There's a lot of talk of how Hive should be marketed to the masses...
Some say, we need a campaign to be funded by the DHF to tell the world about our amazing blockchain!
Others say it's up to the individual apps to spread the news about their projects, and the by-product is, Hive recognition.
I think the 'brand' of Hive is really tricky. We just had a fun little convo about it on Crypto Mondays, where @elianaicgomes basically stated "There's nothing wrong with being a content focused blockchain".
I...Kind of agree with her!
Let's be honest, the biggest 'piece' that Hive lacks is smart contracts. However we are seeing how they can be built on the second layer and so far it's been amazing to watch. There's so much potential for second layer options here, and I believe that should be the focus on Hive. Anything you want to build, build it on layer 2! Let Hive do what it does REALLY well on the layer 1 and let the apps / projects have fun on layer 2!
Which brings us back to the brand...
Hive is decentralized social media! Hive is true Web3! Hive is the only blockchain other than Bitcoin that is truly decentralized! Hive is awesome! Hive is NOT a blogging only platform! Hive IS a blogging platform! Hive is Splinterlands! Hive is....Well, everything!
And that's the problem, right there!
We have no brand for the blockchain as a whole and because of that, we're way too focused on building up Hive as this be-all and end-all platform when...Wait for it...It should be up to the apps to raise awareness for their individual projects.
But let me ask you a question...
How much marketing did you see Facebook do?
How many television spots did you see for Twitter over the past 10 years?
What about Instagram?
Did you see last year's Super Bowl spot for TikTok?
So in case you haven't guessed it yet, they don't do 'traditional' advertising. What they focus on is building remarkable products that literally, promote themselves. Obviously, there is exceptions to the rule but at the end of the day I can honestly say I've never been exposed to a 30 second commercial on TV for TikTok.
But I sure know TikTok exists!
And maybe, that's how we 'market' Hive, by not marketing it at all...But creating amazing experiences and applications using the backend blockchain that has....EVERYTHING people will love and need in the future!
You see, that's what spreads. That is what gets users or MAU's for those into that kind of thing! Projects that become 'overnight' sensations because their community and leadership behind it, create something remarkable.
Of course, the first counter argument to this will be, we need easier onboarding. Perfect, then let's all work on that first. Whatever the solution maybe to onboard more users, it won't make a bit of difference if their experience here isn't...Remarkable. If it isn't something they WANT to share with their own tribe.
Want to make Hive explode?
No one cares about how a TV works, they just know that when they press a button...Magical things appear on screen!
Make amazing experiences...That's how we market Hive!
I don't think a marketing campaign is necessary to promote the road. It is the restaurants, shops and services that have to be promoted. The important thing is to continue improving the road so that more and better restaurants, shops and services want to settle on it.
That's a really good way to look at it for sure. Exactly the point!
!CTP
I agree that making things easier so people can join is definitely something that needs to be worked on. The next thing is probably just good applications for people to use. People are more willing to stick around if something is good and I think that way, we can attract people to slowly learn about the chain. The process is tough and I wonder if the RC issue will kill their motivation. Splinterlands solved this by delegating out HP/RCs to the new users so they can play.
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
All problems are solved for RC through Hive Power too. Because the more you have, the more you can delegate RC to whatever accounts / projects you like.
!CTP
I totally agree with you and it's a marketing ethos that I've stood by for years - the product should essentially sell itself. Unfortunately because so many people still believe that all crypto and anything related to it is a sham or a scam or a ponzi scheme, it's going to be difficult to convince those of that generation of thought. The newer generation will probably be far more inclined to give it a try but if they can't sign up in the matter of minutes, they'll leave so onboarding is definitely a point of contention.
Also I don't think that we can really compare Hive to conventional social media like those that you mentioned because Hive is a very different animal. People that are used to Facebook may have a hard time coming up with 300 words for a post to be of real quality and if they're using it simply as a journal entry board for all eternity on the blockchain, they may not feel the same level of engagement because we've raised the bar higher here...which in itself is not a bad thing because standard social media is shit in my opinion.
