Accept Crypto? Here’s How to Spread the Word Fast (and Free)

A crucial first step in marketing your new crypto payment option is ensuring that crypto-savvy customers can find you.

Even as mainstream awareness grows, many crypto holders specifically seek out businesses where they can spend their coins. 

In fact, nearly 75% of major retailers plan to enable crypto payments within the next two years, and 85% expect crypto payments to be ubiquitous in five years – largely due to customer demand for more places to pay with crypto. 

To tap into this enthusiastic audience, be visible where they’re already looking. That means getting your business listed on popular crypto directories, maps, and listing sites dedicated to crypto-friendly businesses. 

This strategy is a quick win to dramatically boost your visibility among people actively looking to spend cryptocurrency. Let’s get into details.

Ensure On-Site Visibility First 

Before diving into external directories, cover the basics on your own website. Prominently announce “Cryptocurrency Accepted” on your homepage, footer, and checkout pages. 

This could be as simple as adding a Bitcoin/crypto logo or listing “Cryptocurrency” alongside credit cards and PayPal in your payment methods. You can find many of such logos and badges in CoinGate’s brand assets page.

However, the best practice is to create a dedicated landing page or blog post informing that you accept crypto payments. This way, when someone searches for your brand using crypto-related keywords, your page is more likely to appear at the top of the results.

List on Crypto Merchant Directories 

Crypto-specific business directories are where many enthusiasts go to discover who accepts crypto. Start by getting listed on major crypto merchant directories. 

For instance, CoinGate’s own Merchant Directory lists hundreds of businesses that accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, and you can list your company there, too, if you’re not there yet.

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Want to be in our merchant directory? Let us know at marketing@coingate.com.

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Many crypto holders browse these directories by category (e.g. gaming, travel, electronics) to find relevant merchants. You’ll want to be among them – especially since some directories are very popular. 

The Cryptwerk directory alone features over 9,000+ companies accepting Bitcoin as of 2024. Being listed in such databases not only drives direct referrals from their user base, but also gives you an SEO boost – these directory sites often rank high on Google for searches like “who accepts crypto” or “spend Bitcoin on electronics.” 

In short, a listing is free advertising on platforms frequented by your target audience.

To maximize this strategy, identify and register on multiple reputable directories. Some top options include:

• BitcoinWide: A global directory (~7,000 businesses) that lets users search crypto-friendly companies by location and category. Listing is free (with optional paid features) and even provides a map view for local discovery. Its site is SEO-optimized, so your listing can appear in search results, attracting more traffic.
  
• CryptoSlate: A comprehensive, searchable database of key players in the crypto ecosystem. It categorizes and profiles hundreds of people , companies , and products. The directory offers rich metadata—sector classification, product type, and industry verticals—making it a valuable reference for anyone researching the landscape of blockchain-related entities
  
• Cryptwerk: One of the largest directories, with thousands of listings, spanning both online and brick-and-mortar businesses. Cryptwerk lets you highlight special deals for crypto customers and provides analytics on views your listing gets. 

Many crypto users actively check Cryptwerk for new places to spend crypto, so this is a must-have. (Notably, other payment processors even partnered with Cryptwerk to boost merchant visibility, underscoring how influential this platform is.)

Listing your business on these sites is usually straightforward: you’ll provide basic company info, a link, a description of what you offer, and which cryptocurrencies you accept. Be sure to choose the right categories/tags so that the right shoppers find you. 

Many directories allow updates, so keep your listing current with any new coins you add or promotions you run.

Don’t Forget Crypto Maps (for Physical Stores)

If you have any physical retail presence – a storefront, café, office, etc. – make sure to put it on the map… literally. 

Crypto users often use map services like Coinmap (or BTC Map) to locate nearby brick-and-mortar businesses accepting crypto. Coinmap is a community-driven map plotting Bitcoin-friendly vendors worldwide. 

A crypto tourist visiting your city might open their Coinmap app to decide where to eat or shop. By appearing on these maps, you can attract tourism traffic from crypto enthusiasts who purposefully seek out businesses like yours. 

The process is typically as simple as adding a pin with your business details and verifying them. Similarly, some mobile wallet apps also feature maps or directories of merchants – check if the wallets popular with your customers (like BitPay, Binance Pay, etc.) have merchant listings you can join.

Get Featured on “Who Accepts Crypto” Lists and Forums

Beyond formal directories, there’s value in being mentioned wherever crypto acceptance is being discussed. 

Many websites and blogs (including CoinGate’s own blog) publish periodic “Who accepts crypto” articles highlighting companies in various industries that take cryptocurrency. 

