NFT Advertising: How to Capture Attention for Your Web 3.0 Project 

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The blockchain technology that allows non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to exist is complicated. NFT advertising, however, doesn’t have to be. Like any other product, successfully marketing an NFT requires understanding your audience and how to reach them. But because the NFT landscape is so new, knowing the best way to do that can be tricky. Read on to learn how to assemble a successful NFT advertising campaign so you can build hype and ensure your project will land with maximum impact when it drops. 

What Goes Into an NFT Advertising Plan? 

Every good advertising campaign starts with a high-level vision that can then be translated into discrete deliverables. Your NFT advertising plan will help you corral all of your ideas, like ad content and platforms, and define your KPIs so you can successfully measure return on investment. Ultimately, your advertising plan should provide a summary of your campaign so you can present clear goals and budget requests to leadership and key stakeholders. 

The first step of drafting an NFT advertising plan involves coming up with a marketing approach and setting concrete goals for success. Most NFT campaigns rely on performance marketing, which focuses on measurable outcomes by baking in a series of test campaigns to the overall timeline. This way, you can quickly test a variety of channels and targeting strategies, and rapidly iterate your campaign to hone in on what’s working. 

Once you’ve determined your approach, outline each phase of your campaign. Provide a timeline for each phase as well as the roles and responsibilities of anyone involved to provide layers of accountability and ensure a smooth rollout. Include the following: 

  • Pre-production: Use this phase to set your KPIs and lock in core decisions around branding and positioning. 
  • Channels: Determine where this campaign will be displayed, whether that’s through Google Ads, social media, or other platforms. 
  • Creative development: Delve into the specifics of your ad campaign. What will it look like? Will it involve influencers to help spread the word? 
  • Testing: Include a phase to test across channels and make adjustments to best predict cost-per-customer-acquisition across your campaign. 
  • Campaign launch: Satisfied with the results of your testing, it’s time to launch your campaign to a wider audience. Use a burst campaign with a high spend rate so you can rapidly acquire users. Look into pairing your NFT project with a PR campaign as well, so you can drive brand awareness and establish authority in the space. 

Getting into the nitty-gritty here may seem like overkill, but it will make buy-in from leadership much easier. Plus, you can refer back to this document during your campaign debrief to see if you’ve met your goals and determine any areas for improvement as you prep for your next campaign. 

Use Advertising Channels That Will Connect With Your Audience 

When planning your NFT advertising campaign, it’s crucial to select ad channels that make sense for your audience. The audience for NFTs is younger and more plugged into the internet than other segments, and you’ll want to make sure your plan takes that into account. Radio and television, for example, are probably not the best place to dedicate ad spend for an NFT-focused campaign, at least to start. 

Instead, look to web-based channels for ad placement, many of which have burgeoning NFT communities that are excited to hear about the latest opportunities. Here are a few options worth looking into: 

  • Google Ads can help embed your campaign in search results and across Google’s suite of products. 
  • Facebook’s massive reach provides ample ways to connect with your exact audience and target them on an individual level. 
  • Instagram’s visual approach offers a variety of opportunities for promotion via influencers. 
  • Twitter has quickly become the central hub for fans of NFTs to communicate and discover new drops. 
  • Reddit’s community-focused design is tailor-made for you to reach your targeted audience across a variety of topics and interests. 
  • LinkedIn is largely business-focused, with tech influencers discussing the value of NFTs and the broader metaverse. 
  • YouTube is still the premier way to deliver video-based advertising content. 
  • Twitch’s young, highly online, and gaming-focused audience provides unique opportunities for NFT marketing. 

Partnering with NFT influencers or celebrities is also a great way to build hype for your campaign. Look into who your targeted audience trusts, and reach out to arrange video shoots or promoted social media posts to ensure your campaign gets maximum exposure. Resist the urge to simply throw cash at the first name that comes up in a Google search; consider both their importance within the NFT community and their relatability to your brand. Unexpected pairings can be effective, but collaborations that don’t ring true will hurt your credibility in the space. Working with an NFT marketing agency can help make connections with the right influencers to maximize impact. 

