Web3 Marketing Masterclass With Art Malkov

Messari’s Mainnet conference, held in the heart of NYC, featured over 200 speakers representing a broad spectrum of the Web3 industry in 114 sessions. The annual gathering, hosted by the prominent blockchain research and data firm, has become the premier destination for forward-thinkers in the Web3 space. Panelists included Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, the founders of Solana and Stellar, and notables such as Brian Armstrong of Coinbase, Galaxy’s Mike Novogratz, and Senator Kirsten Gilibrand. 

Mainnet was not confined to the conference venue alone; it was spread across the city with side events hosted by a diversity of crypto ecosystems, investment companies, and cutting-edge blockchain innovators. One particularly notable highlight was the Web3 Marketing Masterclass led by Art Malkov, who drew on his extensive experience with top 100 crypto companies to outline the marketing infrastructure essential to the success of any Web3 company.

Art took the stage at Gritnova blockchain campus as keynote speaker for the graduating blockchain cohort to share his invaluable insights and strategies. 

As a writer with a keen interest in the ever-evolving world of Web3 marketing, I found Art Malkov’s talk to be both eye-opening and practical.

Battled-Tested Advice From Web3 Marketing CMO

Art has years of hands-on experience and a clear track record of success. He was the CMO at IoTeX, where he spearheaded a number of rapid growth campaigns, increasing the layer-1 blockchain’s daily active users (DAU) from 2,000 to well over 100,000. At Polymarket, he utilized groundbreaking influencer strategies and applications to make it the leading Web3 prediction market. Art also led the marketing team at Zilliqa, overseeing its rise to a record-breaking market cap in 2022.

He has established himself as the go-to authority in the Web3 marketing industry, and was a standout speaker at the Mainnet circuit. 

Let’s delve into a few key takeaways from Art’s presentation.

SEO: Leave Medium Behind, Embrace Ghost.org

Art Malkov began his talk by stressing the importance of effective SEO in crypto marketing. He firmly advised against using Medium to publish written content. Medium’s SEO capabilities are limited, they steal your SEO links and display your competitors’ posts to your readers. 

If you don’t own your blog’s content platform, you are at mercy of Medium shifting algorithms, terms and policies. Relying on a third-party platform will stifle your growth.

Art recommended that companies opt for Ghost, a white-label blogging platform, instead. Art pointed to IoTeX’s blog as a prime example of a successful shift from Medium to a self-hosted blog. The move resulted in hundreds of thousands of monthly visitors, a drastic increase from the previous single thousands.

Domains: The Pitfalls of .xyz Extension

In the realm of crypto marketing, domain choice is critical. Art cautioned against using the .xyz domain extension, explaining that it is often associated with spammy or low-quality websites. This negative perception can harm your brand’s reputation from the start. Instead, he advised choosing a more reputable domain extension, such as .com or .io, to convey trust and professionalism in the crypto space. 

A company’s domain name should carry as much weight as any other aspect of Web3 marketing. It is the foundation of your brand, and pays outsized dividends over the long run.

Community Building: Discord is Key

Community engagement is the cornerstone of any successful crypto project. Art Malkov recommended using Community One for Discord management, emphasizing its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features, such as Spark AI Discord bot, that onboards new users through your materials.

He highlighted the importance of building community on core platforms like Telegram, Discord, and Twitter. However, he cautioned against devoting resources to Reddit or YouTube until your project has gained significant traction.

Decide which platform will most effectively onboard and nurture users, and focus on driving your new community members there. For most, this will mean Discord, as it offers unparalleled customizability, making it the ideal platform for providing unique, individualized attention to each member. Discord turns members into brand ambassadors and super fans.  

Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs): YouTube and Smaller Influencers

When it comes to leveraging Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) in crypto marketing, Art Malkov pointed to YouTube as the go-to platform. YouTube’s evergreen content provides long-lasting value and contributes significantly to brand building. To maximize the impact of your marketing budget, Art suggested collaborating with smaller influencers who often offer the best return on investment (ROI).

While larger influencers may make headlines, smaller accounts consistently reach hundreds, or even thousands, of potential investors. This translates to hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential investment funds, or thousands of product users, with the added amplifying effect of comments and shares across multiple platforms.

KOLs are a key component of the modern Web3 marketing strategy, as their ROI is unmatched. 

A company would be remiss to overlook them.

Mainnet and the Future of Web3

Art Malkov’s insights at Mainnet shed light on the fast-evolving landscape of Web3 marketing. His expertise, rooted in a deep understanding of crypto and digital marketing, provided attendees with actionable strategies to skillfully navigate this dynamic field. 

While the promise and technical innovations of blockchain technology are well-known to insiders and are even beginning to gain traction among some Web2 companies, the wider public is still largely in the dark about blockchain industry. We should not overlook the essential importance of marketing and communication, as without vibrant, relevant, and targeted marketing, even the best blockchain companies languish, unknown to the mainstream.

Messari’s Mainnet represents the best of the industry. From mainstage speakers and presentations to numerous side events, the conference showcased the incredible advances that lie ahead for Web3 in the not-too-distant future. NFTs, Real World Assets, blockchain payments solutions and other innovations, not to mention Web3 marketing, all point to a bright future for the blockchain.

I look forward to seeing more exciting developments at next year’s conference.