If a reputable site is curating a list of, say, airlines or fashion brands accepting Bitcoin, you want to be on that list. 

Proactively reach out to authors of such articles in your niche and let them know your business accepts crypto and would make a good addition. This can lend credibility (seeing your name alongside other known brands) and send curious readers your way.

Likewise, engage with community-driven lists. On Reddit, for example, subreddits like r/Bitcoin or r/CryptoCurrency often have threads where users ask “Where can I spend my crypto?” or maintain wikis of accepting merchants.

The Bitcointalk forums also have long-running threads compiling crypto-friendly businesses. Contribute to these discussions by mentioning your business (in a transparent, non-spammy way) or asking satisfied crypto-paying customers to mention you. 

These community shout-outs can funnel highly targeted customers to your site, since anyone reading those threads is already keen to spend crypto.

Leverage Your Payment Processor’s Reach

One often overlooked tactic is tapping into the marketing channels of your crypto payment gateway. This kind of co-marketing can drive significant referral traffic.

If you’re already accepting crypto payments through CoinGate, don’t miss the opportunity to boost your visibility even further. 

Our team regularly partners with merchants on co-marketing initiatives – like blog posts, case studies, newsletter features, and social media shoutouts – to showcase real-world adoption and help businesses reach more crypto-savvy customers. 

In fact, throughout 2024, CoinGate generated over 42,000 leads and more than 3,000 conversions for our clients through content-driven promotions alone. It’s a win-win: we get to highlight successful use cases, and you get targeted exposure to a high-intent audience already engaged with crypto. 

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Want to collaborate on some joint marketing activities? Reach out to our team at marketing@coingate.com and we’ll move on from there!

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The takeaway: when choosing or working with a crypto payment provider, see if they offer a merchant directory listing, case study opportunities, or shout-outs on their social channels. 

Getting spotlighted on a high-traffic crypto platform instantly puts your business in front of a pre-qualified audience of crypto holders. These referrals are essentially free marketing. 

Action Steps to Get Listed:

To summarize, here’s how to implement this strategy:

1. Audit Your Site: Add clear “We Accept Crypto” notices on your homepage, payments page, and FAQ. Make sure the info on which coins you take is easy to find. Create a crypto-focused landing page or blog post. This primes all visitors and will complement directory traffic.
   
2. Sign Up on Key Directories: Create listings on CoinGate’s Merchant Directory (if you use CoinGate) and major public directories like BitcoinWide, CryptoSlate, Cryptwerk, etc. Fill out all fields with an engaging description and accurate tags. Don’t neglect smaller niche directories relevant to your industry if they exist.
   
3. Add Physical Location Pins: If applicable, submit your business to Coinmap.org (and any regional crypto maps). Double-check that your address and contact info are correct so crypto tourists can reach you easily. Perhaps even put a “Bitcoin accepted here” sticker on your door – many crypto travelers look for those!
   
4. Research “Who Accepts” Articles: Search online for “[Your Industry] crypto payments” or “who accepts crypto [industry]”. Identify any list articles or blogs mentioning competitors or similar businesses. Contact those publishers (or use any submission forms) to suggest adding your business, providing a one-liner on what you do and that you take crypto.
   
5. Engage in Forums/Reddit: Join discussions where people ask about spending crypto. Provide helpful answers and mention your service if it fits the query. For example, if someone asks “Which VPNs accept Bitcoin?”, a representative or fan of your company can reply mentioning that your VPN service does, and maybe link to a blog post or page about it. Authenticity is key – don’t just drop links without context.
   
6. Work with Your Payment Partner: Reach out to your crypto payment processor’s marketing team. Offer to be a case study or provide a testimonial about your experience accepting crypto. This could lead to a feature on their blog or a mention in their newsletter. Ensure your business is listed on any directories they maintain. Essentially, raise your hand to collaborate on promotional efforts.

By following these steps, you’ll quickly plant your flag across the crypto user landscape. 

Someone browsing a “spend crypto” site or app will see your brand and know they can shop with you. Given that entire communities of crypto enthusiasts actively share and bookmark such resources, a little effort in listings can yield a steady stream of high-intent visitors over time.

Conclusion

Getting listed on crypto directories and maps is one of the fastest, most cost-effective ways to spread the word that you accept cryptocurrency. 

It targets the exact audience you want: people ready to spend crypto. By ensuring your business appears in crypto directories, on community lists, and in any relevant crypto maps, you connect with a passionate customer segment that might otherwise never hear of you. 

It’s low-hanging fruit for any business embracing crypto payments. 

In the next part of our series, we’ll build on this foundation by leveraging content marketing to educate and attract even more crypto-paying customers. Stay tuned!