Even though the cryptocurrency market has shifted consistently in the past year towards institutional and government interests, with the likes of BlackRock, Fidelity, and several nation-states adding sats to their balance sheets, social media communities remain central to the success of altcoin projects. Whether a team is working on the next Solana memecoin success story or building a DeFi application on Ethereum, they must put the community front and center.
As things stand, the three most important social media platforms in Web3 are X, Discord, and Telegram. Not all projects require all three. The perfect social media marketing strategy will depend on the project. However, it is generally advisable to have X and Telegram, with Discord mainly needed for technically complex projects or those requiring compartmentalization of communities.
Finding out how to build a crypto community from scratch is daunting. Developers are generally up to their eyeballs in code, and the last thing they want to worry about is moderating Telegram groups or generating organic growth on X. This is why they generally rely on the support of crypto social media marketing experts.
Crypto marketing teams with social media expertise offer projects comprehensive strategies for growing their communities, reducing FUD, and building positive vibes that can then be translated into trading volume.
The Importance of Social Media Communities in Web3
In Web3, social media communities are not just audiences. They are partners, investors, and leaders. This shift from traditional top-down marketing to a decentralized, member-owned model means crypto projects must treat their communities as active stakeholders.
Unlike Web2 platforms that focus on extracting value, Web3 projects succeed when they deliver consistent value to their members. Providing exclusive insights, educational resources, early access to features, and entertainment keeps community members engaged and loyal over the long term.
To build and maintain these communities, projects can apply the C.A.R.E. framework:
Culture: Develop a distinct tone, memes, and shared language to build identity
Access: Offer private chats, token-gated content, or exclusive event invites
Rituals: Schedule regular AMAs, competitions, or workshops to drive activity
Empowerment: Assign roles like moderators or ambassadors and let members contribute to project decisions
A well-managed community is a support system for a Web3 project and the foundation of long-term growth.
How to Build a Crypto Community From Scratch on the Big Three Platforms
Building a crypto community from scratch requires a well-devised plan. The best approach is to first identify the platforms a project will target, generally including X, Telegram, and possibly Discord. Ideally, the strategy will encompass all three and encourage users to follow the X handle, join the Telegram chat, and get active in relevant Discord channels.
Throughout the process, clear communication is a must, with high-quality posts supported by eye-catching graphics. Often, teams will collaborate directly with crypto copywriting specialists and graphic designers to ensure every post is professional.
Beyond running accounts actively and professionally, with plenty of interaction and updates, there are some specific marketing tools that can be leveraged to build hype around a project on social media.
Community Growth with Meta and Programmatic Advertising
Meta and programmatic ads provide an avenue for building social media communities from the ground up relatively quickly. Both these forms of advertising allow projects to target users with a predisposition toward crypto, meaning they are more likely to become active members of crypto communities.
Programmatic ads work by using automated systems to place adverts across a wide range of websites and platforms, targeting specific user profiles based on their online behavior and interests. This makes programmatic advertising particularly effective at reaching high-intent users at scale.
Meta and programmatic ads should not work in isolation. They should form part of a broader social media marketing campaign, continuously feeding new users into well-managed communities across X, Telegram, and Discord, with clear pathways encouraging movement between platforms.
KOL and Crypto Influencer Marketing
Crypto influencer marketing and the use of KOLs can be one of the most effective ways to grow communities. Collaborating with leading voices in the crypto social media space makes it possible to onboard the massive communities that follow these individuals into new projects.
Common strategies for KOL collaboration include AMAs, giveaways, and influencer-led content that promotes active participation within project communities. These activities help build trust and drive users into Telegram groups, Discord servers, and project X accounts.
The leading KOLs have large, loyal communities that trust their recommendations. However, working with these influencers is expensive, and they generally only support new projects through pre-existing relationships or when approached via trusted third parties.
Crypto influencer marketing agencies help projects access top KOLs by leveraging their networks. These agencies also negotiate fair and secure contracts, ensuring that KOLs receive reasonable compensation without large token allocations that could lead to heavy selling pressure.
