When Tim Haldorsson was working for Google Ads in Portugal a few years ago, he had a freelance side hustle helping companies with their digital marketing campaigns. He soon realized he was earning as much money freelancing as he was at his day job.
Haldorsson targeted SaaS and crypto companies — an interest he had developed in 2017 when he was working for a Swedish news agency covering the bitcoin/crypto beat. “Back then, it was partly the idea of building a new financial system that was more decentralized and more open for anyone that attracted me,” he recalls. Later, he was drawn to the gaming aspect of the industry and “the idea of being able to tokenize and build up a digital infrastructure that you cannot cheat or directly corrupt.”
His marketing skills and interest in crypto were a winning combination; Haldorsson grew his agency, Lunar Strategy, from a one-man shop to a 20-person company within five years. His niche is Web3, crypto and NFT marketing. The company’s client roster includes JPEGVault, the first NFT-backed cryptocurrency, a gaming ecosystem called Game Starter, and a metaverse world known as Dark Frontiers.
As his company grew, Haldorsson was compelled to make a shift from buying outsourced services on sites like Fiverr and Upwork to hiring and managing staff. After he mastered new skills, he then taught them to others and delegated responsibilities so he could focus on growth rather than day-to-day tasks.
"[Cointelegraph Innovation Circle publishing] is a very efficient way of explaining different marketing strategies to the crypto community. We have gotten a lot of good social media content from [the articles]."
While much of Lunar Strategy’s work revolves around digital marketing for established companies, approximately 30% involves early-stage startups. For example, the company worked with three co-founders who had an idea for a DeFi project. “We helped them with finding the right product, the branding and we came up with slogans and the vision,” says Haldorsson. His team also collaborated with influencers on Twitter, developed PR campaigns and helped build and maintain the community. “We took it from an idea to building up a community of 20,000 followers on Twitter and right now they have a market cap of around $25,000,” he says.
Haldorsson says he’s very selective about his startup clients, particularly in the crypto space. “We’re leery of working with individuals who are trying to find gold in the gold rush,” he says. The industry is filled with dreamers, so “we need to see that they have some partnerships or some previous accomplishments and we do a very thorough screening of the team to make sure that they actually have the capacity to fulfill their vision.”
The FTX meltdown did have an impact on Haldorsson’s company: some clients lowered their budgets or went into “conservation mode.” However, he notes that others have perceived an opportunity amid the chaos. “There are projects that are seeing a perfect opportunity to focus campaigns around transparency and honesty,” says Haldorsson. “Some DeFi products are doing quite well and have been accelerating a little bit.”
As a member of Cointelegraph Innovation Circle, Haldorsson contributes frequently to Expert Panels and is writing long-form articles once a month. He says the community is a great way for him to educate others in his industry. “It’s a very efficient way of explaining different marketing strategies to the crypto community,” he says. “We have gotten a lot of good social media content from [the articles] and it brings value in the form of credibility and establishing thought leadership. I’m very happy to be part of Cointelegraph Innovation Circle.”
