Jun 23, 2023
27 min
In the world of cryptocurrencies, the importance of a strong, engaged, and active community cannot be overstated. A thriving community not only fosters a sense of belonging among its members but also plays a pivotal role in the success of a crypto project. This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to build and manage a robust crypto community on two of the most popular platforms - Telegram and Discord. We'll delve into the unique features of each platform, provide step-by-step guidelines for community creation and management, and offer insights into additional activities and platforms that can drive community engagement.
A well-stewarded crypto community can serve as a powerful tool for a crypto project. It can provide valuable feedback, contribute to the project's development, and act as brand ambassadors, spreading the word about the project to their networks. These communities are more than just a group of investors—they're an active force that can propel a project's success and create a real buzz in the digital asset space. In fact, the global cryptocurrency market is predicted to reach a continual annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30.32% in 2030, outpacing many other large industries. Much of this growth can be attributed to the power of community, which is a staple element in the rising popularity of cryptocurrencies.
Moreover, a strong community can also contribute to the project's resilience, helping it weather the volatile crypto market's ups and downs. The success of major cryptocurrencies, especially those on the rise, is closely tied to the community that invests and believes in the utilities proposed by the coin. A surge in a coin's value often traces back to a robust social discussion about the currency and its various benefits.
A crypto community is a dynamic group of individuals who share a common interest in a particular cryptocurrency or blockchain project. These communities often congregate on various online platforms like Telegram, Discord, Reddit, and Twitter. For instance, popular crypto subreddits like r/CryptoCurrency, r/CryptoMoonShots, and r/CryptoMarkets boast between 700,000 and 4.5 million active users, highlighting the scale of these communities. In 2021 alone, Reddit saw a 19% increase in total posts, with 6.6 million of these posts mentioning crypto in some regard.
The role of a crypto community extends beyond mere discussion. They are instrumental in contributing to a project's success in numerous ways. They can help spread awareness, attract new investors, and provide valuable feedback to the project's developers. In many cases, the community also plays a role in the project's governance, making decisions about future developments and changes. For instance, the buying of a cryptocurrency by the community can symbolize a vote of confidence in a project, reflecting their belief in the project's future success.
A strong crypto community can be a significant asset for a blockchain project. Here are some of the key benefits:
An active community can help spread the word about the project, attracting new users and investors. For example, Elon Musk's tweets in support of Dogecoin led to a significant increase in the coin's price, demonstrating the influence of a community's reaction to social media on cryptocurrency prices.
Community members can provide valuable feedback and suggestions, helping the project improve and evolve. Social platforms and forums have become hotspots for such discussions, with ideas and critiques often shaping the future of the project.
A large and engaged community can lend credibility to a project, making it more attractive to potential investors. The global user base of cryptocurrencies, for instance, saw a massive increase of nearly 190% between 2018 and 2020, with a further acceleration in 2022, suggesting a growing trust in the cryptocurrency market.
A committed community can help a project weather market volatility and other challenges, providing support and stability. This was particularly evident during the meteoric rise of certain coins, with the community's social discussions often being the precursor to these success stories.
In many blockchain projects, the community plays a role in decision-making processes, contributing to the project's direction. This participatory model of governance is a unique feature of many blockchain projects, further enhancing their appeal.
Telegram, with an expected 1.068 billion active users in 2023, and 700 million monthly active users, has seen immense growth and popularity, making it a central hub for crypto communities. Its features like privacy, security, large group support, and ease of use, combined with crypto-specific utilities, have made it an irreplaceable asset.
One of the crypto community's favorite aspects of Telegram is its powerful bot functionality. They can automate tasks, provide a wealth of data, and execute trading strategies more quickly than humans, reducing the need to constantly monitor market changes and reducing risk. Notable examples of these bots include Bitsgap, a trading bot that can examine over 10,000 cryptocurrency pairs, and Agate Airdrop and Abriex Airdrop, update bots that provide information about the latest airdrops.