Discord and Telegram Community Management
Web3 community management is central to sustained growth. Only communities that are carefully managed and monitored by expert managers and bots can sustain massive influxes of new users into Telegram and Discord communities. Clear rules must be established from the start to set expectations and maintain order. Active moderation helps enforce these rules and ensures a welcoming, respectful environment for all members.
Utilizing bots is essential for security, anti-spam, and engagement. Experts can help set up the best bots on Telegram and Discord, automating welcome messages, role assignments, and content moderation. These bots reduce the workload on human moderators while maintaining community quality and safety.
To encourage lively discussions, it’s important to organize community-driven events such as AMAs, contests, and themed chat days. Prompt support and quick responses to member questions also boost engagement and trust, showing that the project cares about its community.
Dedicated community managers play a vital role in nurturing a positive, active environment. They act as the bridge between the project team and users, encouraging feedback, sharing updates, and resolving issues swiftly. Their consistent presence keeps momentum high and builds long-term loyalty.
Creating Unity Across the Platforms: A Beneficial Growth Cycle
Synchronizing content and activities across Discord, Telegram, and X creates a seamless and unified brand experience that strengthens a project’s presence. When messaging and updates are aligned across platforms, users receive a narrative story that builds trust and recognition.
Cross-promotion between channels encourages community members to engage on multiple platforms, increasing interaction and deepening their connection to the project. For example, a Telegram discussion can be highlighted on X, while Discord events can be announced in both places, driving members to participate everywhere.
In addition to building the narrative across all three platforms, there’s also the added bonus of users compartmentalizing their activities. Telegram can be used for buybot updates driving FOMO, X disseminates the latest news and AMA information, while Discord operates as a customer service–style space for different types of troubleshooting.
Measuring and Monitoring Crypto Social Media Community Growth
Social media communities are complex. Simply measuring success based on the number of new users is a flawed approach. New members can be bots or simply inactive. It’s important to gather relevant data and compile coherent reports, as this information can then be used to improve future campaigns and guarantee the overall health of the community.
Ditch Vanity Metrics: Avoid using follower counts or group sizes as the sole success indicators. These numbers can be misleading without real engagement.
Engagement Rate: Track daily active users compared to total members. Measure reactions, comments, reposts, and other interactions to assess how involved your community really is.
Message Volume & Quality: Look beyond simple message counts. Evaluate the depth and relevance of conversations. Empty spam messages provide no value.
Retention Rate: Measure how many members stay active over time, using 30-, 60-, and 90-day retention figures. This indicates whether people actually find value in the community.
Sentiment Analysis: Regularly assess the general mood and tone across platforms. Positive, neutral, or negative trends help in understanding shifts in community perception.
In short, healthy communities are active, positive, and retain members over time, and data-driven reporting helps marketing strategies succeed.
Final Thoughts on Crypto Community Marketing
The crypto bullrun is underway, and it appears that altcoins are finally having their moment following months of Bitcoin dominance. The opportunity for new projects to grow their market share has arrived, and at the centre of these efforts will be social media community building.
Through collaboration with leading crypto social media marketing agencies, new projects can build their communities, which ultimately has the potential to drive trading volume and give a token, DeFi protocol, or NFT collection a shot at becoming a long-term success story.
FAQs
Should I use Discord or Telegram for my crypto community?
Telegram suits fast, casual chats and buybot updates, while Discord works better for structured discussions and support. Many projects use both, depending on their needs.
How do you get the first 100 members for a crypto project?
Use targeted X campaigns, programmatic ads, Meta ads, small giveaways, KOL collaborations, and crypto-focused ad strategies to attract your first members. Clear communication and regular updates encourage early sign-ups.
How to build a crypto community from scratch?
Set up active Telegram, Discord, and X accounts. Post consistently with quality content, use ads and influencers, and manage conversations actively to grow steadily.
What is the most important role of a crypto community manager?
Maintaining daily activity, answering questions, running events, and reducing FUD. A good manager keeps members engaged, informed, and loyal to the project.
How do you keep a crypto community engaged during a bear market?
Offer alpha, education, and regular updates. Run AMAs, competitions, and interactive chats. Focus on building trust and preparing the community for the next bullish phase.
What is token-gating and why is it important for community building?
Token-gating limits access to certain chats, events, or resources to token holders. This encourages holding, creates exclusivity, and rewards loyal community members.
