5 tips on how blockchain and crypto startups can raise brand awareness

If you're looking to raise brand awareness for your startup, here are nine tips on how to pull it off without spending a fortune.

Create a solid and unique brand identity

Your brand identity is what will make you recognizable and distinguishable from other blockchain and crypto startups. So, before you spend resources and time on boosting your current image, it's essential to take the time to create a strong and unique visual identity for your company. This involves everything from developing a flashy logo to creating a specific colour scheme and choosing font types that reflect your brand's personality. It’s important to be unique if you want to stand out from the competition. For example, if you’re launching an Australian crypto exchange platform, you want to ensure your brand is clearly distinguishable from incumbents like Capital.com, Kraken, or eToro.

The best way to do this is to hire a professional graphic designer trained in branding. But if you're on a tight budget, plenty of online resources and tools, like Canva, can help you create a logo and other visuals for your brand identity. These AI-powered platforms have hundreds of customisable templates to choose from, powerful search engine capabilities to help you home in on one that calls out to you by name, and easy-to-use drag-and-drop capabilities that make the design process a breeze even for non-designers.

Take your time until you're satisfied with the outcome. Run it through all of your friends, family, and acquaintances to get their feedback and go back to the drawing board if there are any significant changes that most people suggest, and start the cycle over.

Getting this part of your project right from the start is vital because it'll render all future efforts at building brand awareness useless if you find a flaw you need to change later down the road.

Get involved in the crypto community

Once your branding is down to a T, it's time to start exposing the blockchain and crypto community to your brand. This is where the fun begins, but it isn't about advertising your brand or startup. It's about joining the different communities in the industry and actively participating in all the relevant conversations around cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.

There are several ways to do this, but one of the most effective is through social media. Make sure you're active on platforms like Twitter and Reddit and engaging with other users in a way that adds value to the conversation. Take your time to read the whole thread to identify gaps in the debate you could fill with your insight or even mistakes other contributors have made in their reasoning. This has two benefits: it helps establish yourself as an authority on the subject, and it also helps create a bit of controversy around the discussion, which tends to make people pay more attention, getting your name (and by extension, your brand) top-of-mind with the community.

Use the same image and tone of voice across all channels

Always use the same username and avatar when participating in forums, reddits, subreddits, and other online discussion communities. You have two different options to choose from:

• You can choose your real name and headshot, so people start recognizing you and relating you with your brand, or
• You can use your brand name (or something related to it) and your logo.

Each option has its pros and cons, but we recommend using the first one as it will help you build a personal brand in addition to your startup's. This is helpful because adding a human element to your branding increases trust and makes people more likely to do business with you.

But even more important than choosing which options to go for is consistency in how you present yourself. This means using the same username and image across all channels. It also means using the same tone of voice and wording so that people can start recognizing you just by how you write. If your brand is fun and approachable, make sure it comes through in everything you say online. Conversely, if you want to be seen as a thought leader in the industry, ensure your language is always on point and that you're only sharing valuable insights.

Attend as many conferences and crypto/blockchain-related events as possible

Another great way to get involved in the community is to attend meetups and conferences related to blockchain and cryptocurrency. This will help you make valuable connections and give you a chance to talk about your project in person and get feedback from potential customers or investors.

You can also participate in events that support a social cause like the fight for inclusion and diversity, humanitarian aid round-ups, and similar events. For example, if you’re running a crypto startup in India, you can attend and support events that help fight poverty and social inequality in Indian society by empowering the poor to manage their money without needing a bank. This can be a great way to give back to the general public and associate your brand with those causes.

Whenever you attend an event, ensure you have a good supply of business cards and wear something that represents your brand. This could be a shirt with your logo or a piece of jewellery with your company's colours. You want people to be able to identify you as part of the team even when you're not giving a presentation.

If you're not the sociable type, you can also find online conferences and webinars you can attend from the comfort of your own home.

Develop a thought leadership strategy

Being a thought leader in your industry raises your brand's profile and attracts new customers and clients looking for expert guidance. When it comes to blockchain and cryptocurrency, again, there are a number of ways you can go about this.

You can start by writing articles or blog posts on the subject. If you don't have the time or resources to do this, you can look into guest posting on other people's blogs or websites. This is a great way to get your name out and connect with other influencers in the space, not just your average users. By becoming a source of valuable information, you can position yourself and your brand as an authority that people will want to do business with.

If you aren't already established as a writer in the crypto space, it can be hard to land guest posts on high-authority websites since editors want contributors with a proven track record to support their content. In this case, you can try to get your foot in the door by writing for less popular websites or blogs first and then working your way up as you build a portfolio of published work. Another option is to pay for guest posting privileges on some popular websites that offer this service. However, you'll still need to produce high-quality content, even if you pay a fee to publish.

Foster relationships with industry influencers

Like in any other industry, developing relationships with key influencers and networking, in general, can be highly beneficial to your brand. These are the people who have a large following and influence over others in the community.

Some ways to develop these relationships include attending the same events they do, commenting on or sharing their content, and tagging them in your posts. This requires a bit of skill, though, since you don't want to pass as a simple fan of their content or, worse, a spammer. Only engage with their content if you have something valuable to say, and make sure that anything you share is relevant and exciting to their followers.

After a while, odds are they'll begin to notice you and your comments, especially if others find them exciting and valuable. You can then take the next step and reach out to them via direct message to ask an insightful question or comment about something they recently posted. Once you have their attention, you can start working on building a relationship with them.

Another good idea to build rapport you can try is to sponsor events or programs in which these influencers are involved. Having something like this in common will give you more opportunities to interact with them and get your brand's name out there simultaneously.

The bottom line

Blockchain and crypto startups have a lot to gain by raising brand awareness. By building a solid brand, you can attract more investors, partners, and customers. And, by establishing a good reputation, you can build trust with the people who matter most to your success.

Of course, raising brand awareness is no easy feat. It takes time, effort, and dedication. But, if you follow the tips above, you'll be well on your way to building a successful brand for your blockchain or crypto startup.