Marketing Practice in the Encryption Field: From Token Issuance to Developer Ecosystem

The Uniqueness and Basic Logic of Encryption Marketing

The biggest challenge facing encryption marketing is the extremely small target audience. In 2023, there are only 23,000 active crypto developers per month, expected to increase to 30,000 in 2024, while less than 0.1% of the 28 million developers worldwide are involved in crypto. In such a highly vertical market, marketing must focus on the three core needs of developers:

1. Technology: Solving practical issues such as composability in the Rollup ecosystem.
2. Economy: Explore sustainable revenue models for public product development
3. Value: Create a unique value proposition that is attractive to developers.

Cryptographic marketing needs to redefine the way of growth, and the core of the developer community is precise value resonance. Economic incentives are just the starting point; what truly drives growth is building a technological ideal country where developers can find their professional value and spiritual belonging. Once achieved, they will spontaneously promote ecological development.

We need to abandon the mindset of pursuing scale in the Internet era and instead adhere to "depth first": understand the technical preferences of each core developer, even their pet names, and strive to perfect the experience of the top 10 users. Technological idealism itself is the best medium for communication. In this field, the power of 100 deeply engaged participants far exceeds that of 10,000 shallow users; real growth comes from these seemingly non-scalable deep connections.

Positioning and Strategic Trade-offs of Layer2

The Rollup ecosystem is an extension of Ethereum culture, and its open characteristics have given rise to a unique "competitive-cooperative ecosystem"—all Layer2 are collectively strengthening the Ethereum network. This requires marketing to balance dual positioning: it must highlight commercial value while also emphasizing the core mission of expanding Ethereum. The most effective way to demonstrate this is through technical binding, such as defaulting to using ETH to pay for Gas fees, which showcases the symbiotic relationship with Ethereum more than any slogan.

When evaluating Layer 2 strategies, resource endowment determines differentiation. Well-funded projects like BASE under Coinbase can independently build ecological brands leveraging resources from listed companies; whereas resource-limited Layer 2s need to deeply bind with Ethereum to leverage its industry credibility for cold starts. This resource-oriented marketing strategy choice essentially reflects the "Matthew Effect" in the encryption ecosystem—stronger players remain strong, while emerging projects must make good use of leverage.

DevRel × Marketing: The Synergistic Engine Driving Ecosystem Growth

Developer Relations ( DevRel ) should be deeply integrated into the marketing system. Developer documentation, as the primary touchpoint, needs to have a unified control over language style and conversion paths. Currently, DevRel is evolving into a content creator role, addressing tool usage pain points through programming tutorial videos and other forms. Our practice has shown that this type of content can effectively enhance developer engagement, proving that the industry needs to break down information barriers through interactive methods. This evolution requires DevRel to possess stronger marketing thinking and execution capabilities.

The success of the developer ecosystem depends on building a closed loop of "product-economy-community." Taking the privacy field as an example, its professionalism naturally filters out target developers. During the cold start phase, a dual approach is necessary: uncovering commercial potential while tracking the progress of early developers, providing high-value support such as media exposure and strategic consulting at critical moments. Although this deep operation is difficult to scale, it is key to creating a project moat.

The essence of cryptocurrency marketing is ecological coordination. It is necessary to uncover developer stories, as well as proactively identify needs and drive product iteration. The core lies in helping developers succeed through deep support: actively intervening on platforms like GitHub and Twitter, first addressing actual construction challenges, and then promoting once the project matures. This "empower first, speak later" closed-loop model is the truly effective path for ecological construction.

Coordinating Ecology and Controlling Noise: Systemic Thinking from Token Issuance to Brand Synergy

The core of token issuance lies in balancing its dual attributes. It is both a marketing activity and a financial product. The quality of the design of the economic model directly determines the project's fate, and it is necessary to choose either an explosive or gradual path based on the project's characteristics. On the implementation level, three key aspects must be grasped:

1. Engage in in-depth discussions with economists about the value positioning of Tokens, avoiding rigid applications;
2. Conduct in-depth research on the practical application scenarios and usage habits of different markets;
3. Establish a comprehensive post-listing management mechanism, including community sentiment management, team incentive mechanisms, and information disclosure standards.

These challenges are essentially consistent with the governance requirements faced by listed companies.

The core of community operation strategy lies in clearly identifying the types of objects to which long-term resources are allocated. Currently, there is an influx of bots and AI accounts, making it difficult to determine who the real users are that actively speak in the community. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately target the audience:

1. Early supporters with a high level of alignment should be cultivated during the testnet phase.
2. For PoS networks, node operators and validators (, whether institutional or individual stakers ), are key opinion leaders.
3. Establish a structured operational mechanism, such as regular community conference calls.

The key is to collect market feedback widely while also learning to filter out the noise. If you try to respond to every online voice, you will only fall into the quagmire of ineffective information.

The separate structure of foundations and laboratories in the encryption industry presents unique challenges for market teams. In practical operations, differentiated communication strategies can be adopted to address this dual structure:

1. Laboratory side: Cultivate technical leaders as channels for voice, such as opening certified accounts for product leaders to publish technical progress (, such as custom Gas Token upgrades ), and then disseminate through official accounts.

2. Foundation side: Focus on strategic communication at the brand level to shape industry awareness.

This approach maintains the narrative independence of both while creating a synergy at the execution level.

Brand Beginnings: The Dual Layout of Founder's Influence and Marketing Resources

The core advice for founders is: to shape the image of a domain expert, rather than a product salesperson. Specific methods:

1. Discuss industry pain points based on professional insights, rather than directly promoting products.
2. Build influence through expertise.
3. Make good use of personal channels to convey in-depth views

It is suggested that founders choose the most natural way of expression: those good at dialogue should do podcasts, those skilled in writing should write long articles, and those comfortable in front of the camera should make videos. There is no need to force oneself into forms that one is not good at; for example, those who resist public speaking can avoid large occasions. The key is to integrate personal style into professional content—adding a touch of humor for a fun twist, or unique expressions for creative designs. Finding a relaxed yet professional way of output, combined with effective communication strategies, yields the best results.

