The Unique Rise Path of the TON Ecosystem

In the rapid development of the blockchain field, the TON ecosystem stands out with its unique rise strategy. Drawing on the successful experience of WeChat Mini Programs, TON's MiniApp not only promotes user expansion within the ecosystem but also provides innovative business models and effective traffic strategies for Web3 projects. These MiniApps demonstrate powerful traffic capabilities on the Telegram platform, enabling Web3 projects to quickly reach a broad user base. This article will delve into the rapid rise of the TON ecosystem, analyzing how it provides valuable business model references and traffic solutions for future Web3 users on Telegram and other Web2 channels, helping them succeed in an increasingly competitive market.

Significant rise in data on the TON blockchain

Common indicators for assessing the rise level of an ecosystem include trading volume, number of active addresses, smart contract development status, total locked value (TVL), network fees, validator participation, token transfer volume, and MiniApp interactions. These indicators comprehensively reflect the development status and activity level of the ecosystem.

User Acquisition Strategies on TON

Social Fission: Low-Cost and Efficient User Rise Strategy

Social virality is a very effective user acquisition strategy, widely used especially on social platforms. By relying on users' social networks, social virality achieves rapid user growth through the propagation of relationship chains. Compared to traditional advertising marketing, social virality has lower costs and higher persuasiveness, as users are more likely to trust recommendations from friends or family. Moreover, social virality leverages network effects and viral gameplay to create exponential propagation effects, resulting in precise user growth. These users acquired through virality are often similar in interests, needs, and behavioral characteristics to the target users, making the communication more effective. At the same time, relying on daily high-frequency usage of social products, users exhibit higher stickiness, allowing them to use these platforms and products more frequently.

Reference WeChat's fission strategy

WeChat, as a successful model of social fission, provides rich experience for other platforms in aspects such as mini-program operation, external link management, and personal account usage. The fission gameplay that was once banned on WeChat can be reattempted on Telegram. By learning from WeChat's operational experience, projects on Telegram can leverage these social fission strategies to achieve viral spread and rapid user rise.

Application Scenarios: Games

According to the complexity of the products and business, the customer acquisition methods for viral fission can be divided into several levels:

• 0 Luluwang Earn-Type: Attract users through simple online earning mechanisms, such as projects like Notcoin and Hamster Kombat, which have hundreds of millions of users and a large number of channel subscribers on Telegram.

• Probability Game Type: This involves a fission gameplay based on probability lottery, such as red envelope splitting, lucky spin wheel, and blind box opening. Typical projects include Catizen (cat raising) and TonGifts (red envelope distribution), which rely on social networks to quickly spread users.

• Casual Game Type: Attract users through more complex gameplay and entertainment scenarios, such as Catizen and PixelTap (robot battles). These casual mini-games increase user stickiness and engagement through deep user interaction.

Application Scenario: Memecoin

User acquisition strategies are not only applicable to traditional products but are also crucial in the promotion of Meme Coins. The diffusion path of Meme Coins can be likened to the difference between natural diamonds and synthetic diamonds. Natural Meme Coins spread spontaneously through the community, typically extending from Reddit to Telegram or Discord, and then disseminating to broader social platforms. In contrast, synthetic Meme Coins achieve viral rapid spread internally on Telegram through social fission strategies.

To create a popular Meme Coin, the key lies in the strategy of "great effort produces miracles + rural areas surrounding cities," promoting it through low-cost and high-impact social scenarios. A developer-friendly environment and fair design are also important factors in attracting users. In addition, by generating FOMO (fear of missing out) emotions, more people are encouraged to participate, thereby forming a strong consensus and user traffic.

These user acquisition strategies not only play a crucial role in the incubation of Meme Coins but also provide a strong impetus for user growth in the Telegram and TON ecosystems. This strategy opens up vast opportunities for the future development of the Web3 ecosystem.

Phenomenal Success Case: Notcoin

Notcoin is a social clicker game accessible via Telegram, which officially launched on January 1, 2024, and has quickly attracted a large number of users. The game achieved astonishing metrics in just a few months: 40 million Telegram users, 8 million Telegram channel subscribers, and 6 million daily active users. Here are the key milestones in its development:

• January 1, 2024: Official launch of the game.
• January 26, 2024: Total users reached 20 million.
• February 29, 2024: Co-branded event with a trading platform.
• March 8, 2024: Pre-Market opens on a certain platform, 10M Notcoin points can be exchanged for an NFT voucher (equivalent to 10,000 $NOT).
• March 30, 2024: Announce token economics, stating that 100% of the NOT tokens will be distributed to players.
• April 12, 2024: End of game mining and announcement of the official economic model.
• May 16, 2024: Launch on multiple trading platforms simultaneously.

The success of Notcoin can be attributed to the three key factors of "timing, location, and harmony among people":

• Official demand from Telegram: Telegram needs a thriving ecosystem, requiring a large number of applications similar to WeChat mini-programs, allowing developers to profit from them. Notcoin just happens to meet this demand.

