As Web3 reshapes technology, the method of partner marketing has to be reshaped, too.

Innovative partner marketing strategies can unlock new growth opportunities, community adoption of new integrations, and scale overall market reach.

A Web3 partner marketing strategy is best when it aligns with the decentralized nature of blockchain technology, cultivates community, and promotes productive permissionless partnerships. 

This is how I approach building a Web3 partner marketing strategy step-by-step:

Step 1: Define Specific Goals

All good partner marketing strategies begin with goal setting.

From increasing brand visibility and user acquisition to technology sharing and co-developing new solutions, you need to get clear on what you need to achieve for your company.

Creating specific goals helps tailor your approach to select the right partner(s) to go-to-market with and measure the success of your partner marketing campaigns effectively.

Step 2: Identify Potential Partners

Identifying the right partners for your Web3 partner marketing strategy is crucial, and this step is dependent on your goals.

Potential Web3 partners may include

• blockchains
• decentralized applications (dApps)
• blockchain infrastructure providers
• NFT communities
• technology service providers
• financial institutions interested in blockchain applications
• exchanges
• marketplaces
• educational institutions

Evaluate the partners you want to collaborate with on partner marketing campaigns based on their technological compatibility and resources, market presence, number of users, community engagement, and strategic goals that complement your own.

Step 3: Establish Communication Channels

Effective communication is vital in building and maintaining partnerships—may sound like common sense, but you’d be surprised!

Professional and timely communication can exponentially level up your partner relationships. In Web3, community platforms like Discord and Telegram are popular channels to communicate with partners.

Regardless of what platform you choose to use to communicate with your partner, focus on being timely, proactive, and transparent in order to build trust and keep each other updated.

Step 4: Create Join Value Propositions

When approaching partners for a partner marketing campaign, your value proposition should clearly articulate what you bring to the table and how the campaign can benefit both sides. Share your goals, what resources you can offer, and anticipated results. Value you could bring could be access to new markets, brand visibility, shared technical resources, marketing/pr resources, or revenue. Most importantly, make sure that the benefits are mutual to keep the partnership balanced and sustainable.

Step 5: Leverage Technology for Integration

In Web3, technology integration often involves APIs, SDKs, or even shared governance models in dApps. Many times, a seamless integration is literally make or break for the partnership’s success.

Bring in your technical teams from both sides to support the integration process, address challenges, test, app store approvals/updates, and ensure all systems go before you launch your campaign.

💡 Pro top: getting app store approvals can take days or even weeks, so it’s important to be mindful of this when working on your launch timelines.

Step 6: Co-create and Launch

Once all the dotted lights are signed, pull your team together and start co-creating. Divvy up responsibilities, set timelines, test integrations, create content, and set your launch date.

I like to create a shared doc where my partner and I can review timelines, messaging, content, links, graphics and important dates in real-time, any time.

As tempting as it can be to work in a silo to just get the work done, remember this is partner marketing, and your partner needs to be included in the joint goals, messaging, and execution of the campaign. 

Step 7: Optimize Your Results

Once your Web3 partner marketing campaign is launched, monitor your results. Track analytics to identify what’s working, what’s not working, and optimize for future campaigns.

Regular reviews with your partner can help further refine strategies and ensure that you both remain aligned with the partnership’s goals.

Creating a Web3 partner marketing strategy requires a deep understanding of the technology, ecosystem, and go-to-market.

And by following these steps, you can drive significant value and impact from Web3 partner marketing campaigns. 

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