Branding B.A.D. | The Before, After, and During of your web3 community building exercise

Establishing a strong brand in web3 is a daunting task, as many businesses mistakenly equate "brand" with "design." A brand is not solely defined by what a company claims it to be, but rather by what their users perceive it to be. Marty Neumeier, the author of The Brand Gap, a renowned work on branding science, is quick to note that a brand is the “shared emotion” or instinctive impression of anyone who interacts with a product or service.

In the realm of web3 branding, uniform design principles are prevalent, resulting in difficulty for users to distinguish between distinctive products and services. However, there are four essential measures that can be taken to address this challenge:

Step 1: Identify a Clear Product Market Fit

One of the biggest mistakes that web3 projects make is trying to please everyone. Instead, you should identify your key audience and focus on delivering a unique value proposition that resonates with them. This allows you to tailor your visual elements, user journeys, and community growth tactics to that niche segment.

Here are some questions to help you define your target audience:

• What problem does your project solve?
• Who are the people who are facing this problem?
• What motivates them?
• How do they interact with the web3 ecosystem?
• What other projects are they currently using?
• Once you have a clear understanding of your target audience, you can start building a brand that speaks to their needs and aspirations.

Step 2: Define the End Goal of Building a Brand

The end goal of building a brand is not just to increase sales or user acquisition. It's about creating a community of loyalists who believe in your vision and are willing to advocate for your project. These loyalists will help you attract new users, provide valuable feedback, and even defend your project during challenging times.

To build a strong community, you need to:

• Listen to your users and integrate their feedback into your product development cycle.
• Provide the right information at the right time, such as tutorials, FAQs, and guides.
• Set up clear rules and welcome new members with open arms.
• Experiment with different content formats and don't be afraid to inject humor into your communications.
• Use shock-and-awe tactics sparingly and only when it aligns with your brand's values.
• Personalize your messaging while keeping it simple and accessible.
• Spread love and positivity within your community.

Step 3: Consistently deliver great UX with a sharp focus on user satisfaction

User satisfaction should be the top priority of any web3 project. If your users are not satisfied with your product, they will not become loyalists or advocates. To promote user satisfaction, you need to map user flows that are seamless and frictionless.

Here are some thoughts on how to create a seamlessly user-friendly product:

• Use clear and concise language to describe your product's features and benefits.
• Minimize the number of clicks required to complete a task.
• Make sure your product is compatible with multiple devices and platforms.
• Provide easy access to support channels, such as chatbots or forums.
• Gamify your product to make it more engaging and rewarding.
• Test your product with real users to identify pain points and areas for improvement.

Building a strong online community involves identifying the colors, conversational tone, typefaces, and even GIFs that resonate well with the members of the community. To achieve this, it is crucial to keep the community updated and integrate their feedback into your strategy. Provide the right information at the right time and establish clear rules while welcoming new members.

Experimenting with different content formats and adding humor to your messaging can help maintain engagement. However, be cautious when using shock-and-awe tactics, as overdoing it can have negative consequences. Personalization is key, but it should be kept simple to avoid overwhelming users.

In building your brand, prioritize messages of inclusion and equality to foster a sense of belonging among your community members. Above all, spread love in your interactions with the community, while being mindful not to come across as awkward. By implementing these tips, you can create a vibrant and supportive online community that quite literally puts your community building exercises on autopilot!