In 2018 ICOs continue to be the top way for new projects on the blockchain to raise significant amounts of capital in order to fully develop their products. Sadly for aspiring blockchain projects, with each passing day competition in the ICO space grows exponentially making it NECESSARY for projects to seek out the help of expert marketing companies.
In the olden days (2 -3 years ago) an ICO could raise millions without having a dedicated marketing team or budget, some ICOs even managed to get funded only through Bitcointalk threads. However, that's not the case anymore.
Which is why we made this top 8 list of the most recommended ICO marketing agencies which have established a proven track record and have managed to help some notable projects raise large amounts of money.
1. ICO BOX
ICOBOX is one of the most established and well known marketing agencies in the ICO ecosystem. They provide "box" solutions for ICOs mostly focusing on the development, escrow and legal process. With marketing being a bonus service they offer.
They claim to have raised over $400 million for 80 clients so that's about $5 million per client.
Prices for ICOBOX are public on their site, their box solution starts at 40BTC, but be aware, it does not seem to include all the extra expenses that come with a marketing plan such as paid ads, influencers, PR, sponsored articles, which could all easily cost you another 30-40BTC, so conservative wallets beware.
2. AMAZIX
Amazix has a proven track record for sure, on their website you can find more than 40 ICO projects that they have worked with. However they have fallen to the #2 spot on the list due to some recent controversy, in a Medium article found here, claiming Amazix promoted SCAM ICOs and faked reviews and ratings.
UPDATE: Medium article has been banned, you can read more in this Bitcointalk Thread.
They have become experts in community management for ICOs, and that is the only service they offer. It's an essential part of ICO marketing as it deals with gaining community trust which is absolutely imperative for a successful project.
They state that they are very selective of the projects they work with, so make sure you meet all their requirements, such as having a whitepaper, legal structure and more before trying to work with them.
3. Freegram
A newcomer in the world of ICO marketing, Freegram is an agency that specializes in Social media marketing and comprehensive ICO marketing plans as well as "DIY" ICO marketing plans for projects looking to create a marketing plan or roadmap with an internal marketing team.
According to the website, the DIY marketing plans for ICO marketing start at around $2000 USD, and they can provide tailor-made marketing plans for ICO of any size, making them more adaptable to working with ICOs that are not comfortable with a 40BTC box solution.
Freegram has quickly gained traction with their innovative Telegram invitation services, where they can help ICOs gain massive amounts of targeted Telegram members in their groups.
4. Priority Token
Another well established firm, they are a UK-based company with its head office in London. Regardless of whether the project needs investment consulting, technical support, or marketing assistance, the company has proven that it's capable of delivering.
Priority Token claims they have raised over $200 million for 50 clients, so that's about $4 million per project.
Their prices are also public on the website, starting at $95.000 for just a marketing package and $200.000+ for full packages. (Again without including the much needed marketing expenses).
5. Searched
Searched is a newer agency focused on Bridging The Gap Between Web Development, Search, PR And Content Marketing For Blockchain Startups and ICO's. From their website it can be seen that they have worked with only a handful of smaller clients.
One interesting fact about Searched is that it's one of the only agencies we have seen that offer Post ICO services such as SEO or PR.
6. Byzantium
Byzantium offers traditional marketing services as well as an audit of your project to discover its strengths and weaknesses. They specialize in helping ICO with the fundraising (private sale) or crowdfunding rounds.
Something that sets apart Byzantium is that they offer a "connection-building" service where they can introduce clients to connections that can help boost their project.
7. Belkin Marketing
A marketing agency from California with over 11 years of experience they provide services that include market, search and media strategy, SMM and experience marketing. Most noteworthy, content marketing and lead generation.
Belkin can help ICOs with PR activities, pre-ICO activities and community management and social media marketing.
8. ICO Launch Malta
ICO Launch Malta is an agency that services every aspect of a company's ICO process from incorporation and tax planning, to token creation, smart contract development and deployment, marketing and PR through to exchange listing.
This agency has worked with a few smaller projects.
Hopefully this top 8 list can help anyone who is looking into or considering working with an ICO marketing agency.
This list is by no means complete and will need an update for 2019 so stay tune!