Web3 vs Web2 Marketing: Your Guide to Maximize Growth in Web3

Web3 vs Web2 Marketing: Your Guide to Maximize Growth in Web3

Yos Riady

Yos Riady

· Published

· Updated on

Updated

Updated

Key Takeaways

  • Web3 marketing shifts from brand-to-user broadcasting to community-driven engagement where users interact pseudonymously through crypto wallets rather than personal accounts.

  • Quests and bounty campaigns are Web3-native acquisition channels that reward users for completing specific onchain actions unavailable in Web2 marketing.

  • Web3 marketing success is measured by onchain attribution and wallet retention, not clicks and page views that dominate Web2 performance reporting.

Cookie use is not a dividing line between conventional and crypto marketing. Both can use cookies and session data for browser activity, subject to consent and browser settings. Crypto measurement adds wallet connections and public contract events, which require a permitted join from campaign context to onchain activity.

To succeed in Web3 marketing, you need to be data-driven. Focus on on-chain wallet activity, revenue tracking, and onchain attribution. Go beyond surface-level metrics like clicks and page views. Measure revenue and retention instead. 

2. What are some key tactics to consider when doing marketing in Web3?

While core marketing principles like content creation, storytelling, and community building still apply, Web3 introduces a unique focus on incentivized engagement. Strategies like airdrops, token-gated experiences, rewards, and bounties can work well if designed and monitored carefully. Social platforms like X (Twitter), Discord, and Telegram are still core channels, but success depends on how well you build trust and deliver real utility to your audience. 

Make every marketing dollar count. Use a web3 analytics tool that supports onchain attribution like Formo, so you can measure the ROI and performance of your web3 marketing efforts.

3. How can I build an online presence in the Web3 space?

Unlike Web2, where ads and influencer partnerships dominate, Web3 presence relies on organic, community-driven growth. To stand out:

  • Be community-driven: Spend time in Discord, Telegram, and DAO forums where your audience already gathers. Actively engage in conversations instead of just broadcasting updates.

  • Show transparency: Publish open roadmaps, share development progress, and keep your community updated through governance proposals or AMAs (Ask Me Anything sessions).

  • Leverage founder-led growth: In Web3, people follow people more than logos. Founders who are visible, approachable, and vocal on X, podcasts, or community calls build stronger connections. Founder-led storytelling creates credibility, drives word-of-mouth, and helps humanize the brand in a space where scams are common.

  • Collaborate with other projects: Cross-community partnerships, joint campaigns, or co-hosted Twitter Spaces can expand your reach and credibility.

  • Prioritize authenticity: Long-term success depends on showing up consistently and aligning your brand’s actions with your stated values.

Ultimately, authenticity, transparency, and long-term community trust are what builds strong brand equity in Web3.

4. What are Web3-native tools that can help shape a marketing strategy?

Web3 offers a growing ecosystem of tools designed for on-chain analytics, engagement, and loyalty tracking. Popular platforms include:

  • Formo – growth and data platform for onchain apps

  • Galxe – offer incentivized tasks and reward-based loyalty programs to boost user acquisition, attention, and distribution.

  • Addressable - attribution and ad inventory that enables targeting of active crypto wallets.

Onchain growth tools allow you to track wallet behavior, design token-based loyalty programs, and understand how your users engage with your product on-chain.

5. Is Web3 marketing more expensive than Web2 marketing?

Not necessarily. Web3 campaigns may cost less in traditional ad spend since community engagement, airdrops, and organic reach play a bigger role. However, costs may shift toward reward systems and token incentives. Instead of paying an ad platform to acquire users, part of Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) may go to the users themselves. Your ROI depends on how effectively you align rewards with long-term community growth instead of short-term hype.

About the Author

About the Author
About the Author
Yos Riady

Founder

Founder

Yos is the founder of Formo, where he helps DeFi teams make analytics and attribution simple. Prior to Formo, Yos was a staff software engineer and tech lead at Chainlink Labs. He helped scale Chainlink into the industry-standard oracle for leading DeFi protocols. A long-time builder in crypto with experience across smart contracts, data engineering, and security.

Yos is the founder of Formo, where he helps DeFi teams make analytics and attribution simple. Prior to Formo, Yos was a staff software engineer and tech lead at Chainlink Labs. He helped scale Chainlink into the industry-standard oracle for leading DeFi protocols. A long-time builder in crypto with experience across smart contracts, data engineering, and security.

Table of Contents

Measure what matters onchain

Formo makes analytics and attribution simple for DeFi apps.

Measure what matters onchain

Formo makes analytics and attribution simple for DeFi apps.

Measure what matters onchain

Formo makes analytics and attribution simple for DeFi apps.