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When it comes to building a business - especially in Web3 - it’s vital to find the right tools.

Unfortunately (but not unexpectedly), there’s no magic formula here. Something that fits certain projects may not be the best option for a different company.

Nevertheless, today we’ll explore some tools and platforms that can help you build and/or improve your business in Web3.

LFG!

Discord & X: Web2, but Web3.

In the Web3 “arena”, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Discord are very important tools for communication and community building.

Yes, they are “Web2” platforms and are VERY centralized. However, as someone once said, “It is what it is”.

Whether we like it or not, these two work. At least for now, being “present” in Web3 usually means having a presence on X while also running an official Discord.

For many projects and brands, these platforms serve as the backbone for fostering engagement, sharing updates, and creating a sense of community among Web3 enthusiasts and developers.

Sure, there are several “Web3 friendly” options, such as Farcaster and Lens, but as I mentioned before, at least for now, X and Discord still hold their value.

And on top of that, we gladly don’t have to choose only one platform to be one. So go explore different options (from LinkedIn to Roblox to Farcaster) and see how your project can benefit from each platform’s audience and “vibe”.

By the way, some time ago I published an entire edition about Social Media in Web3 (click here to read it), and a few months later, there was one exploring Farcaster (check it out) - And if you are building something in Web3, either as a solo entrepreneur or as part of a big brand, I recommend you understand how new dynamics are changing several aspects of Social Media platforms.

But back to our duo, let’s see a bit more about each one:

X (formerly Twitter)

X - besides all the chaos that sometimes comes from more fierce discussions - is pivotal for Web3 projects because of its real-time communication capabilities and vast user base.

Musk’s platform allows projects to share quick updates, engage in conversations, and reach a global audience instantly, and here are some of the ways that Web3 projects can leverage X:

X → Announcements and Updates: X's format is perfect for quick updates and announcements.
Projects can share new developments, partnerships, and milestones, keeping their community informed and engaged.

X → Community Interaction: Engaging with followers through tweets, retweets, and comments helps build a loyal community.

Regular interaction shows transparency and commitment, which is crucial for trust in the decentralized world.

X → Influencer Collaborations: Many Web3 influencers and thought leaders are active on X. Collaborating with these influencers can amplify a project's reach and credibility.

Discord

Discord, on the other hand, provides a more “intimate” and interactive space for community building.

It is designed for real-time chat and community engagement, making it ideal for fostering a close-knit community around a Web3 project.

💡 Dedicated Channels: Discord servers can have multiple channels for different topics, allowing for organized discussions and focused community engagement. This structure helps in managing large communities effectively.

💡 Real-time Support: Community members can get real-time support and assistance, enhancing their overall experience and satisfaction with the project.

💡 Events and AMAs: Hosting events like AMAs (Ask Me Anything) and community calls on Discord fosters a sense of belonging and direct interaction with the project's team members.

💡 Token-gated channels: You can create token-gated channels for exclusive content, extra rewards, or specific objectives.
For example: if your project has NFTs attached to it, certain channels may only be accessed by those who hold an item of your collection.

Together, X and Discord create a powerful synergy for Web3 projects, combining the broad reach of social media with the depth of real-time community interaction.

Marketing in Web3:
Defying the traditional tools

Back in November, we had an entire edition (#16) dedicated to discussing some insights about Marketing in Web3.

One of the things we covered was the new way of dealing with some super traditional aspects of marketing, such as web cookies and analytics.

But why change something that is working?

There are many studies and articles that show the INSANE amount of money being wasted in Marketing efforts that simply don’t convert.

“95% Ads end up with no conversion.

95 f*cking %

So today, since we are talking about tools, I want to once again mention Cookie3 - self-defined as “The first #MarketingFi Protocol & AI Data Layer for users, creators and businesses”.

I’m pretty sure you don’t want your marketing budget to be part of the statistic above, so having a proper tool becomes even more important.

