The Ultimate Web3 Marketing Guide For Every Brand

December 9, 2022

More than 3 billion users worldwide benefit from internet technology every day. The internet that we know today has gone through multiple stages of evolution since 1994. It has evolved from static desktop web pages geared for content consumption to a more interactive experience.

This change was primarily fuelled by three key innovations: smartphones, social media sites, and cloud storage.

The Evolution of the Internet

evolution of internet from web 1.0 to web 3.0

Source: Fabric Ventures

The internet has gone through several stages of evolution since its creation. Static pages ruled the day in Web 1.0. In addition to providing news and information, some websites allow users to showcase their interests and hobbies. Moreover, to save bandwidth, images and videos were discouraged in Web 1.0.

As the twenty-first century began, Web 1.0 transformed into Web 2.0, a more dynamic, customizable, and user-driven internet. Websites began to become more interactive. In Web 2.0, images and video no longer slowed down websites, and we began sharing them in a matter of a few clicks.

And now it's time for web 2.0 to pave the way for a new and intelligent Web 3.0.

So, What Exactly is Web 3.0?

The decentralized internet, or Web 3.0, is the next generation of internet technology. It places a high emphasis on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Web 3.0 promises to create a more fair and transparent internet in which anybody can participate without being afraid of losing privacy and data security. In many aspects, Web 3.0 is a return to the original web, where no permission from a central authority is required.

Web 3.0 is also called the web of value because it connects the concept of decentralization with human rights, resulting in a collaborative environment in which everyone is equal and delivers actual value to its consumers.

Web 3.0 will impact every industry that uses the internet in some way. However, advertising and other marketing efforts will have the most significant positive effects.

Here's a thread in which Chris Dixon, an entrepreneur and general partner at crypto venture a16z explained the significance of Web 3.0.

Key elements of Web 3.0

1. Semantic Web (World Wide Web)

The Semantic Web is a web extension that aims to make internet data machine readable. Time Berners Lee, the creator of the World Wide Web, created the term. Berners-Lee stated his concept of the Semantic Web in 1999 as follows:

I have a dream for the Web, in which computers, become capable of analyzing all the data on the Web – the content, links, and transactions between people and computers. A "Semantic Web", which makes this possible, has yet to emerge, but when it does, the day-to-day mechanisms of trade, bureaucracy and our daily lives will be handled by machines talking to machines. The "intelligent agents" people have touted for ages will finally materialize.

According to him, the most important quality of the World Wide Web is its "universality," which means that anything must be capable of linking to anything.

The semantic web is an umbrella term for implementing and improving online technologies by enabling internet users to create, share, and link material through search and analysis based on natural language processing the ability to understand the meaning of words rather than keywords, ultimately allowing a search engine and humans to communicate more efficiently.

2. Decentralized and Open-Source Networks

Web 3.0 is also known as the "decentralized web" since it is a distributed network that incorporates open-source and decentralized data networks. The current version of the internet stores data on centralized servers.

Web 3.0 will use decentralization to store data in numerous locations and in a decentralized manner by utilizing peer-to-peer networks. This could get rid of the need for centralized middlemen and cut down on the need for big data farms to store information.

3. Blockchain Technology

Blockchain technology will play a critical role in altering traditional ways of storing and managing user data. Web 3.0 apps will be trustless, allowing participants to engage directly without going through a trusted intermediary, and permissionless, allowing everyone to participate without authorization from a governing body.

Cryptocurrencies, NFTs, the Metaverse, and many other innovations have all been made possible by blockchain technology.

4. AI and ML

Through machine learning and artificial intelligence, websites in Web 3.0 will be able to filter and give the best quality content for users. In Web 3.0, brands can gather user feedback in order to better evaluate the quality of a product or asset.

This data will help machine learning algorithms analyze information in the same way that humans do and give relevant and helpful predictions and decisions.

6. 3D Graphic, AR and VR

By incorporating 3D technologies and virtual experiences through augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), Web 3.0 is already blurring the borders between the actual and virtual worlds. This will enable several industries, like gaming, fashion, health, and real estate, to provide a significantly more dynamic customer experience.

Moreover, platforms such as Roblox, Decentraland, and Sandbox have begun to provide immersive virtual reality stores and user experiences.

How Web3 is Disrupting the Internet we Know Today

1. New business opportunities have opened up in the metaverse

The Metaverse has the ability to usher in the next great digital revolution. Our internet access is no longer limited to the screen in front of us, but rather to the world around us, thanks to Web 3.0. The metaverse represents a shift away from traditional advertising and toward more engaging and interesting marketing experiences.