Promote Your Project in Online Communities 

Dropping ads on social media will only get you so far, however. If you’re looking for an organic way to boost your message and increase your impact, you need to embed yourself within the NFT community. Some of the most prominent channels for promotion include:  

  • Nftcalendar.io keeps a running list of currently scheduled and upcoming NFT drops, providing an easy-to-navigate centralized location for anyone looking to buy an NFT.  
  • Reddit NFT communities (also known as subreddits) are thriving, allowing fans and creators a chance to collaborate and provide feedback on each other’s projects. Check out r/NFT for general discussion, or r/NFTsMarketplace to post direct marketplace links to your NFT. 
  • Discord provides a wealth of text- and voice-based channels for NFT enthusiasts to hang out, share projects, and chat about the latest drops. Look for communities like the NFT Discord or OpenSea for opportunities to share your campaign or learn more about the broader NFT marketplace. 
  • Follow relevant Twitter hashtags like #nftCommunity or #nftspaces to see what the community is up to. You can also create Twitter Spaces to engage in live audio conversations and promote your projects directly.    

It’s important to note that these channels may have rules regarding self-promotion; it may only be allowed if you’ve been a member of the community for a certain amount of time, for example, or it may be prohibited outright. Make sure you abide by channel rules when promoting your project, otherwise you could find yourself banned or otherwise blocked. 

Gain Insight from Web 3.0 Marketing Communities 

If this is your first time starting a web3 marketing campaign, it’s helpful to get advice directly from other marketing professionals who are working in the space. The following Discord and Telegram channels can provide valuable insight, and connect you with other marketers and influencers to make your project a success: 

  • The Web3 Marketing Movement is an open Discord group that offers marketers a chance to get up to speed on the latest developments, and share their projects with one another. 
  • Jump is a closed discord group that requires users to apply for membership. Once accepted, you’ll have access to exclusive member roundtables and guest speaker invites, and be able to chat directly with other web3 brand marketers.  
  • DeCenter is a Telegram channel with over 36,000 subscribers and enthusiasts with a wide range of knowledge and experience levels. 

 

Look to Successful NFT Advertising Campaigns for Inspiration 

When coming up with ideas for your NFT advertising campaign, it’s always wise to review whose efforts have proven successful so far. 

One of the biggest success stories in recent months is NBA Top Shot. The NBA partnered with Dapper Labs to develop a series of NFT trading cards with a twist: instead of static images of players, collectors can buy and trade video highlights of impressive plays, dubbed Moments. The program was an initial hit with over $230 million in sales in the first year. A recent ad featuring Kevin Durant has caused another surge in popularity. NBA Top Shot has been so successful that Dapper Labs is in the process of rolling out similar programs for the NFL and the UFC 

The unique nature of NFTs makes them a natural fit for campaigns that play on fans’ desires to collect brand-related items. Nike scored a win when it partnered with RTFKT to create CryptoKicks so sneakerheads can buy digital shoes and upgrade them over time by completing certain tasks. Kings of Leon turned their 2021 album When You See Yourself into an NFT containing exclusive artwork and a limited edition gold vinyl, generating over $2M in revenue 

However, you approach your NFT advertising campaign, you should ensure there is a direct connection to your brand, while providing a unique experience that can only exist within the digital space.  

 

Maximize the Impact of Your Web 3.0 Strategy 

Once you’ve devised your strategy, you’ll also need a way to implement the technical aspects of your NFT drop. A partner that can help with digital asset management and distribution is invaluable and can provide the proper tools and insight to achieve your campaign’s goals. 

dSphere supplies the infrastructure you need to create and drop your own NFTs, develop your own white label NFT marketplace, accept crypto and fiat payments from anywhere in the world, and trade assets on a single platform. Plus, we provide the tools to link your NFTs to real-world events and benefits. Contact us today to learn more. 

 

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