But before we continue, here’s an interesting number:

“According to the Digital Marketing report by Digital Channel, the digital marketing economy will reach a staggering value of over 650 billion by 2028 — that’s more than double its current worth!” - From Cookie3’s Litepaper.

And with this much money, you better be ready to leverage your business’ marketing in this new, digital-first era.

Back to Cookie3: they are tackling the inefficiencies of traditional Web2 marketing tools, such as web cookies and not-so-efficient analytics by offering a robust, decentralized solution for marketing analytics in the Web3 space.

Their platform integrates AI and blockchain to provide detailed, actionable insights into user behavior without compromising privacy.

Or, as they say, they are “combining off- and on-chain analytics, which allows projects to understand their audiences' journeys, interests, and needs to provide extra value with laser-point accuracy”.

How Cookie3 Works

Cookie3’s platform is designed to analyze both off-chain and on-chain data to provide a comprehensive view of user interactions.

This “dual approach” allows for more accurate targeting and engagement strategies.

For instance, Cookie3 uses AI-driven models to identify and reward genuine user engagement while filtering out bots and fraudulent activities.

Imagine you’re running a Web3 project and need to distribute airdrops - Or, in other words, you want to reward your customers/followers → Traditional methods often result in bots claiming a significant portion of the rewards.

Cookie3’s have a solution that combines advanced analytics to ensure that only genuine users receive the airdrops, thus preserving the value and integrity of your campaign​​.

For Web3 builders, this type of approach has several benefits:

🍪 Accurate Targeting: You’ll be able to identify and target the most valuable users. This ensures that your marketing efforts are not wasted on users who don’t convert.

🍪 Enhanced Privacy: With a “cookieless” model, your users’ data is never shared with third parties. This approach aligns perfectly with the privacy-centric ethos of Web3 - and creates extra value for your brand/product.

🍪 Performance-based Rewards: You can accurately reward users based on their engagement quality. This not only incentivizes genuine participation but also fosters a community of loyal and active users.

In essence, with the proper Marketing tool, you can bridge the gap between traditional marketing inefficiencies and the decentralized ethos of Web3.

And being able to track, and reward genuine user engagement and ensure privacy, you - as a Web3 builder - can create more effective and fair marketing strategies.

Whether you’re launching a new dApp, running a token sale, or managing a community, you’ll have access to the insights needed to succeed in this ULTRA dynamic environment.

Your business on the screen:
Scaling your video content

The secret to growing on LinkedIn in 2024

The secret to growing on LinkedIn in 2024

There's a rising demand for high-quality video content on LinkedIn. This presents a major opportunity for brands (and thought leaders) ready to step in.

Here’s how you can capitalize:

1. Grab your company's existing video assets, like interviews or webinars

2. Generate dozens of clips using OpusClip

3. Schedule your whole month’s worth of video clips on LI using our new Calendar feature

4. Reply to comments on your videos to foster your new connections

Want the full breakdown, with examples from companies like SaaStr and Chili Piper? Read it for free here

Unless you have been offline for the last couple of years, you certainly heard of Dall-E, Leonardo.ai, Midjourney, and a bunch of other tools for imagery.

But here I’ll talk about a platform that I actually used a few times for editing videos (but I’m sure there are other tools with a similar purpose).

We know that creating engaging social media content is a significant challenge for many businesses, especially when it involves repurposing lengthy videos into captivating short clips.

This is where this AI-powered tool, comes into play. It basically offers a quick, easy way to enhance your video-based content.

Opus Clip uses AI technology to transform long-form videos into short, engaging clips optimized for various social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts (I personally mostly use the LinkedIn format).

The tool is designed to simplify the video editing process, making it accessible for creators of all skill levels - including mine, which is close to zero 😂.

Traditional video editing tends to be time-consuming and often requires significant technical skills. But as a solo builder, you may want a different option.

Suppose you’re hosting a series of educational webinars → With Opus Clip you can easily convert these long sessions into multiple short clips, highlighting key points and insights.

🎥 AI-Powered Clip Generation: Automatically identifies and extracts the most engaging parts of your videos.

