Why is it said that the ToB/C thinking model is no longer applicable in Web3 market strategies?

Source: WEB3 MKT

Author: Zolo, Shenchao TechFlow

How should Web3 marketing be done, and how does it differ from the mindset of the Web2 market?

With this question in mind, I have recently read a lot of related content, and I would like to gradually recommend and share some articles worth referencing, covering the differences between Web3 and Web2 markets, why storytelling is important, how to think about a complete community operation strategy, and practical suggestions, among other topics.

First comes the principle, then comes the technique.

A new way of thinking is that the user/customer segmentation in the Web3 market will no longer be To B or To C.

There is a saying: cognition governs action, and action is the result of cognition. To avoid mistakes in action, one needs to have the correct cognition first.

So, regarding the Web3 market, what kind of cognition is correct when it comes to user or customer segmentation?

In our inherent cognition, it is widely believed that one should first develop the product and then do marketing; the earlier the project, the less emphasis is placed on marketing.

As shown in the figure below:

The reason behind this is that Web2 products often require product research and development to proceed first, creating an MVP, achieving PMF, and then using marketing methods for further amplification.

But we need to know that in Web3, the situation has changed.

For example:

Are there many projects that issue tokens before even launching the product?

For many Web3 products, before expanding to C-end users, do they still need to attract some product validators and other roles to strengthen the network?

The facts reflected in these scenarios are:

Before a product gains B-end or C-end users, it is necessary to consider market strategies targeting other user profiles in advance.

As shown in the figure below:

In Web2, we often talk about whether the market you are targeting is ToB (business) or ToC (consumer),

However, in Web3, as the roles involved increase, combined with the early introduction of tokens, the concepts of B and C may gradually fade, transforming into A, To All.

All does not mean not distinguishing audiences, but rather should no longer differentiate between enterprise users and individual users. A better approach is to differentiate based on the different roles participating in the protocol/network, and then plan targeted communication content accordingly.

What specific user profiles are included in All? I believe this is a question that requires continuous exploration and differentiated thinking based on different product types.

For example, for protocol-based products, users may become your "investors" or "stakers" even before they use your product, and for network maintenance, you may also need "node service providers," "independent validators," etc.

For application-based products, users may also include "co-creators," "ambassadors/contributors," etc.

In short, due to the pre-participation of users and the post-launch of products, rethinking user classification and market strategies is crucial.

In this new role relationship, we can further explore why storytelling is so important.

Why is storytelling crucial in the Web3 market?

From the above discussion, it can be seen that in most cases, you will face:

The product has not yet been launched, and before there are product users, you need to start marketing.

Storytelling becomes even more prominent due to the absence of the product.

Without a product, what can attract people to join your community for co-creation?

Without users, what can attract people to help you maintain the network?

The answer is storytelling.

We need to continuously use stories to attract various participating roles.

What kind of stories are good? As shown in the figure:

The figure presents three factors, such as vision + economic model/expected returns, which resemble the current narrative of DeFi.

Good storytelling content should ideally consider the vision, economic model/expectations, and community engagement together, forming a narrative synergy of capital + community.

From a practical perspective, using more attractive language rather than charts/numbers to explain what you are doing, what grand vision you have, what changes you bring to the world, where you are in the roadmap, and what the significance of this is for achieving future great visions…

How to better narrate in the WEB3 world, please stay tuned for our future content.