Case Study

How we took an ‘impossible to advertise’ NFT brand from almost no following to a $5.5m launch in just 2 weeks

With only 2 weeks left before launch, our client was ready to give up on paid ads to promote their ‘controversial’ (in the eyes of advertising platforms) NFT brand.

They had an irresistible asset to offer but could not get the word out due to the controversial nature of their business. As a result, their Discord community only had 86 members. They were ready to postpone the project, potentially missing a critical window of opportunity as a pioneering brand in the Metaverse.

However, with our expertise and proprietary NFT marketing system, we were able to help this ‘hard case’ client successfully run paid ads on multiple platforms – driving over 28,668 qualified subscribers to Discord and filling 1,100 whitelist spots in only 2 weeks.

The demand we created in this short period of time led to a monumental launch on December 25, 2021, driving approximately $5.5 million in NFT sales! Post-launch, the campaign continues to build the brand and its community, building value for all asset holders and creating ongoing residual profits for its creators.

The Problem:

It’s no secret that advertising platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Reddit can be unfriendly to NFT brands.

Unfortunately, due to the unregulated nature of crypto and NFT investments, many advertisers unfairly associate any NFT advertisement as scams, ‘get rich quick’ schemes, or rug pulls.

This makes it difficult for NFT creators that offer real value to spread their message through paid advertising – which is the most effective way to scale quickly and profitably.

Our client was one such example, offering an irresistible NFT asset that gives early adopters a lifetime ownership stake in a soon-to-be, highly profitable business in the Sandbox Metaverse.

However, due to the stigma against the Casino niche, our client faced ad suspensions and account bans every time they tried to launch a paid campaign.

With a major launch looming only weeks away, and nearly zero traction, they were considering giving up on their goal to launch by 12/25, with a community of only 86 Discord members and 178 Twitter followers.

Marketing NFTs requires a specific skillset

Even though their team had extensive marketing experience, they found themselves at their wit’s end, out of ideas to promote their brand at scale.

Finally, they came to us for help after hearing the success we had been getting for some of the biggest names in the NFT space. During our initial consulting call they told us, “We’ve tried it all, we’ve done everything, we just don’t think we can make paid advertising work.”

Luckily, we had a battle-tested plan to turn their entire marketing strategy around, even considering the difficulty of the restrictions we faced and the limited timeframe we had to work with.

The Solution:

After an initial consultation call, the client decided to upgrade to a ‘done for you’, full-service package, giving us full control to custom craft their campaign into a conversion machine. With our deep knowledge of the complexities of NFT marketing, we were able to quickly turn things around.

Our unique insights have been developed from hours in the trenches – testing and optimizing campaigns, and spending tens of thousands of our own advertising dollars.

Each funnel is designed to laser-target qualified NFT buyers, without triggering red flags that lead to account bans… even in the controversial Casino niche. While most competitors have given up on paid ads, we are able to help our clients overcome these barriers and turn them into a competitive advantage.

How we did it

Using a variation of our proprietary two-part strategy, we ran ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Quora, driving traffic directly to the brand’s Discord community.

We were able to leverage a special ‘loophole’, which Facebook has created to support certain NFTs during the company’s move into the Metaverse.

On Quora, by using a certain type of messaging, and avoiding trigger words (‘NFT’, ‘casino’, ‘gambling’), we were able to create compliant ads that were still exciting and enticing to the target audience.

The funnel we created was so effective (low CPCs, high conversion) that even with a limited ad budget of $500/day, our client was able to hit 20,000 followers in a span of two weeks.

Of course, not all followers are equal, so we make sure to target only those who are most likely to become buyers. This is one of the greatest challenges in NFT marketing.

Building and nurturing a community is still key

After our ads captured the audience’s attention and drove a large percentage of them to the brand Discord, the real work of relationship and community building began.

We employed a variety of proven strategies to maximize engagement, retain members, and build a solid base of support - which is crucial to a successful NFT launch.

Once a potential buyer meets with other true supporters of a project, they are more likely to understand its value, and invest due to a ‘fear of missing out.’ This is where the lifetime ROI of each lead begins to skyrocket. A strong community creates demand for the asset, increasing its value and creating an exponential compounding effect for everyone involved.

Audiences who engaged with the ad but didn’t immediately join the Discord were later retargeted with additional ads, sending them to the brand's website, which provided additional reasons for them to join the Discord.

Our ‘unfair’ advantage

The window of opportunity to capitalize on the NFT boom will not be open forever. The ability to scale fast and cost-effectively will pay dividends as the future of the Metaverse unfolds.

We have recently established partnerships with Twitter and Reddit, allowing us to whitelist our clients’ accounts for future campaigns. This will allow ads to run smoothly, without getting shut down or running into platform-imposed spending limits.

In the most extreme cases, if we are unable to whitelist an advertising account, or create an ad strategy that adheres to a platform’s TOS, we have mastered the art and science of rotating ad accounts and will keep campaigns running profitably.

…This is why our clients are always one step ahead of the competition.

We’ve helped over 192 NFT brands make dramatic breakthroughs in their marketing campaigns with as little as a 1-hour consultation.

But for those looking for the fastest rate of growth, and to maximize their odds of a highly profitable launch, our done-for-you service provides the ultimate ROI.

Spots are filling up quickly for 2022. Contact us today to learn more.