[Closed] NEAR is NOW - August 2023

Section 1 - Project Information

  • Organization Name: NEARisNOW
  • Proposal Title: NEARisNOW August Funding
  • When was your project established? December 2022

Section 2. Previous Funding

Have you received funding for this project from any source?

NEARisNOW Funding for July 2023 (Not Yet Received)

Section 3. Project URLs

  • Project Website: N/A
  • Social Media Distribution Channels:
  • Instagram: Links can’t be included in posts due to limitations on the forum (available upon direct request)
  • Twitter: Links can’t be included in posts due to limitations on the forum (available upon direct request)
  • Facebook: Links can’t be included in posts due to limitations on the forum (available upon direct request)
  • YouTube: Links can’t be included in posts due to limitations on the forum (available upon direct request)

Which region will your project support? Our project will support all English speaking regions.

Is Your Project Targeting a Specific Country? No

Section 4. Applicant Information

  • Your name: Elias C. (NEARisNOW)
  • Link to Governance Forum Profile: Links can’t be included in posts due to limitations on the forum (available upon direct request)
  • NEAR Wallet ID: nearisnow.near
  • Country of Residence: United States
  • Twitter: Links can’t be included in posts due to limitations on the forum (available upon direct request)
  • Have You Been Paid Directly to Contribute or Lead another Marketing DAO Funded Projects: No

Section 5. Team Members

Elias Casas- Host / Coordination / On-Screen Personality

Elias is a seasoned professional in the cryptocurrency industry, with nearly 7 years of experience as a trader, builder, and participant in various successful projects across multiple blockchains.

He is skilled in marketing and public relations, and has experience in developing and implementing comprehensive campaigns and strategies, writing and editing press releases and social media content, and representing his companies at events and media interviews.

Elias is also known for his ability to build and maintain relationships with media outlets, labels, and other businesses within his ecosystem. He is skilled at analyzing data and metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of PR and Marketing efforts.

Zach Harmon - Moderator / Research / Social Media

Zach Harmon has been in the crypto space as a participant/consumer for over 3 years, entering the ecosystem in December of 2019. In January 2022, and earning a bachelor’s degree, he transitioned to a more active role building in the crypto community; with a focus on NEAR Protocol. Zach has a degree in Education paired with his passion for helping people learn. The crypto space can be extremely difficult, and complex for newcomers, and as a team we are working to make the transition from web2 to web3 easier. Zach is working with The OMNI DAO, NEAR at NIGHT, NEAR is NOW, and is a core member of the WGMI Solutions Team working with various projects on Web3, Funding, and Marketing Solutions.

Zach as a Researcher of NEAR is NOW is tasked with aiding in creating the agenda, researching the projects involved in the space, and crafting questions for guests.

On top of this as a Moderator of NEAR is NOW, while the Twitter Space is live, Zach is in charge of: vetting listeners who are requesting to speak, gathering questions from the audience, and providing the audience with important links and info by finding and pinning the tweets to the space.

Zach also aids in community management, and social media posting across all platforms.

Devyn Session - Moderator / Research / Videographer / Photographer / Editor

Devyn Session is a Digital Marketer with 4 years of experience in the crypto industry. He holds a degree in business with a specialization in marketing and began his career in market research after graduating from college. He later worked with two marketing agencies before establishing his own creative agency. Devyn’s agency is dedicated to assisting small businesses in increasing revenue by implementing strategic marketing campaigns that are informed by data-driven decisions.

Section 6. Experience

Our team offers a unique blend of passion, practical experience, and dedication that sets us apart as an exceptional choice for the NEAR Protocol Marketing DAO.

Proven Passion and Commitment

We have been devoted NEAR Protocol enthusiasts and supporters since its inception in 2021. Over the years, our commitment has only grown, culminating in active participation within the NEAR community. We didn’t just witness the growth of the NEAR Protocol; we were part of it.

Trusted Community Members

We aren’t outsiders looking in; we are integral community members of the NEAR Protocol. This places us in a unique position to understand, empathize with, and design marketing strategies that resonate with the NEAR community.

Expertise and Track Record

Our team member Elias is a testament to our prowess in the NEAR ecosystem. As a Grantee Recipient, Elias is already developing No-Code Tools on NEAR Protocol, showcasing our ability to drive impactful innovation. Moreover, Elias’s credibility was underscored by his presence as a speaker at the inaugural NEAR Hacker House in Miami, where he shared the stage with notable figures such as Jordan Gray and Alissa Christine.

Involvement in High-impact NEAR Projects

Our team’s direct involvement in successful NEAR projects demonstrates our practical understanding of the ecosystem. Zach H., a key member of PlayMMC - one of the most active and interactive NFT projects on NEAR, brings to the table firsthand experience with the needs and wants of NEAR’s end-users.