In addition, bots like OpenCryptoBot, Cryptowhale, and CointrendzBot are valuable sources of news and market updates, providing information such as volume and price charts, market caps, up-to-date news, and more. However, despite their many advantages, bots have some downsides, such as the requirement for constant monitoring and potential security concerns. They may also not be suitable for beginner traders due to their complexity.
Crypto-specific groups on Telegram also have significant user bases, with groups like the Airdrop Telegram group boasting over 1,000,000 members, keeping track of the latest airdrops across the entire crypto industry.
To start a community, you'll first need to create a group on Telegram. This process is straightforward and can be done from the "New Group" option in the Telegram app. Once the group is created, you can set a group name, description, and profile picture that reflects the theme of your crypto community.
Establish and enforce clear rules to maintain order and respect within the community. With crypto groups like CryptoCommunity having over 100,000 members, it's vital to have these rules easily accessible to all members.
Regularly share updates, news, and engaging content to keep the community active and involved. Encourage discussions and feedback. Groups like Altcoins, known for their active interactions, can be a model for how engagement can help members understand the crypto market better.
Utilize Telegram bots to automate tasks such as moderation, welcoming new members, and answering frequently asked questions. Given the large user base, automation is key to maintain efficient community management.
Arrange Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions with the project's developers or key team members to engage the community and provide them with insights about the project. For instance, ICO Speaks' administrators organize AMAs, contributing to the group's popularity.
Implement measures to handle spam messages and disruptive members to maintain a healthy community environment. Given the open nature of Telegram and the size of popular crypto groups, effective spam handling is crucial.
Airdrops, the process of distributing tokens or coins to the crypto community, often play a crucial role in community engagement and growth.
These token distributions are more than just a marketing strategy. They can attract new members, reward active participation, and stimulate interest and discussion within the community. For instance, the Airdrop Telegram group, one of the largest cryptocurrency Telegram groups, boasts over 1,000,000 members who actively keep track of the latest airdrops across the entire crypto industry.
In the fast-paced world of cryptocurrency, being informed and up-to-date is crucial. This is where bots come into play. For instance, Telegram bots like Bitsgap, Agate Airdrop, and Abriex Airdrop provide useful features such as automatic trading, updating about latest airdrops, and sharing news about business, currencies, and more. They are an integral part of the airdrop ecosystem, helping users stay informed and ready to seize opportunities.
However, while bots can automate tasks and reduce the need for constant monitoring, they also require careful use and security measures, especially for beginners in the crypto space. Therefore, when planning an airdrop, it is important to educate participants about the use of these bots and the need for careful security practices.
Discord, with over 150 million active monthly users, 6.7 million active servers, and 300 million registered accounts as of 2023 has become a favorite platform for crypto communities due to its advanced features and flexibility. It allows for the creation of multiple channels within a server, each dedicated to different topics, making it easier to organize discussions. Discord's user base has seen swift growth, increasing from 10 million monthly active users (MAUs) in 2016 to 45 million in 2018, and most recently announcing over 100 million MAUs.
Discord also supports voice channels, enabling real-time conversations among community members. Additionally, its robust moderation tools, integrations, and bots make community management more efficient. This is reflected in Discord's rapidly growing revenue, which increased by 188% in 2020 and was expected to generate more than $200 million in 2021.
Crypto communities are particularly thriving on Discord. There are many notable crypto-focused servers like the Jacob Crypto Bury Discord group, the Reddit CryptoCurrency Discord, and the Mylol Crypto Community, among others. These groups provide crypto enthusiasts with a comprehensive look at market trends, upcoming projects, and educational resources, all within the user-friendly interface of Discord.
Start by creating a server on Discord. Give it a name that reflects your crypto project and add a relevant icon.
Create different channels for various topics such as general chat, announcements, FAQs, and more. This helps keep discussions organized.
Just like in Telegram, it's important to establish clear rules for your Discord community. Make sure these rules are easily accessible to all members. This can help prevent scams and ensure a respectful environment for all users.