• Demand from the TON Foundation: The TON Foundation needs to establish the utility and business model of the TON token by building an application ecosystem, and Notcoin is an ideal application scenario.

• Exchange Demand: In the current market's gloomy sentiment, exchanges are in urgent need of new Web3 users, and Notcoin's large user base provides them with this opportunity.

• The needs of Web3 and Web2 users: The success of Notcoin can also be attributed to meeting the demands of different user groups, such as the fairness sought by experienced Web3 users and the desire for low barriers and high returns from newly entered Web2 users.

In addition, the success of Notcoin is also attributed to meeting the needs of different user groups, such as the fairness pursued by Web3 veterans and the desire for low barriers and high returns among Web2 newcomers.

The Main Business Model of Telegram + TON

1. In-app purchases (virtual value added)

This model, as the main revenue model for mini-games in the WeChat ecosystem, has given birth to several hit paid products, such as "Y羊了个羊" in 2021.

By the end of Q2 2024, the monthly active users of WeChat mini-games will surpass 500 million, with an estimated annual revenue of 40 billion RMB.

Similar to WeChat mini-games, in the Telegram + TON ecosystem, in-app purchases have become a successful business model, especially in the gaming sector. Catizen is a typical representative of this model. Since its launch in March 2024, Catizen has attracted over 50 million users in less than four months and generated over $20 million in revenue through in-app purchases. It is noteworthy that Catizen's success is not only reflected in its large user base but also in its high ARPU (Average Revenue Per User). Additionally, 40% of Telegram Premium users are Catizen players, indicating a high integration of virtual value-added services with social platforms, providing significant profit opportunities for developers.

2. Issuing on the coin

Token issuance on the platform is another major business model in the Telegram + TON ecosystem, and the Notcoin project is a successful example of this model. Since its official launch in January 2024, Notcoin has rapidly accumulated 40 million users and successfully pushed the NOT token to market through a series of activities and strategic partnerships (such as co-branded activities with a trading platform and Pre-Market on a certain platform). This model not only helped Notcoin quickly expand its user base but also achieved a seamless transition from gaming to the financial market through a token economic model. Ultimately, Notcoin's token was successfully listed on multiple major exchanges, further consolidating its market position. In late September, Catizen and Hamster also successfully listed on the exchange.

3. Traffic Conversion -- Sales, Joint Operation Incubation

Traffic Selling: Efficient Monetization Strategy

In the Telegram + TON ecosystem, traffic selling has become an efficient and direct monetization strategy. Holdcoin, Tomarket, and Banana are representatives of this model, operating multiple projects daily and generating considerable revenue by selling user traffic from Telegram channels. Depending on the quantity, quality, and regional distribution of purchased users, the selling price per user on mainstream platforms ranges from $0.03 to $0.1. This model not only allows for quick cash flow but also provides a convenient user acquisition channel for small and medium-sized projects.

Traffic Alliance: Incubating New Projects with Mature Ecosystem

The traffic cooperation model is known as the "Cheetah Model" and has been widely applied in the Telegram + TON ecosystem. Catizen's long-term plan includes this strategy, aiming to incubate 200 popular games that once thrived in the WeChat ecosystem. By leveraging existing user bases and traffic advantages, the traffic cooperation model helps these games quickly gain users on Telegram and rejuvenate their presence. This model not only reduces the marketing costs for new projects but also significantly increases their success rates, allowing previously popular games to be reborn in a new ecosystem.

Meme Incubation: Comprehensive Push from Community to Market

The Meme incubation model is an extension of traffic sales and joint operations, combining the functions of launchpads and DEX to provide a one-stop solution for Meme Coin projects from incubation to market promotion. Blum is one of the successful cases of this model, with 20 million Telegram channel users. Through the MVP program of a certain trading platform, the Blum project successfully promoted multiple Meme Coin projects in social platforms and the crypto market. The Meme incubation model utilizes Telegram's powerful social network and TON's blockchain technology, enabling emerging Meme projects to quickly attract community attention, gain initial traffic, and ultimately achieve trading on DEX. This model not only promotes the dissemination of Meme culture but also provides investors and community members with the opportunity to participate in innovative projects.

4. Advertising Revenue

Telegram has launched a new advertising revenue model based on TON, bringing new profit opportunities for public channel owners. Channel owners can receive 50% of the advertising revenue, paid in Toncoin (TON), the cryptocurrency of the TON blockchain. This model undoubtedly provides more room for developing quality content, especially for channels in education and entertainment, which may struggle to profit through direct monetization methods. Additionally, Telegram offers the Telegram Star program, allowing channel or bot owners to place ads through the Telegram advertising platform and pay for advertising costs using Stars from the balance of their channel or bot accounts, enjoying discounts of up to 30%. This provides channel owners with a more cost-effective option.