BeInCrypto x ICP Hubs Webinar: Marketing Fundamentals for Startups

In an industry that moves at the speed of code, trust remains the one thing that can’t be faked or rushed. This was the core message that echoed through the recent BeInCrypto x ICP Hubs webinar, where Alevtina Labyuk, Chief Strategic Partnerships Officer of BeInCrypto and a jury member at ICP Hubs, led a deep dive into what it truly means to build a Web3 brand that lasts.

Held as part of BeInCrypto’s ongoing partnership with ICP Hubs, the session brought together founders, builders, and marketers to explore the strategic layers of reputation, visibility, and storytelling, three pillars that, according to Labyuk, separate projects that fade after launch from those that define ecosystems.

“In Web3, visibility without credibility is noise,” Labyuk said early in the session. “Anyone can buy impressions or influencers. But only consistent, trustworthy visibility turns a project into a brand.”

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Visibility Is the First Layer of Trust

Alevtina began by addressing the foundation of credibility, visibility. It’s not enough, she said, to have a Twitter account, a Discord channel, or a few influencer mentions. True visibility means being discoverable in trusted environments, across Google, large language models, and high-reputation media.

“When people hear about a project from a friend or an ad, the first thing they do is Google it,” she explained. “If they find nothing credible, no interviews, no reviews, no professional media coverage, that interest dies on the spot.”

This, she argued, is one of the biggest hidden losses in crypto marketing. Teams often measure ad performance but not the trust gap that exists when users seek validation and find nothing. 

“Many projects lose hundreds of potential supporters without realizing it,” Labyuk said. “There’s no analytics tool to measure the people who left because your online footprint didn’t reassure them.”

She emphasized that trust must be established before any major campaign begins. That means investing in articles, interviews, and reviews on safe, credible platforms, those that don’t host casino ads, scam tokens, or misleading promotions.

“Brand safety matters more than people think. If your project’s story appears next to a scam banner, users will subconsciously associate you with that world. You can’t build a reputation in a noisy room.” 

360-degree Approach

One of Web3’s favorite illusions is that there’s a single channel or tactic that can drive sustainable growth. “There is no magic tool,” she said. “Every channel has its role, the smart part is knowing how to combine them.”

She outlined what she called a 360-degree approach to marketing in decentralized ecosystems:

• Reputation built through trusted outlets like BeInCrypto, Bloomberg, and Forbes.
• Reach through display ads and KOL collaborations.
• Conversions via airdrops, quests, or gamified engagement.
• Retention through CRM, retargeting, and ongoing community touchpoints.

“Marketing is not a straight line,” she explained. “It’s a web of connections, every touchpoint builds on another. When a user sees your story everywhere, from an article to a podcast to a community post, that’s when belief starts forming.”

Time as a Strategic Asset

Perhaps the most sobering point came in the third segment, brand building takes time.

“It takes between 40 and 70 touchpoints before someone genuinely remembers or trusts your brand,” Labyuk said. “That’s months of consistent exposure, not a week of hype.”

Depending on project nature and the backers list, the efficient timeline starts from three to six months before a token generation event (TGE), showcasing activity through hackathons, partnerships, community collaborations, and public engagement. Compressing everything into a few days often leads to “marketing blindness”.

“When you rush, you’re shouting into a crowded room,” she said. “Maybe another token is trending, or your ideal users are simply offline that week. But if your story has been visible for months, you’re already in their mind. That’s how real ambassadors form.”

This long-term vision also requires humility. “Founders need to see marketing not as hype building but as education,” she added. “You’re teaching people why you exist and why you matter. That’s not something you can do overnight.”

Speaking also as a jury member for ICP Hubs, Alevtina shared observations from evaluating dozens of early-stage projects. Many of them have impressive technology but struggle to tell a story that resonates.

“Brilliant code is not enough. If you can’t explain the value in sharp and simple language, people will tune out instantly.”

The best teams, she noted, are those that can articulate their mission in a single, human sentence “not jargon, not buzzwords, but meaning.”

Where Trust Meets Quality

Beyond visibility, the goal is to build ecosystems of credibility, where quality media coverage reinforces authentic projects, and authentic projects enrich the industry’s trust landscape.

“BeInCrypto is not just about publishing stories. It’s about creating them, responsibly, with integrity, and with strategy. Because true legends in Web3 are born where trust and quality meet.”

In an era where algorithms can amplify anything, what still matters most is reliability. And in the blockchain world, where transparency is code, credibility might just be the strongest currency of all.

BeInCrypto helped many Web3 teams apply this multi-layer visibility strategy successfully. To explore case studies and real examples, you can contact BeInCrypto partnership team.

Read the article at BeInCrypto