{"id":8092,"date":"2025-08-06T10:40:50","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T09:40:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kriptodnevnik.com\/?p=8092"},"modified":"2025-08-06T10:40:50","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T09:40:50","slug":"growing-startups-in-the-balkans-how-web3-marketing-breaks-all-the-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sputnet.com.ng\/dnevnik\/2025\/08\/06\/growing-startups-in-the-balkans-how-web3-marketing-breaks-all-the-rules\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing Startups in the Balkans: Josip Vlah – How Web3 Marketing Breaks All the Rules"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to the first installment of Growing Startups & Projects in THE Balkans<\/em>\u2014a new series where we spotlight lessons, strategies, and stories shaping the future of innovation across the region. In this series, we go beyond the buzzwords to explore how Balkan founders and teams are building real impact in rapidly evolving industries like Web3, AI, and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our opening piece, Josip Vlah, co-founder of leading Web3 agency RZLT, shares battle-tested insights on what makes marketing in the decentralized world fundamentally different. Whether you’re an early-stage builder, marketer, or curious founder, this guide breaks down how to earn trust, grow communities, and market products in Web3\u2014starting from zero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction: Why Web3 Marketing Is a Different Game<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re coming from the world of traditional Web2 marketing, prepare for a complete mindset shift. I started my career in web2, working with traditional brands where affiliate links, influencer campaigns, and broad brand awareness defined success. But when we co-founded RZLT, now one of the leading marketing agencies in the Web3 and AI space, we quickly realized that Web3 is its own universe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crypto communities care deeply about data sovereignty, decentralization, and trust. The old playbooks rarely work. You\u2019re not pushing a product, you\u2019re building a community, one rooted in transparency, aligned incentives, and public accountability. In Web3, success isn’t about buying attention, it’s about earning it through community, credibility, and genuine value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Product-Market Fit First\u2014Always<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the first questions we ask new clients at RZLT is: \u201cHave you actually spoken with your users?\u201d<\/em> It\u2019s shocking how many haven\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Web3 moves fast. That  is powerful but also dangerous. Too many founders fall into the trap of building in isolation, assuming that great tech alone will attract users. It won\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before thinking about marketing, focus on finding product-market fit. Interview potential users. Validate that the problem you’re solving is real and that others care about it as much as you do. Are you building something for the ecosystem or just for yourself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ve seen over 80% of the early-stage projects we work with refine or pivot after doing user discovery. The ones that listen to their community early build better products and stronger marketing foundations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building a Go-To-Market Strategy That Evolves With the Ecosystem<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Marketing in crypto is never static. Narratives change weekly from play-to-earn to real-world assets to modular blockchains and now InformationFi. Your go-to-market (G2M) strategy must be dynamic. But beneath the surface noise, there are a few blueprint principles that remain:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First: start with what you can control<\/strong>. Many early-stage projects don\u2019t have the budget for PR or Influencer \/ KOL collabs and that\u2019s okay. Focus on high-leverage, low-cost actions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n