Marketing and Coordination Expertise

Devyn, our marketing specialist, boasts a Degree in Marketing and pairs it with Elias’s years of experience in coordination, content creation, and marketing. Together, they form a dynamic duo perfectly poised to devise and implement compelling marketing strategies for the NEAR Protocol.

Passion for Blockchain Technology

Above all, our team is united by a passion for NEAR Protocol and blockchain technology. This enthusiasm drives us to stay updated with the latest trends and advancements, ensuring that our marketing efforts are always at the cutting edge of the industry.

In conclusion, we offer a blend of passionate dedication to NEAR Protocol, active community participation, marketing expertise, and a proven track record of success in the ecosystem. We believe our team is the ideal choice to support the NEAR Protocol Marketing DAO in reaching its objectives, and we look forward to the possibility of working together.

Section 7. Project Goals

NEARisNOW is a community movement that aims to promote the adoption of NEAR Protocol and onboard more people to the Web3 ecosystem. We have created a platform that brings together 75 of the top influencers in the NEAR Protocol community, in order to encourage collaboration and synergy. Our team is dedicated to organizing and hosting community events that educate and raise awareness about the ever-evolving NEAR ecosystem and world of Web3. NEARisNOW is a place where community members and project leaders can come together to discuss shared goals and visions for the NEAR ecosystem. We will also be creating a variety of content, such as event summaries, that community members can share to educate others.

NEARisNOW is more than just a community, it is a way to foster positive relationships and create long-term value within the ecosystem. We believe that community is one of the most important drivers of value for the NEAR Protocol, and we aim to support that through our efforts.

Our goal is to expand our current community platform and develop strategic marketing and social campaigns that will help to make the NEAR Protocol a household name. We will measure our success in the digital web3 landscape and foster a strong long-term connection with our audience.

Section 8. Project Deliverables

Short Format Videos:

Our plan is to create and post 8 short format videos per month across all popular short format video platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts. The goal of these videos is to reach a wider audience, increase brand awareness, and provide valuable information about our products and services. The basis of our videos currently revolves around promotional and educational topics regarding projects or updates in NEAR Protocol. We also cover current events taking place in the NEAR Ecosystem.

To accomplish this, we will allocate a budget of $250 per video for preparation, recording and editing. This will cover the cost of equipment, recording studio, and editing software. We currently make use of suite of editing tools and gear to produce high quilty content.

We will research and identify the most popular short format video platforms and audiences to target. We will also identify the best times to post the videos to maximize engagement.

To create the content, we will work with a team of writers and script developers to ensure that the videos are informative, engaging, and on-brand. We will also work with a team of videographers and editors to produce high-quality videos that are visually appealing and easy to understand.

Once the videos are produced, we will post them across all the short format video platforms, and monitor the performance using analytics and engagement metrics to adjust our strategy accordingly.

Overall, our goal is to create a consistent presence on short format video platforms, provide valuable information to potential customers, and increase brand awareness.

Social Media:

Our plan is to create and post 30 social media content pieces per month across popular platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. The aim of this content is to reach a larger audience, enhance brand recognition, and offer valuable information about NEAR Protocol.

To achieve this, we will allocate a budget of $600 per month to cover research, content distribution, content creation, and thought leadership.

With a dedicated budget, we can invest in creating high-quality content that resonates with our target audience. This will help establish a recognizable brand identity and foster trust and loyalty among our followers. Our social media efforts will consist of a series of News, Memes, Polling, Threads, Stories, and Carousels.

By allocating a budget for content creation, you can ensure that our content is informative, engaging, and relevant to our audience’s interests and needs. This will position our media outlet as a reliable source of information, further enhancing our brand’s reputation.

With a budget allocated for research, we can identify the most popular and topical events to distribute to our audience, as well as analyze optimal posting times for maximum engagement. By using research-driven strategies we will be able to tailor our content to meet the preferences of our target audience and elevate the perception of NEAR across other crypto ecosystems.

Overall, allocating a budget for social media management for NEAR is NOW is essential to reach a wider audience in order to enhance brand recognition as well as providing valuable information and research… By investing in our social media coordination, we can position our media outlet for success in the digital web3 landscape and foster a strong long-term connection with our audience.

Section 9. Budget

Funding Breakdown:

Funding request is for 1 month of NEARisNOW deliverables including; Twitter Spaces, Short Format Videos, and Daily Operation and Engagement on these pages.

Funding will be distributed to 3 members of NEARisNOW. We will be hosting 1 high impact NEAR is NOW Twitter Space per month along with 8 short format videos, and daily activity on all pages to boost the signal of other NEAR native projects and their posts.

