Community-First Strategy in the Web3 Era: Building Sustainable Rise Momentum

In the Web3 era, blockchain technology has reshaped the form of communities, transforming them into an open, fluid, and interconnected ecosystem. In this new ecology, individual autonomy and collective consensus are equally emphasized, while decentralization and token mechanisms stimulate the intrinsic motivation of the community. As users gain autonomy, they also actively participate in value co-creation, forming cohesion around common goals and ideals.

The rise of Web3 projects is shifting towards a "community-first" new paradigm. This means first gathering participants who share common values, building consensus among them, and developing a highly active and cohesive community. Then, relying on community collaboration to design products and achieving rapid and sustained growth through community dissemination.

Before the product-market fit ( PMF ), it is more crucial to prioritize the alignment between the community and the market, as well as the alignment between the community and the product. A community-first strategy can serve as an effective precursor to traditional marketing and may even completely replace traditional marketing methods in a decentralized Web3 environment.

Building a community and interacting with early members during the product development process can provide valuable feedback and validation for ideas and products. An actively engaged community can drive network effects and viral spread, thereby facilitating rise through community-driven user acquisition, participation, and retention.

Making community engagement the core of the listing strategy can:

• Obtain early feedback and recognition from potential users
• Build trust and credibility with early adopters
• Cultivate a sense of belonging and commitment to the project among members.
• Leverage community network effects to drive user rise and retention

The community-first strategy emphasizes value creation rather than merely focusing on value acquisition. This approach requires sincerity, empathy, inclusivity, and collaboration, placing community needs above individual interests.

Starting from the minimum viable community ( MVC ) is an effective strategy. Only 10-20 core contributors are needed to form the MVC, laying the foundation for future rise. It is crucial to identify and recruit influential early members, who usually share a passion for the project and are willing to invest their time and effort.

Community-member fit and community-market fit are important indicators for measuring community development. The former is reflected in core members continuously providing value, while the latter means that the community can spontaneously rise and meet broad market demands.

Community-driven product development combines decision-making speed with a user-centric approach. Rapid experimentation and validation through community feedback ensure that the product meets the needs of the target user group. This approach fosters early supporters' enthusiasm and sense of belonging to the product.

Building a strong community - market fit helps the product expand more easily to other similar groups. An active community provides social recognition for the product and attracts new users. Through continuous interaction and iteration, early members can be transformed into product advocates.

The community-driven rise model is not only limited to user acquisition and retention but can also enhance brand value through member co-creation. When community members feel a sense of ownership and can share in the value rise, loyalty and engagement will significantly increase.

This new rise framework is called "ACP Funnel": attracting audience (Audience), building community (Community), and developing product (Product). It emphasizes starting small, inviting early adopters, gaining a deep understanding of their needs, and crafting resonant stories and products. By focusing on community-market fit before considering product-market fit, growth can be achieved more quickly and sustainably.