Who are Crypto Influencers
Influencers play a vital role in social media. Their followers are keenly aware that the influencer is a subject matter expert in their specific body of knowledge. They have made their mark in the field of crypto currency, blockchain technology etc.
They are people able to make meetings happen between investors and tech startups. They engage with business using their reputation and history of success in their specific niche market. Crypto Influencers are ICO marketing leaders. Their opinions matter and are generally held in high regard as they can influence the majority.
Gaining prominence toward 2019 are STO marketing crypto influencers. While ICO’s will offer tokens only with access to a specific platform or service, STO tokens offered are real financial securities backed by tangible assets, profits or revenue with the company. The key for STO tokens is that they offer legal rights (voting or revenue distribution).
In this space, ICO and STO influencers can be CEO’s of reputable crypto-based business, developers, bloggers, creators etc. These individuals have attained a certain level of trust over the years. They may have blogs to follow, social media accounts where their comments and opinions are voiced or use podcasts as their preferred medium to communicate.
Who are Top Advisors
Top advisors are similar to influencers but will take on a helping role in your startup. Can an advisor be an influencer as well? Yes, they can be both. The caveat to this is that there are a couple types of advisors (influencers) out there that you should be knowledgeable about.
The most common type is the one that can be found online on many platforms and do not contribute much more than allowing their photo and bio to sit on your project contribution page. Many companies will make the mistake of using these advisors in order to bolster professional credibility quickly.
The issue with this is that for the most part, the advisor is thin on experience and lacks the professional reputation and history of success that cannot stand up to a serious challenge. Additionally, these advisors do not deliver value outside of word-smithing at best.
Ironically, these advisors will sit on many boards concurrently. This is actually a red flag as reputable contributions made related to value is next to, if not zero altogether.
So where does that leave you in your search? Let’s look at the second type of advisor. These are the more difficult to find but worth every bit. They are real business leaders, making an impact and bringing value to your project as they genuinely believe in it. They are very protective of their reputation and as such, are picky about whom they endorse and assist.
Reputation matters and your search is not an easy one as many ‘experts’ have risen to the surface, losing a bit of the earlier prestige held by the original innovators. Choosing the right advisor, influencer or blockchain expert can be done easily provided you have a framework to assist in the search.
Advisor Appraisement
Deep background knowledge is key
It is easy to look online in LinkedIn to search for advisors. While it is a one stop shop to see the experience on the surface, looking deeper into their profiles, digging through extensive online research and following-up on leads is critical.
As a suggestion, do not always look for an advisor who has ICO experience only on projects. You may find the perfect advisor who has expertise in your particular industry (finance, gaming, healthcare etc.)
International Experience
It is a global village we live in and international experience is an invaluable asset to your project. Having international exposure, your prospect advisor would bring a considerably larger viewpoint and input than having an expert in only on particular local region.
This exposure is best as it will help with operating internationally and expanding into new markets globally.
Networking
Currency value can be many things. Financial, knowledge based or in this case, social. An advisor having a vast network of qualified connections can leverage an upstart’s objectives significantly.
Whether marketing, publicity, technology related or simply to improve the projects access to top talent, a connected advisor can make the ultimate difference in a short period of time.
While looking at all tangible assets of your potential advisor, it is incumbent to view intangible assets such as social value connections as well.
Word of Mouth
To date, nothing beats a trusted partners word of mouth recommendation. Previous project recommendations are a valued commodity in this space. Aside from direct references, poll your crypto community and personal connections for reputable names being mentioned who may be able to help. Positive reputation will usually precede the prospective advisors name in this case.
Content Publishing
Checking social media for published articles, blogs, contributions etc. helps for those advisors you have narrowed down. If your advisor is a blockchain expert, you may want to check for white papers authored or research projects they have contributed on. Read whatever you can find that they have written to get a sense of engagement and response from the community in general.
It is considered high value that anyone who has taken the time to author content or taken a major role in research, would indicate that they are authentic and genuinely involved with their project partners.
Summary
While crypto influencers and advisors are being heralded as an easy path for startups to gain capital and experience, it remains a difficult process to determine who the right people are for your project to begin the journey from concept to ICO.
Legion Ventures has amassed significant international experience and exposure to ensure your project gains qualified value and specific skillsets brought on-board to assist in making your ICO a tremendous success!