For founders who are just starting to build personal influence, it is recommended to begin from the easiest entry point: focus on doing one thing well, mobilize all company resources to support it, and create a few iconic moments to accumulate momentum. This is far more effective than forcing founders to post 10 tweets every day. The key is to have something to say, say it well and thoroughly, and naturally the situation will open up.

To create an influential brand in the encryption field, it is essential to establish a deep connection with the founders. Only through one-on-one communication can one truly understand their core vision and entrepreneurial intentions, thus injecting soul into the brand story. This is the foundation of successful marketing, and there are no shortcuts.

Regarding the allocation of marketing resources, the uniqueness of cryptocurrency marketing lies in the fact that marketing concepts and visions often begin before the product has matured. This stage requires continuous trial and error to find the most suitable means of communication.

Personal suggestion: The best marketing launch timing is 6 months before the product goes live. Promoting a nonexistent product too early can lead to market skepticism, while promoting it too late can result in missed opportunities. The key is to find the golden time for storytellers and disseminators based on an understanding of the product delivery cycle.

For projects that require community co-construction, marketing intervention can occur earlier. For example, when running a decentralized test network, even without a "formal product" or mainnet, it is necessary to attract node operators to participate.

Marketing Kickoff for Startup Projects: From Agency Collaboration to Team Building

When a startup team first recruits a marketing director, the core principle is: only choose versatile talents who have previously worked together. Such candidates must meet three key conditions: a deep understanding of my working style, seamless collaboration skills, and a willingness to get involved personally. In the early stages, even the CMO needs to operate social media (. Practice has proven that this kind of well-acquainted collaboration can quickly break the ground—compared to the risk of using newcomers, the tacit cooperation with familiar comrades can better withstand the pressures of entrepreneurship and avoid team rhythm disruptions caused by improper personnel choices.

The marketing team construction should follow the dual standard of "all-round foundation + vertical specialization": each member must be competent in basic tasks such as tweet writing, email formatting, and voice live streaming, while also possessing professional depth in specific vertical fields. This team structure, divided by field rather than function, has been proven in our practice to maximize the efficiency of small teams. By not setting traditional job boundaries, each member becomes both a versatile player and a domain expert.

The recruitment in the encryption industry should return to the essence of the business. SaaS projects aimed at developers can completely introduce mature marketing talents from traditional technology fields, such as experts skilled in developer community operations. Instead of adhering to the rigid criterion of "must have an encryption background," it is better to focus on the candidate's transferable professional skills. The rich SaaS talent resources in tech hubs like San Francisco can quickly provide proven marketing talents for encryption projects.

When considering the recruitment of content creators, it is essential to think deeply about three levels: first, to clarify the specific pain points that need to be addressed through writing in the current business; second, to define the scope of responsibilities for the position, avoiding vague statements like "responsible for writing"; most importantly, to establish a supporting collaboration mechanism, as high-quality content creation requires continuous content support and feedback from the founders or the team, and is certainly not a problem that can be automatically solved by hiring a writer.

Landing and Resonance: From Local Operations to Integrated Communication of Community Culture

The core of global cryptocurrency operations lies in building local trust networks. When entering new markets, it is essential to introduce local partners through reliable channels—there are significant differences in business practices across countries: some regions are more open to long-term partnerships based on trust rather than American standardized contracts. A lack of local connections can lead to cultural misjudgments and communication failures. The optimal path is to leverage existing resource networks for endorsement, rather than cold-starting unfamiliar developments.

We have effectively identified and cultivated a group of highly active community members by establishing localized Discord channels. The specific operational model is: first, we systematically train local members to master the project documentation, gradually building a decentralized cultural dissemination network. This localized operation based on daily collaboration tools is essentially creating a new type of online relationship network, naturally nurturing the community ecosystem through high-frequency interactions.

Community operations need to identify and cultivate core supporters. When a project enters an important development stage, those actively participating contributors can become an effective source of talent. By integrating them into a formal system through mechanisms such as technical ambassadors or local event organizers, it can both maintain community engagement and establish initial market resources. When there is a need to introduce professional service providers, these foundational relationship networks can provide reference suggestions and reduce the difficulties of starting from scratch. The value of the post-funding model lies in its pragmatic evaluation approach.

The core of the strategy for activities in the cryptocurrency industry lies in precise positioning. While large events can help with brand exposure, the return on investment is difficult to measure; in contrast, small high-end events can achieve business collaborations and key networking at a lower cost. Mature projects should focus on high-value participants, while emerging projects need to avoid blindly participating in exhibitions and instead create boutique events in vertical fields. Essentially, it is about pursuing quality rather than scale.

Cryptocurrency activity strategies should focus on three key points:

1. Plan in sync with the product roadmap to ensure major releases and important activities complement each other;
2. Standardize budget usage to avoid simply using activity funds for relationship maintenance; all sponsorships must align with clear ecological strategic directions.
3. Focus on efficient activity formats, engage with core groups through small closed-door meetings, and simultaneously hold professional events such as developer conferences.

Offline events allow teams to directly observe developer feedback, identify potential users, and even discover regional communities, bringing opportunities for global expansion.

Cryptocurrency marketing needs to make good use of meme culture as a special narrative tool. Memes can cleverly transform complex concepts while reinforcing a sense of community belonging. The key lies in establishing a balance mechanism: core accounts maintain a professional tone, but provide operators with reasonable creative space.