🎥 Animated Captions: Adds dynamic captions with over 97% accuracy, enhancing viewer engagement.

🎥 Virality Score: Provides a score predicting the potential popularity of each clip, helping you choose the best segments to share.

For more complex projects, you obviously may want to hire a professional - I do this often - but it’s undeniable that for a certain type of content, this tool can be the right pick.

And in case you are wondering: “AI? But where’s the Web3 part?”, check our edition #13.

So far we have explored different tools and platforms that can help builders thrive in Web3.

However, there’s a vital component that often gets overlooked in Web3:

Payroll management.

For founders navigating the intricate process of hiring and paying global teams, having a flexible, compliant, and efficient payroll system becomes a necessity.

And for contractors providing services for businesses around the world, having a reliable payment partner is also vital.

Spotlight: Rise

Rise is revolutionising how companies manage payroll across the globe - and how contractors can access more flexible and reliable options when getting paid.

With its Web3-enabled platform, Rise integrates AI and blockchain to facilitate payments in both fiat and cryptocurrencies.

If you ever had to deal with payments - especially with contractors and teams spread around the globe - you know there are many ways to mess things up.

In fact, in a recent post on their LinkedIn page, Rise share “5 signs that you need a new payroll solution”:

1) Frequent Mistakes

2) Employee Complaints

3) Increase in Employee Count

4) New Regulations

5) Compliance Issues

So here are some of the ways Rise solves these issues:

• Global Payroll: It simplifies multi-country payroll operations, ensuring that businesses can easily comply with local regulations without being bogged down by administrative complexity.

• Crypto compliance issues: From my own experience, compliance around cryptocurrency has always been a “blocker” for companies, especially the big ones.
  Rise's focus on stablecoins addresses the volatility and compliance issues associated with using cryptocurrencies for payroll, making it a practical solution for global businesses.

• Automation at your service: Thanks to the innovative tech used by Rise, processes are automated and also verifiable on chain, which means you won’t have to worry about human mistakes or questions about payments’ statuses.

“Cool, Diego… But how does it work?”

Rise allows businesses to fund their payroll through traditional bank transfers or digital wallets.

Workers have the flexibility to choose their payment type - fiat, crypto, or a mix, with all transactions secured and streamlined through blockchain.

And that’s pretty much it. No more “wait 5 business days for your wire transfer” or “the IBAN you typed in is not valid”.

Key advantages for employers and workers

Rise provides significant advantages that cater to both employers and employees in the Web3 space:

• Payment Flexibility: Employees appreciate being able to choose their preferred currency type, enhancing their financial autonomy and satisfaction.

→ Want 90% USD and 10% USDT (crypto stablecoin) this month? Right away.

→ 30% Euro and 70% crypto next month? No problem.

• Enhanced Security and Compliance: As I said before, Rise ensures that all transactions are not only secure but fully compliant with international tax and regulatory standards. (Your accountant will love this)

• Talent retention: With flexible, reliable, and faster payment options, companies can significantly enhance talent retention - and it’s hard to put a price on that, especially nowadays.

And speaking of “talent retention”...

Planning on offering health & travel insurance for global contractors? Rise also has solutions for this scenario.

In other words, whether you have a team of regular full-time employees or only a few occasional freelancers - or any combination of them, Rise can certainly take care of your team’s payroll.

There’s much more to be explored about Rise’s solutions, and we’ll do so pretty soon.

For now, as businesses continue to adopt decentralized models, Rise is well-positioned to support their growth by offering a payroll system that is as dynamic and flexible as the teams it serves.

Click here if you want to learn more about what they are building.

There are literally THOUSANDS of tools out there, but today I highlighted some that can help you start your projects in Web3 - or scale the current ones.

In past editions, I talked about many others and will keep sharing any good findings here with you.

And if there’s any interesting tool that you think more people should know about, hit me up - it may end up being shared here.

See you soon.

#LFGrow
Diego Borgo