2. Tokens will be the new currency of Web 3.0

In Web3, users are rewarded with tokens rather than loyalty points or vouchers. These tokens can be used to vote on the application's future, in addition to being used as payment. The web's value generation will benefit an increasing number of people and corporations, and interoperability between these entities will improve significantly.

Examples of applications of tokens in Web 3.0:

Token-gating: Token holders are given special privileges, such as exclusive access to certain products or content.
Airdrops: Sending tokens directly to token holders' wallets. These may provide value, or they may just be designed to encourage brand followers to join in more meaningful ways.
POAPs: With cookies about to vanish, POAPs can become the new tracking parameters of a person's behaviours and interests. However, they can be better than cookies in that tokens can be granted to consumers for both their digital and real-world acts, allowing for a much more thorough understanding.

3. NFTs will reshape the marketing experience

NFTs and Web3 are inextricably linked. You've probably heard of NFTs, which is a method of permanently transferring ownership of a digital asset. As you may have seen, digital works of art ranging from music to doodles are riding the NFT wave right now.

Find out more about NFTs, their uses, and how to market your own NFT project.

Related articles

How To Build An NFT Loyalty Program For Your Brand

Should Your Next NFT Launch Use The Free-to-mint Model?

NFT for Music - How Musicians Can Use NFTs to Increase Profit?

4. New business opportunities

Web 3.0 has the ability to not only disrupt internet technology but also to create economic opportunities. Entrepreneurs can build new business prospects by leveraging Web 3.0's fundamental technology, such as decentralized applications (Dapps), decentralized finance (DeFi) solutions, blockchain-based games, and the launch of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs).

NFTs can also be used by artists and content creators to launch their digital assets as non-fungible tokens, giving a new way for them to monetize their work.

Resources to help you learn more about the business opportunities in web3

DAO Use Cases And How To Build A DAO?

DeFi Marketing: 7 Powerful Marketing Strategies To Get More Users

Explaining Play-to-Earn Crypto Games' Business Model in Simple Words

Blockchain Gaming: Best Blockchain Networks To Build Web3 Games

5. Decentralized social media platforms will become a reality

Social media encourages networking, community development, and knowledge sharing. People can use social media to market their businesses, push social and political change, create awareness about key topics, generate donations for people in need, and drive social and political change.

Decentralized social networks run on their own servers rather than on a centralized server owned by a company. Mastodon is one such decentralized social network. It is built on an open-source platform and works similarly to Facebook and Twitter.

6. Web3 Domains

Web3 domains, also known as NFT domains, are the blockchain version of DNS addresses, which are used to access websites like GrowthChain via the internet. These are new web extensions (like .com or .info) that have been deployed as smart contracts on public blockchains like Ethereum or Polygon.

These domains employ blockchain technology to completely on-chain registration of domain names. Users can register unique, easy-to-remember domain names that can be used to substitute wallet addresses and decentralized websites (DWebs).

7. Wallet-based identities

Blockchain-based decentralized wallets are a distributed but secure and reliable method for storing personal information. A decentralized wallet can secure user data privacy and identity while also allowing a third-party website or platform access to the user data.

Furthermore, data supplied via a wallet connection is likely to be much more comprehensive than that shared via cookies and pixels. This means that a business might gain considerably more meaningful and actionable insights about a person with only one wallet connection than is normally feasible over years of engagement farming as it is currently done.

8. AI in Web 3.0

Web 3.0 is enriched by the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), enhancing user experiences across decentralized applications and platforms. AI algorithm's key features are to personalize content, recommendations, and services based on user behaviors, making interactions more engaging. AI-driven chatbots facilitate communication on decentralized social media, while in DeFi, AI analytics and trading bots empower users with data-driven insights. AI also strengthens security in Web 3.0, ensuring privacy and identity protection within blockchain-based wallet-based identities. As Web 3.0 advances, AI remains at the forefront, shaping intelligent applications and personalized digital experiences.

Within this landscape, natural language processing (NLP) plays a key role. NLP enables AI systems to understand, interpret, and manipulate human language, facilitating seamless communication and interactions in Web 3.0. Whether it's chatbots engaging in meaningful conversations or AI-powered content curation, NLP enhances the depth and sophistication of user engagement within the decentralized web.

Digital marketing is also evolving in Web 3.0

Marketing has always evolved in conjunction with the evolution of the web. Web 1.0 was the first to adopt "digital marketing" when ubiquitous web ad banners first appeared on websites in the mid-1990s. Then came Web 2.0, and the era of social media began.

Since then, businesses and organizations have turned to digital marketing campaigns and advertising to gain a larger market share and efficiently reach out to their target audience. However, Web 2.0 has some disadvantages, such as a few big corporations controlling the entire internet, the presence of multiple middlemen in the process, a lack of transparency, and the internet being restricted to screens alone.