Twitter Spaces $500 per Spaces session (Once per month)

Time/Pay breakdowns of 4 Hosts:

Elias: 1 Hour of Research / 1 Hour of Hosting per Twitter Space / 1 Hour of Coordination = $125

Zach: 1 Hour of Research / 1 Hour of Hosting per Twitter Space = $125

Dev: 1 Hour of Research / 1 Hour of Hosting per Twitter Space = $125

Special Guest: 1 Hour of Hosting per Twitter Space = $125

Measurements of Success:

Listener Attendance Growth

View Count Growth

Audience Engagement

Short Format Videos: $2800 per month

8 Short Format Videos per month posted across all short format video platforms ( Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Youtube Shorts)

Price per Video for Recording and Editing = $150 x 8 Videos = $1200

Devyn

On-Screen Personality = $150 x 8 Videos = $1200

Elias

Research and Development = $50 x 8 Videos = $400

Elias

Devyn

Zach H.

Measurements of Success:

Milestones

Total View Count

Impressions / Reach

Engagement

Viewer Retention

Social Media Coordination: $600 per Month

Minimum of 30 text and visual graphic posts per month posted across the following social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)

Content Creation

News

Memes

Polling

Threads

Stories

Carousels

Analytics and Reporting

Trend Analysis

Price per Hour = $20 per hour x 30 hours per month = $600 per Month

Zach H.

Measurements of Success:

Milestones

Reach

Growth

Engagement

Audience Surveying & Polling

Professional Production: The cost for recording and editing, $200 per video, is an investment towards a professional-grade production quality. This involves utilizing cutting-edge technology, advanced software, and the expertise of skilled personnel to produce captivating and effective content. The price point not just reflects the time spent on each video, but the accumulation of years of industry experience and skill.

Strategic Planning: The $50 per video allocated for research and development goes into developing a deep understanding of the brands, our target demographic, the competitive landscape, and the continuously evolving trends in short video content. This ensures that our content is not only personalized to NEAR Project’s needs but also stays relevant and impactful over time.

Social Media Platform Engagement: We will ensure that all produced videos and content are shared across all relevant short social platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Youtube Shorts. This multi-platform approach enhances the potential visibility and impact of each content piece. The pricing takes into account the unique characteristics and best practices associated with each platform.

Sustainable Strategy: Lastly, we believe in a sustainable content strategy. Our services are not just about producing single videos; we aim to deliver consistently high-quality content that grows with NEAR and our audience over time. The monthly pricing model reflects this long-term dedication and strategy.

In summary, this pricing is justified by our commitment to delivering professional, tailored, and strategically planned content. While it may appear as a significant investment initially, the return in terms of increased visibility, community engagement, and user onboarding to NEAR Protocol is invaluable. We’re excited to assist in the growth of NEAR while contributing to the NEAR ecosystem, and we trust that the Marketing DAO would see the immense value in this proposition.

Total Funding Requested: $3900

Thank you for your proposal

Please provide any samples of your short videos for further evaluation.

Thank you

Hey Baka,

We greatly appreciate you taking the time to go over our proposal.

Unfortunately the Governance Forum still won’t allow us to post links.

Is there another channel where we can share the links?

Hey, DM via tg @Bakakaa with your sample clips. Thank you

1 Like

Hey Bakaka, went ahead and sent those over!

Should we send them to other council members as well?

Hi @NEARisNOW

Thank you for your proposal. Before supporting your next proposal, we need to see the deliverables from your July proposal:

Therefore, I cannot support you until we have had adequate time to review.

Hey Klint, thank you for your response.

Our July proposal was approved late through July and we still haven’t received funding.

Additionally, the submission date for our August proposal overlapped with our July proposal.

This is our first time getting funded and we have been solely focusing on NDC related topics, amplifying important Twitter spaces and helping nearly double the amount of attendees at these spaces.

Is there any way we can combine our July + August deliverables to be approved for September.
August is one of the most important months for the NDC elections and would not be good to lose the traction we have been building.

If there is any way we can provide living reports to the council that would be awesome.

Thanks for your consideration.

Hi @NEARisNOW thanks for your proposal.

I am requesting that you resubmit your proposal in September when we are expecting an increased budget and this will also give council more time to review.
Thanks in advance for your understanding.

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Hi @NEARisNOW Echoing the comment from @cryptocredit – can you resubmit for September once you’ve received the July funding and have had a chance to execute, get some results from the activities and post a report? This is something we ask all applicants to do. Thanks for your patience as we’ve transitioned to the new payout process under the NDC.

1 Like