A successful web3 community requires a thoughtful blend of innovation and effective communication. This approach fosters a collaborative culture that contributes to the richness of the web3 landscape. This article explores how you can build a Web3 community and the best ways to engage your community members.

A Web3 community is a decentralized virtual community for people who share an interest in blockchain technology

What is a Web3 Community?

A Web3 community is a collective of developers, enthusiasts, and stakeholders dedicated to advancing and adopting blockchain technologies. These communities engage members in:

• Blockchain development: This includes creating decentralized applications (dApps) or contributing to the development of blockchain protocols. 

• Governance: Members participate in decentralized governance structures, contributing to the establishment of rules and decisions for a specific platform or project. 

• Decentralized Finance (DeFi): Participating in or supporting the development of decentralized financial applications and services falls within the scope of Web3 community activities. 

• Investment and Speculation: Some community members invest in Web3 projects or tokens, driven by their belief in the growth potential.

Examples of basic community lifecycle activities

Why is Web3 community building important?

Web3 communities emphasize shared ownership, with DAOs empowering members to manage and build projects in a decentralized manner. This community-driven approach fosters connections and shared purpose, driving user loyalty and engagement for Web3 brands. A strong community is vital, underscoring the importance of facilitating meaningful interactions to foster lasting user relationships.

How can you build a strong Web3 community?

Fostering a strong Web3 community requires strategic planning, clear communication, and a shared sense of purpose. Here are actionable steps to improve your Web3 community engagement:

Understand the Web3 culture 

Start by immersing yourself in Web3’s unique culture: learn the terminology, study successful Web3 communities, and embrace elements such as memes that foster engagement and personalization. Understanding Web3 culture will help you create a community that resonates with members and cultivates a sense of belonging in the decentralized ecosystem.

Identify your target audience

Understand the specific needs and interests of your target audience. Identify the most invested individuals and look for members who can help grow the community. Understanding your audience enables tailored offerings and meaningful community engagement.

To effectively target and engage your Web3 audience, it's crucial to deeply understand their needs, interests, and pain points.

Set clear goals 

Set clear and measurable goals that align with the shared goals of community members. Collaborate with stakeholders and conduct thorough research to set goals that provide guidance, promote transparency, and foster trust among members. 

Examples of goal setting in Web3 communities:

• For an Investor DAOs: Primary goal of attracting investment, secondary goal of turning investors into brand ambassadors 

• For a new Web3 community: The primary goal is to recruit community members and brand ambassadors, and the secondary goal is to bring in investment. 

Other common goals include increasing sales, finding new partners, or improving customer retention. Clear goals provide flexibility in guiding community behavior and determining ideal actions. 

Choose the right tools 

Select appropriate platforms such as Telegram, Discord, and Twitter that offer powerful features for engaging and growing Web3 communities. Leverage the unique strengths of each platform to facilitate effective coordination and interaction among members, influencers, and discussions.

Offer valuable content such as blog posts, tutorials, and white papers to attract and retain community members

Measure performance 

Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with your community goals, such as membership and engagement metrics. Track qualitative and quantitative engagement over time to measure the maturity and success of your Web3 community.

Establish moderation policies

Develop clear community rules and guidelines to ensure equity and prevent discrimination. Moderators should follow platform-specific best practices and address issues such as information leaks, strong language, spam, and self-promotion. Consensus and adherence to community policies among members are essential.

Incentivize participation

Offer token-based incentives and rewards to attract and retain Web3 community members and encourage engagement and contributions. Airdrops, bug bounties, and contests are popular approaches, but care must be taken to prevent manipulation and to ensure that rewards are aligned with meaningful project participation.

How do you engage your Web3 community?

Building a thriving web3 community takes dedication and patience. To increase your community engagement, consider these top strategies:

1. Tokenize your loyalty program

Tokenizing your rewards system can broaden your audience and increase community engagement. Incorporate digital incentives into your loyalty program to motivate interaction. Use blockchain technology to distribute digital assets to loyal customers when they reach certain milestones. From issuing digital badges to complex programs like Starbucks Odyssey, a tokenized loyalty system expands your digital footprint, offering rewards, exclusive perks, and deeper brand engagement opportunities. 

An example of a loyalty program - Starbucks Odyssey. 

2. Implement NFT drops

Leverage NFTs in your engagement strategy to increase brand awareness and community growth. NFTs provide a unique digital rewards system that encourages user pride and interaction. They serve as a powerful marketing tool to drive engagement and showcase your brand. NFTs can commemorate events, drive revenue, and enhance the user experience. Take inspiration from JUMP, a web3 community that uses NFTs creatively with various collections such as membership tokens and ID badges. Coinbase launched Base with a free NFT through Zora and saw over 24,000 mints in 24 hours.

3. Engage your community in decision-making.

Engage your community when making important decisions. Solicit input with web3 voting forms that foster appreciation and provide valuable insights. Structure the form with yes/no questions, provide context, collect wallet activities, and token-gate access to limit responses to holders only. This approach demonstrates transparency, values the voice of the community, and ensures decisions are aligned with stakeholder interests.

Snapshot.org is a decentralized governance platform that allows web3 communities to create and vote on proposals. These platforms now have more than 15,000 web3 brand communities.

4. Host virtual events.

Virtual events are a dynamic way to engage your community and encourage real-time interaction between users. Tailor your event strategy to different formats and choose the ideal platform for hosting. Platforms such as Twitter Spaces offer informal discussions that attract new users and facilitate guest participation. Oasis Protocol hosted a Space in 2023 with crypto gaming guests to discuss the industry's growth. Crypto.com hosts live AMAs on Twitter Spaces to answer questions from the community and build trust with them.

Discord offers native event features for informal gatherings or gated events. For structured webinars, platforms such as Zoom excel at presentation-style content and interactive sessions. Events serve as compelling community drivers, ensuring ongoing engagement and member participation.

Build thriving Web3 communities and drive growth with Formo

Build a successful Web3 community with Formo

Formo Web3 Forms offers marketing solutions to optimize the visibility, engagement, and growth of your brand or project in the Web3 space. Formo empowers you to conduct Web3 surveys, capture both onchain and offchain data, analyze onchain interactions to create innovative marketing strategies and develop your Web3 communities.

Web3 communities are critical for education, token distribution, and grassroots outreach. To nurture these communities, define clear goals and values, choose appropriate platforms, and deploy effective marketing tactics. Engaging with your web3 community builds loyalty and extends your reach, enabling projects to stand out and drive product-led growth in the Web3 ecosystem.