That's where I think platforms like Liketu, Threads and even short form 3speak could really thrive. We need to get away from the idea that long form content is the only valuable content out there.
!CTP
I feel having some content in form of the interview based podcast, videos, and the place where we learn about new things would do good on hive. A lot of people are doing that. But the thing is it's hard to get attention of the market unless some celebrity preaches .. till then Hive should stick with the use case based value.
Yeah and waiting for a B list celebrity to endorse Hive, we'll be waiting a long time. I think it all comes from creating remarkable experiences for users.
!CTP
Very well said! I think traditional marketing is definitely not the way to go with promoting Hive. I think one of Hive's unique selling point is the capabilities of the blockchain tech and yes the average user wouldn't care about that. But there's a plethora of layer 2 dapps that could be utilized to build communities and many different kinds of thing. I think community is a big part of the equation as people will want to gather around shared interests and share ideas and potentially test out and evolve those ideas. Hive is a good place for that.
Absolutely! Community is king. And I think a community will step up huge if something (a dapp) is such an amazing experience for them. They'll spread the word quicker than any marketing campaign could.
!CTP
Exactly! If it's good and beneficial, it will catch on like wildfire and bring on the snowball effect over time. Communities are built to spread at a rapid pace when they begin gaining traction.
I don't disagree with this, but I would point out that all of those platforms except maybe Instagram all started out as something else. I don't think that can be overlooked either. Facebook was a way for college kids to communicate. TikTok or Musically (whatever it was called) was just a place for people to learn dances. While they both still do what they were created for, they have also evolved past all of that. In my eyes, it is that evolution that is likely going to put Hive on the map. Perhaps because of something we haven't even seen yet.
That's a good point. So maybe it's an evolution of sorts. The real use case hasn't been seen yet. Interesting point for sure.
!CTP
Either that or we get bought by someone else, but I don't really think that would work. Actually, who knows, maybe the whole Justin Sun thing was going to be the catalyst to take us all mainstream and we killed it! :)
ha ha ha ha ha We're in deep water if we ever need to rely on Sunny lol
Great points, we didnt see any of these internet brands doing any traditional marketing, they went more through word of mouth.. similar to Hive.
Exactly it, I can't think of any...Other than like YouTube / Google advertising for businesses. But on a user side of things, I can't even think of one ad.
!CTP
Nothing wrong with "marketing". Just wondering what Hive is "selling"?
Hive as I understand it, is the infrastructure. The roads that the layer 2s use to provide goods and services (eg SplinterLands and Rising Star). That's where the selling should take place. And that's where the use of 3speak (and possibly (but very reluctantly mentioned) TikTok and other social media platforms) may come in useful to spread the word.
That's my thought exactly. For years we've seen Hive trying to be the brand and the pitch. And I think that's backwards. It needs to be the applications and projects built on Hive.
!CTP
Of course, because the big honchos of the Hive blockchain in their lustful mirage are just interested to pitch and attract only big investors, the best blockchain developers and the biggest consolidated media infuencers out there exclusively to do at no cost to them the work that they should do by themselves. They are not looking for mere users. They indeed couldn't care less about onboarding new regular users. New regular users for what?
I’ll like to lean towards the app will do the onboarding, but probably not as much as individual word of mouth onboarding. Apps have a big role to play as much as individuals who are already here.
Most powerful form of marketing in the history of mankind is word of mouth. We can 100x that reach through social these days. Just need something remarkable to be shared.
!CTP
We saw the results when Splinterlands was attracting a lot of people. Quite a few of them have discovered the rest of the ecosystem... we need more polished apps that attract people without spots and marketing.
If Hive had like 5 Splinterlands level apps. Things would really get interesting lol
!CTP
Whatever, just stop talking about blockchain... This is just boring, backend technology, and in following years this word will become toxic.
As for marketing it's either massive promotion campaign in some developing country or slow, organic growth with a word of mouth until the bull will come. Just an opinion.
Cheers!