Discord bots can help automate tasks like moderation, welcoming new members, and more. Some bots are specifically designed for crypto communities, providing features like price updates and alerts.
Regularly share updates, host discussions, and engage with your community members. This helps keep the community active and involved. For example, the Jacob Crypto Bury Discord server has over 12,000 members and is particularly valued for its community engagement and the sharing of exclusive trading setups.
Zealy is a platform that offers various features to drive community engagement, and this is more important than ever. A 2023 study of 682 crypto projects found that community building and management were the most reliable and least expensive forms of PR in the long run. Not only that, but community acceptance and adoption were found to be vital for any crypto project's credibility, reputation, usage, proof of authenticity, and network strength.
Contests, monthly quests, and leaderboards hosted by Zealy can incentivize participation within your crypto community. In fact, a study has shown that implementing incentives and referral systems effectively can help with the growth of a community. However, keep in mind that these systems should not be the engine of your business but rather add value to your community.
By integrating Zealy with your Discord server, you can gamify the community experience, making it more engaging and fun for members. Gamification has shown to increase employee productivity by 90%, and engagement by 48%. Furthermore, gamification has a positive effect on user engagement, with employees reporting a 48% increase in engagement and 30% reporting an increased desire to be engaged at work.
The gamification strategy has taken off globally, with the market valued at $11.94 billion, and is expected to rise by nearly $20 billion in the coming years. Despite this, it's crucial to remember that 80% of workplace gamification efforts fail due to poor planning and design, so it's vital to carefully plan your gamification strategy.
This can lead to increased activity, stronger community bonds, and ultimately, a more successful crypto project. Given the increasing importance of community building in the crypto market and the demonstrated benefits of gamification, Zealy is a tool that can help you achieve your project's goals.
Both Telegram and Discord offer unique features that make them suitable for hosting crypto communities. However, the choice between the two often depends on the specific needs and preferences of the community. Here's a comparison of the two platforms:
Supports large groups of up to 200,000 members, making it suitable for large crypto communities. As of 2023, Telegram reportedly has more than 550 million monthly active users and 55.2 million daily active users, showcasing its popularity and reach.
Offers a user-friendly interface that's easy for new members to navigate. This ease of use is likely a factor in Telegram's rapid user growth, with its user base growing at a rate of more than 40% each year since its launch in 2013.
Provides bots for automation, which can help with tasks like moderation and answering FAQs.
Airdrops can be effectively used on Telegram for community engagement and growth.
Ranked by the number of downloads, Telegram is among the top 10 most popular social networks in the world, with the app downloaded over 1 billion times as of August 2021.
The average Telegram user spends 2.9 hours on the app each month, indicating high user engagement.
As of January 2023, Discord has over 150 million monthly active users and 5.2 million daily active users.
Discord has been downloaded over 500 million times, indicating its widespread use.
The average Discord user spends 4.7 hours per day on the platform, showing a high level of user engagement.
Allows for the creation of multiple channels within a server, which can help organize discussions on various topics.
Supports voice channels, enabling real-time conversations among community members.
Offers robust moderation tools and integrations, making community management more efficient.
Platforms like Zealy can be integrated with Discord to drive community engagement through contests, quests, and leaderboards.
Community building is essential to crypto project success. Platforms like Telegram and Discord offer unique tools for this. Telegram supports rapid community expansion, while Discord's advanced features foster deeper engagement.
However, effective community management isn't simply about platform choice. It requires fostering a positive environment, encouraging participation, and aligning community values with project goals. This complex task calls for a deep understanding of the crypto market and community dynamics.
At CLS Global, we recognize this complexity and offer tailored services to help crypto brands navigate it. Our approach to community management involves strategic planning, community analytics, and engagement, reflecting our experience in crypto marketing and successful client partnerships.
Remember, every crypto project is unique, and there's no one-size-fits-all solution. So, whether you opt for Telegram, Discord, or both, ensure you create a positive atmosphere, promote participation, and align your project goals.
Check the terms to get an understanding of the terms. Or you can read all of our Crypto Glossary
