibility and reputation, the better, because this same acclaim will eventually trickle down to you the longer you work together.

16. SEO

Here, SEO is noted as last but not least. Technically this SEO is the backbone of digital marketing therefore, it is always treated as a top list in your priorities. Currently, ranking high in search results implies reliability and trustworthiness. This is why it is as effective as any previous public relations strategy.

As you may already know, Search Engine Optimization is not determined by a single factor. To promote your ICO, you should concentrate on keywords that you use in your business listings. Don’t overlook the feedback, social shares, and mentions you receive.

Key Points to Success 

No matter whatever type of marketing strategy you apply for promoting your ICO, you are somehow bound to meet tough competition. Here are some key points below to make you stand out in the competition – 

1. Target the right customer 

Regardless of the growing popularity of cryptocurrency, you should not market your ICO to the general public. You will waste a lot of time and resources while failing to achieve meaningful conversions. Therefore, to stay on the path, make sure you understand your target audience and direct your efforts toward them. Segmenting your target audience will assist you in selecting the most appropriate marketing campaign for each group. This will result in higher conversion rates.

2. Get the services of an ICO advisor 

Professional of an ICO holds the required expertise that aids you to promote your ICO. Therefore, you should retain an ICO advisor to help you to oversee the project. That kind of expert understands all the do’s and don’ts of the crypto industry. They will guide you about the different perspectives of the crypto industry like which marketing tactics will work and which not. As a result, it eliminates losses that come from putting effort into non-productive ventures. 

3. Keep clarity to your offer

The most important factor in ensuring the success of your ICO is transparency. Transparency fosters buyer trust and confidence, which increases the amount of money collected during the initial offering. Give information about all team members involved in your project to build buyer trust. You must also provide all financial information. People will have questions about your ICO as well. As a result, ensure that you have a highly responsive team on all online platforms to address potential buyers’ questions and concerns.

4. Reveal an inspiring story 

Backers prefer to associate with ICOs whose mission and vision they can identify with. If you have an interesting story to tell about your ICO, you will most likely convert potential customers into supporters. This increases the likelihood of your ICO’s success.

5. Make your ICO legal.

As an ICO is a relatively new venture, compliance is a critical issue. Any ICO must be compliant for potential customers to consider investing in it. If you want to be successful in this field, make sure your ICO adheres to all SEC regulations from the start. This will contribute to the success of your ICO strategy.

Finally, to promote an ICO, you must select a combination of ICO marketing strategies that work for you. Developing an effective strategy will take time and careful consideration. So, take your time to research what works best, and make sure your ICO is trustworthy and compliant.