Oh without a doubt, it would be a lot easier to 'promote' Hive is this token was 5 bucks a pop lol
!CTP
This is a very practical approach to growing Hive! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 😊
From what I've read via historical posts, Splinterlands was successful at bringing in a gaming population to Hive. I understand that LeoFinance is working on Threads, which should emulate Twitter's functionality but with the added benefit of earning cryptocurrency. I'm working on the FreeCompliments community, which focuses on using comments to keep the community vibrant (which has been very successful on a different platform).
The more ideas we have pop out from users, the bigger a shot we'll have at hitting a bullseye on a very big target. The ultimate question is: what will take off next?
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I think it'll have a few things...A unique concept, very easy to use, easy to share, and the community feels valued. Combine that and you have the perfect app on Hive.
!CTP
Excellent, those are indeed essential pieces of the puzzle! The common factor for the successful apps is how easy they are to integrate into daily life.
Everything you explain Jon makes a lot of sense to what is going around in my head and that of some hivers friends I know.
I'm a gamer, I love gaming I do it almost all day, so I dedicate my content centrally on that. I'm on Instagram, Tik-Tok and Facebook, Twitch, trying for a while now as well as some other hivers to try to throw the best of our content on those platforms to attract viewers, fans.
Now more hivers have joined to do this, I read it on Twitter. Like you I think that's the key.
There is talent in Hive they just have to believe more in themselves, feel free to make their content in their chosen niche and truly believe that their content is worthy to be seen by everyone, not just for a curator waiting to be voted.
There is a long way to go in Hive, its growth depends on us and the content we want to show to the world.
I love it : "No one cares about how a TV works, they just know that when they press a button...Magical things appear on screen!"
Hive On!
For sure man, I mean that's my dream...One day, we wouldn't have to go to TikTok, Twitch, etc...They would come here.
But I think that begins with making our projects as remarkable and newsworthy as we can.
!CTP
Hive should at most be promoted to developers, but not in the traditional advertising sense, and more through word-of-mouth. Any other forms of advertising should be at the app level, but when they are ready to be promoted and not before because the first impression is the most important one.
Agreed. It's putting the cart way before the horse!
!CTP
We should then advertise it as the blockchain for all things and we could start that by "paying ourselves" some dedicated articles in the crypto media. Something like having cointelegraph or coindesk writting about it, but in detail. Or we can send the story and just have them published. I'm sure they would agree. Have some crypto youtubers involved as well? That's the most convenient Hive marketing I see for now. I wouldn't go on TV talking about Hive.
Now you are just assuming (heaven forbid) that coindesk and cointelegraph would actually use the crypto they talk about all the time lol
I know what you are saying, and agree...I just think those platforms are just in bed with whoever gives them money for puff pieces.
!CTP
we can get in bed with them for a couple of times too :))
I think we are fine growing slowly with committed users rather than growing quickly with tire kickers.
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
I mean, its been 6 years or longer since the genesis block of this chain...Growing slowly is fine. Being too slow can hurt as well.
!CTP
I get you. Too slow, you don't reach escape velocity. But, what exactly are we trying to escape? There aren't any VC investors in this trying to cash out like those networks you mentioned.
Yeah you are absolutely right. If the team works a little better on marketing, Hive will be more popular around the world. When people come to hive they will see hive many apps are working they will work on their custom app like lite and many more. In this way, a community will become stronger.
Just get them through the doors, that's the goal and then get them using the apps every single day
!CTP
You have touched on the right point!
Why do you think we don't have smart contracts?
About marketing I don't want to repeat me every day lol but I think we are doing all way wrong!
In my opinion it's just romantic make and pay meetings to onboard everyone and one more, but marketing is pragmatic! First of all we need devs and crypto communities, after good, friendly and solid apps and people that are already familiar with crypto in any way, because they have more potential to stay, others will come and go based on rewards or not, and so then, mass adoption. And yet about marketing, we have to be thankful to everyone that want to help on marketing but.. once again pragmatic, marketing is a serious thing and for professionals, "you" are not able for marketing just because "you" want to do marketing.
A bad marketing might ruin a company.