The move to Web 3.0 marketing provides the necessary ingredients for marketers to efficiently connect brands to consumers. Blockchain technology can increase the data transparency, prevent fraud, and eliminate the need for centralized systems, data storage and collection methods.

In Web 3.0 marketing, the emphasis will move from chasing views, resolving errors, and treating people as targets to matching the proper messaging and personalized user experience. Web3 marketing allows advertisers to re-establish trust and reconnect with their consumers by giving them more control and ownership over their data and providing actual value to their users. This leads to community marketing being one of the go-to methods for brand building, and developing brand loyalty.

When it comes to the internet, the longer you wait to get up to speed, the more challenging it will be for you to keep up with marketing trends. Brands are already exploring the Web 3.0 marketing ecosystem.

For instance, Nike has recently acquired RTFKT, an NFT studio. The RTFKT (pronounced artefact) is the driving force behind some of the most popular NFT drops.

Budweiser paid 30 ETH for the beer.eth domain and 8 ETH for the rocket NFT domain in August 2021. It's been nearly impossible to avoid hearing about top brands releasing NFTs in recent months.

Facebook renamed itself to Meta to emphasize its focus on the metaverse and Web 3.0. Recently the social media giant also introduced the integration of NFTs on Facebook and Instagram.

Best Web3 Marketing Strategies

1. Advertising in the metaverse

The Metaverse is a one-of-a-kind, interactive virtual experience that is slowly overtaking the internet. There are numerous metaverse marketing opportunities for marketers to experiment with and determine what works best for their company.

There are numerous metaverse platforms available, such as Roblox, Decentraland, Horizon Worlds, and others, and some will be better than others for providing a certain purpose. Web 3.0 marketing avenues will keep opening up on these virtual platforms.

2. Utility NFTs

One thing that everyone is soon going to focus on in web3 marketing is using the power of NFTs to provide access to benefits and services to their consumer. Utility NFTs are digital tokens that can be used for token gating and grant NFT holders access to exclusive merchandise, products, services, or anything you can imagine.

While NFTs carry a value in relation to market demand, like fine art, utility NFTs can offer immediate and direct value to the buyer upon purchase by sharing immediate access to specified privileges. Remember, that community marketing should be at the forefront of your NFT marketing strategy.

3. Decentralized advertising in Web 3.0

Blockchain technology is a perfect fit for decentralized advertising. We can dramatically enhance efficiency and transparency, decrease expenses, and prevent ad fraud using blockchains, since they are distributed, immutable, and have a transparent record.

4. User privacy in Web 3.0

The inclusion of a decentralized identity will mean that brands don't have to worry about data capture or audience targeting in the same way. Users who connect their wallets will be able to share a complete view of their past behavioural data right from the start, without having to give up their data privacy. This will be possible because people will own and control the data themselves. It will not be owned by a 3rd party platform.

5. Community Building in Web 3.0

In the digital world of Web 3.0, community building is essential. As the metaverse and utility NFTs gain prominence, prioritizing community marketing becomes crucial. Building a strong and engaged community fosters brand loyalty and drives organic growth. In Web 3.0, the community is the bedrock of success. By nurturing your community, you tap into valuable feedback and collaboration, aligning with Web 3.0's ethos of user empowerment. In this landscape, community building isn't just a strategy; it's a fundamental principle guiding the evolution of Web 3.0.

The Future of Marketing has just Begun

Web 3.0 marketing offers advertisers a wonderful opportunity to get back to fundamentals and engage directly with users while providing actual value and experiences. With Web 3.0 marketing, we can expect a complete makeover of how we use the web and how we do business online – from building communities to amassing user-generated content – there will be a Web 3.0 marketing revolution. There is no doubt that there are flaws in how various Web 3.0 marketing features are being adopted right now. Still, there is also a lot of optimism that the issues of Web 2.0 can be rectified with the next phase of the internet, which makes it worth paying attention to, even if it causes its own issues in the process. Digital marketing will once again evolve.

Let's Prepare your Brand for Web 3.0

The transition towards Web 3.0 marketing is inevitable, and whoever gets in it earliest will reap the most benefits. We recognize that Web 3.0 can be overwhelming, especially if you are new to the industry. That is why we are here to assist you in building your audience by managing your brand's content marketing, digital marketing, and strategy in the Web 2 and Web 3.0 ecosystems.

The Best Crypto Marketing Guide

The Ultimate Guide to Building a Personal Brand in Web3

The Ultimate Guide to Crypto Content Marketing

Top 3 NFT Calendars To Promote Your NFT Drops