Congratulations on building a fantastic new dapp! However, getting the tech right is just one piece of the puzzle. The next step is acquiring users for your application and, more importantly, retaining them so they consistently come back to your dapp.

We interviewed the top marketing leaders across the largest dapps to bring you the key DOs and DON'Ts in web3 marketing to take your dapp to the next level

Before we begin, we assume that you have the basic channels set up - a website, a twitter account for your dapp, and a Discord and/or Telegram server.

Top 4 web3 marketing strategies for your dapp

#1 - Get listed on the top dapp discovery platforms

Dapp listing websites are a great channel for discovery and new user acquisition.

Most high quality web3 users frequently visit these websites for alpha, so listing here can be a great way to educate and acquire them. There are several dapp websites out there, but we recommend these top three to begin with

• Dapp Radar - https://dappradar.com/dashboard/my-dapps
• Alchemy Dapp Store - https://dappradar.com/dashboard/my-dapps
• Dapp.com - https://dapp.com

Your dapp will typically need to go through a review process. Make sure that you have a catchy description, and a high quality picture when submitting your listing

#2 - Run quests

Quests are a great way to bring a lot of new users onto your platform.

Most quests have a similar process - you setup a series of tasks the users have to complete on the platform (e.g. follow on twitter, signupl, perform a transaction), and they receive a reward at the end of it. Rewards can generally range from tokens, NFTs, OATs, etc.

Quests can be very successful in bringing your dapp a large number of users in a short period of time. There are several questing platforms you can choose from, but the most successful are:

1. Galxe - https://galxe.com/
2. SoQuest - https://soquest.xyz/
3. QuestN - https://questn.com/
4. Pyme - https://pyme.com

However, there is a caveat - users from quests churn away very rapidly once the quest is over.

Retention is absolutely key if you want consistent long-term sticky users on your platform. To retain users, you need to offer them value beyond the initial quest. Make sure you have a good onboarding process, offer ongoing rewards and incentives, and effective communication with the users to retain them.

#3 - Producing quality content

Writing high-quality, SEO-optimized content can be the most powerful to get a consistent stream of quality users organically onto your platform. But, producing content is generally high effort and does not yield immediate results. Your inital posts are likely to see very little, or even no traction

However, consistent writing has a compounding effect on your user acquisition and retention. Most web3 apps underinvest in this, and is a huge opportunity for you to differentiate yourself from the competition.

Remember to cross-post across channels for maximum traction and visibility - Medium, discord, twitter threads, and your own website blog

#4 - Maximize retention with personalized wallet messaging

All of the above efforts are focused on user acquisition. But user acquisition is a wasted effort, if your users churn away

A strong focus on user retention is critical to bring your users back to your platform.

A good way to retain users is to send personalized and targeted messages to users. With hashmail, you can send relevant comms such as personalized monthly statements, rewards, updates, transaction notifications, etc.

These messages are delivered to the user’s wallet on your dapp front-end, and forwarded to the user’s email, telegram and discord. Sending users regular communications about your application can reduce your churn by almost 60% and increase repeat rates by 3x. To get started, go to https://console.hashmail.dev and setup your dapp

If you have more ideas, reach out to us on twitter or discord, and share it with us. We’ll add it to our blog (and ofcourse a shoutout).

4 common pitfalls to avoid in web3 marketing

We also asked the top growth leaders about the most common mistakes that dapps make in web3 marketing. So you can avoid these while designing your web3 marketing strategy. Here are the top 4 pitfalls to avoid

#1 - An early token drop

A token launch or airdrop is typically a one-time ace up your sleeve. And yes, successful token launches can be a huge boost to your dapp. Case in point is the recent Blur airdrop and the OP rewards program, which resulted in a huge boost in users.

However, a token launch is a massive effort. If done poorly or hastily, you can see almost no upside, and you can lose the optionality of doing it later.

Before launching a token, make sure you have a solid plan in place and have done your due diligence. Don't rush into it without thinking the implications through

#2 - Sponsored conferences

Early on in your dapp, sponsorships at conferences generally offer a poor ROI relative to other channels.

If you do plan to visit a conference, co-hosting a a small side event with your key customer base can be far more valuable. This will allow you to connect with your target audience in a more meaningful way and create lasting relationships.

#3 - Paid promotions on twitter / newsletters

Paid promotions on twitter should be avoided as much as possible. Generally, this also results in a poor ROI, and an uplift in only vanity metrics (e.g. signups)

Promotions in top newsletters (e.g. Bankless, Milk Road) can be a useful boost in visibility to your dapp, but can be very very expensive.

Early on, we recommend that you avoid newsletters. A better alternative is to join smaller podcasts or joint twitter spaces wherever you can, so you can reach a targeted audience that is more likely to be interested in your dapp.

#4 - Focus only on the users on discord

Most dapps do the mistake of focusing solely on delivering user communications via discord, typically in the name of community-building.

While community is important, it is important to recognize that a lot of your users exist beyond Discord.

Moreover, discord is a forum for mass outreach, and community engagement. When building dapps, personalized messaging, linked to the wallet address, is a far more important element in providing a better experience for your users

If you want to improve your user retention through communications, you should integrate hashmail to your dapp. Embed wallet messaging, in-app notifications, and AI-powered customer support in <10 min. Get started now - https://console.hashmail.dev