In disagree with some things you said here. First it's that there are hundreds of forks that are descentralized, any fork of any centralized chain is by most means, descentralized. Take for example Ethereum classic, Bitcoin cash, Telos, etc.
Hive 'got' descentralized when they forked from steem. But by that metric, any other fork basically 'quited' their old leadership model.
The other thing I don't agree it's thinking that Web2 didn't advertise. Basically every mobile carrier around the world was pushing the Twitter, Facebook, instagram YouTube and WhatsApp logo everywhere for the most part of a decade. Every T-Mobile, Sprint, Orange, Movistar was like, hey, free social networks. Or please use our service for your social media apps. Those where, multi billion dollar campaigns. So i don't think they didn't advertise at all.
That was tongue in cheek about Hive being the only decentrazlized blockchain other than bitcoin. Just having fun with that statement.
Find me a Twitter ad or Facebook ad, a 30 second spot for TV, and I'll believe that. I can't think of a single one. I'm sure there may be, but if you think they grew because of 'advertising'...Welp.
!CTP
Yes, they grew because of the mobile web because it was pushed by mobile carriers. It was hard to fly anywhere without being bombarded by carries pushing the social network apps. Thing like this:
That's why for the average Joe, Twitter Facebook and WhatsApp IS the internet. They rarely venture out of those apps. Is the modern AOL app.
That is not advertising on the level I'm referring to. I'm talking traditional tv / radio spots. Integration marketing is a different beast. I'm talking about, finding a 30 second TV spot, where A List celebrity tells you to use Tik Tok.
That's exactly what @jza is showing you. Forget about traditional TV/Radio/Newspaper/Magazine spots as means for a succesful marketing or advertising campaign. All of that is just old and obsolete malarkey to promote anything dispruptive and new. What Hive needs is "presence" simple presence at the reach of the fingertips of everyone.
Why shouldn't Hive be one more of those DApps for social networks, instant messaging, electronic wallets and secure payment methods which are already automatically pre-installed by default on each mobile phone if a good agreement and negotiation with all smartphone manufacturers and Telcos across the world is carried out?
Why on earth would you promote Hive instead of an app anyways?
Do you subscribe to Netflix....Or AWS because that's where the videos are hosted?
We really need to get away from this 'we must promote Hive' mentality, and let the dApps bring people to their community. If they have a remarkable product, Hive grows automatically.
Again, show me the TV spots (which I'm very well aware are obsolete in this day and age...However they weren't 15 years ago when Facebook and Twitter started...Which is my point.)
Well, I didn't say the Hive blockchain is what must be promoted. What I said is that what Hive needs is "presence" simple presence at the reach of the fingertips of everyone.
Whether it be through second layer DApps, digital games, useful tools and utils as electronic wallets, payment gateways, social networks, instant messaging, cryptocurrency exchange services, rental and sale of goods and services and plenty of info and easy to follow tutorials to join, educate, share, refer and onboard other potential users through mobile software applications that already come pre-installed by default in each smartphone in existence.
Presence, you know! And how else was it going to be achieved but by negotiating and reaching important agreements with the main manufacturers of mobile phones or, failing that, with the big Telcos in the world?
Certainly nowadays not everyone has or watches TV or buys newspapers or magazines to be informed and up to date. Much less tune in or listen to the radio for the same purpose. But you can bet that what everybody uses and have in their hands all day long 24/7 ...is that freaking smartphone, which if these already came with that Hive DApp I'm talking about already pre-installed like Twitter, Facebook, Whatsapp, etc, no wonder many more people would be aware of and able to know everything related to Hive just out of pure curiosity. Hahahaha
Well, well, well. You're very deep in the bubble, aren't you :)
Facebook & Co. ran some pretty decent ads over the years.
The only ad that comes to mind, is literally the movie they made about it. I can't think of a single TV spot
!CTP
TickTock bought nearly all the poster sides across some major german cities last year for some weeks. Can't say I didn't see that :D
I mean, I've been in Germany for 2 hours at the Munich airport in 2018...Can't say that I have seen them lol
lOlz, yeah, Munich Airport is its own city. Did you know that? :)
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