Bitcoin Cash has one of the most proactive and committed communities when it comes to spreading merchant and user adoption. It’s this grassroots support that will lay the foundation for BCH to become the global standard for electronic money. Here are four ways that you can help with Bitcoin Cash adoption, regardless of what skills you have.
Spend and replace,
Ask about it,
Meetups,
Engage in the community.
Spend and Replace!
You can directly support the Bitcoin Cash ecosystem by patronizing businesses that accept Bitcoin Cash. Spending your BCH provides the market with feedback that there is demand for BCH as a payment method—you’re voting with your wallet, as they say. Then, to consistently hold BCH in addition to spending it, all you need to do is buy back the amount of BCH you spend... as you spend it!
Spending and Replacing has all the benefits of holding (aka HODLing), with the added bonus that you are investing in the success of the coin you’re holding. All you need is a BCH merchant that sells something you buy regularly, and a way to trade for more Bitcoin Cash to replace what you spend.
To find merchants, Bitcoin Cash directories like Bitcoin.com Maps, The Accept Bitcoin Cash Initiative, GreenPages.cash, and AnyPay will be a big help. Even if there are no store locations near you, there’s a good chance you can order some of the things you buy online.
To replace what you spend, registering for a cryptocurrency exchange and trading for Bitcoin Cash there will be the easiest method. But if you don’t have access to a traditional exchange, don’t panic! Peer to peer exchanges like local.bitcoin.com let you trade directly with other people in your area, Cryptocurrency ATMs are becoming more common every day, and there also may be an OTC (“over the counter”) trading desk within a reasonable distance.
Ask about it!
While Bitcoin Cash is one of the most widely accepted cryptocurrencies in the world, it’s still in the early stages in terms of mass adoption. Many merchants won’t have even heard of cryptocurrency, let alone Bitcoin Cash. All you need to do is ask at the checkout: “Hi, do you accept Bitcoin Cash payments yet?” If not, you can ask if it’s a good time to speak with the manager or owner about it. As long as you’re reasonable and not pushy, there’s a good chance a manager will be happy to speak with a customer about payment methods.
It’s also important to approach these conversations from an empathetic perspective: what does this person have to gain from adopting Bitcoin Cash? (Disrupting the central banks and bringing greater personal freedom to the world might not matter much to your average Joe.) Take the time to let them respond or ask questions as the conversation happens; this feedback will help you understand what their goals and values are.
Many payment processors take anywhere from 1%-5% of the transferred amount as a fee, so mentioning that Bitcoin Cash has no processing fees to receive payments may be a good place to start. Many merchants also deal with fraudulent credit card “chargebacks”, so the fact that all Bitcoin Cash payments are final is another good selling point. Finally, accepting Bitcoin Cash can attract business from enthusiasts, young people, and those who care most about privacy and security. Definitely do offer to show them the various merchant directories on which they can get listed!
Just remember that, no matter how reasonably you present your case, the response may be completely unenthusiastic. That’s alright! Running a business is already hard work and, if someone doesn’t want to put in the extra time and effort to look into this newfangled payment method, that’s their prerogative. Just thank them for their time, and let them know that if they’d ever like to look into it, you’re available. At least now they’ve heard of Bitcoin Cash, and they’ll be that much more likely to look into it next time they’re given the option.
If, on the other hand, the response is positive, be prepared to get them started! Some businesses will be ready to go just by downloading a wallet and accepting payments directly. Others may expect integrated “Point of Sale” (PoS) solutions. And finally, others will want to be able to convert their BCH into their local currency automatically. Satoshis Angels’ merchant services are a great resource for preparing yourself for this critical moment in the conversation. (See the supplemental links at the end of the article for more.)
Meetups
Attending or hosting a Bitcoin Cash meetup is a great way to meet new people, encourage adoption, and support BCH merchants. Many meetups around the world are already held at locations that accept Bitcoin Cash and, if that’s not already the case, joining a meetup will give them that much more leverage when approaching businesses! New meetups are popping up all the time, so it’s worth checking to see if one is already being held in a city or town near you.
If there’s nothing local, consider starting a Bitcoin Cash meetup yourself! You don’t have to be a technical expert or crypto guru to be a meetup host. As long as meeting like minded people and spreading Bitcoin Cash adoption are things you’re interested in, you’re a perfect meetup host. It’s a great way to get involved in the community, and organizations like Satoshi’s Angels make the process easy by helping you every step of the way.
Engage with the online BCH community!
While in-person meetups and brick-and-mortar merchant adoption have been the focus so far, it may not be surprising that the electronic cash community initially formed online, and still coordinates primarily through the internet. But compared to the numbers of people that have jumped on the cryptocurrency bandwagon as a purely speculative investment, the Bitcoin Cash community is still relatively small. That’s why every new voice in the BCH community is invaluable. Every Reddit post, every tweet, every YouTube comment is a message to the world: The Bitcoin Cash community is here to stay, and we are building peer to peer cash for everyone.
This message is pivotal to advertising Bitcoin Cash to the masses. Here are some of the most active online channels where you can be a part of the conversation and make your voice heard:
TELEGRAM LINKS
Here is a couple of lists of twitter users in the BCH community:
And finally, here are some YouTube channels that create Bitcoin Cash related content:
Bitcoin Unlimited https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH03nTnxs3TLmbSHtm54B1g
Bitcoin.com https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCetxkZolEBHX47BqtZktbkg
Naomi Brockwell https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSuHzQ3GrHSzoBbwrIq3LLA
Collin Enstad https://www.youtube.com/c/CollinEnstad1/featured
Satoshi’s Angels https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC425XvmXRB-W4Fx8cEK6zXA
BitcoinBCH https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdPfhMiwXe4aOK1tLntn8NQ
Bitcoin Out Loud https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB0UIsnPlwbQpRkxw19hQuQ
Bitcoin Cast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRKa5NXO7-zIRV-LNCnO7_w
Bitcoin Cash Site https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIUzqEAs08a_IJFQHBu8abg
Decentralized Thought https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMpAklXQxme_wZi3sdHdHVQ
Marc Falzon https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwSNGPqXqpm8aN4rBaubwMw
David Bond https://www.youtube.com/user/hellodavidbond
Make sure to like, subscribe, and leave a comment if you’d like to support these channels!
We hope this article has empowered you to help spread Bitcoin Cash adoption. If you have any tips or tricks for helping to spread Bitcoin Cash adoption, share them in the comments or with a response!
Further Information
https://www.bitcoin.com/merchant-solutions/
https://bitcoincashers.org/intro/for-merchants/
https://read.cash/@AkaneYokoo/faq-for-merchants-about-accepting-bitcoin-cash-bch-e0f8f6b0
Grassroots support for and around crypto to build communities is unfortunately one of the lesser discussed topics on these sorts of message boards. Thanks for sharing. I feel many get caught up in the technical marvels, forgetting that crypto is more than just a relatively novel medium of exchange.