If you’re looking for a new channel to divert your marketing efforts, Reddit is without doubt, a good option to consider.
The platform has huge potential for marketing, owing to its diverse communities organized around topics of common interest.
As of 2021, Reddit has 440 million users around the world and they’re only expected to increase further. There are over 50 million daily active users and more than 100k active communities.
Reddit numbers speak for themselves when it comes to the marketing potential of this platform. However, there is a catch, and marketing on Reddit, although valuable, isn’t so simple. Let’s find out why.
How Reddit Works?
First, let’s begin with understanding the platform and how it works. For anyone not familiar with Reddit, it is a social media and news aggregation website, founded in 2005.
Users on Reddit engage on topics they are passionate about. They can post pictures, videos, and links and just like on other social media sites, you can like, vote or comment on a post.
The content on Reddit is ranked by a voting system. Upvoted posts get pushed to the top while downvoted posts go out of sight. No one on Reddit would like their posts to be downvoted now, would they? So, users make the effort of sharing content that will be well-liked by their peers.
Redditors post about any topic under the sun. From parenting to programming, you’ll find communities for everything.
Challenges of Marketing on Reddit
Within Reddit, there are many communities, called subreddits. You can find a subreddit for almost every topic. These subreddits have passionate followers who are invested in the conversations happening in their communities. Subreddits can have their own rules, written and unwritten.
Take the example of the community: r/ProgrammerHumor. It has over 1m members with quite a few rules that moderators ensure are followed.
You can join communities on Reddit that align with your niche. However, being accepted as a community member can be difficult. Redditors only value active users and if you post once in a while or only drop links, you can be written off fairly soon.
Also, if you think repurposed social media content will work on Reddit, then you’re in for a disappointment. Redditors like users who are consistent contributors and post valuable content.
They value engagement. If your content is not valuable, and you are not contributing to the community, then you’re end the game on Reddit.
Reddit may be a marketing gold mine but the platform does not encourage self-promotion. Redditors are very unwelcoming to anybody trying to just sell them a product. This is where marketers need to be very careful on Reddit.
If you even try to use your standard social media marketing strategies on Reddit, without understanding the platform and its users, it can horribly backfire. Redditors can see through any kind of blatant advertising and promotion and you can end up getting banned.
So while Reddit is extremely valuable for marketing, it’s also tricky. Let’s talk about how you can market on Reddit, without hurting user sentiments.
How to Market on Reddit?
Before you start planning your marketing strategies for Reddit, it’s important to familiarize yourself with Reddit’s rules. Start with the platform’s self-promotion page and “Reddiquete” page.
Reddiquetes are the informal values written and shared by the Reddit community. Both these pages will give you the do’s and don’ts of sharing content and engaging on Reddit. Moreover, make sure you read and follow the rules of subreddits that you have joined.
To make your mark on Reddit and gain marketing success on the platform, start with the following:
Engage with the Community
If you think marketing on Reddit with a new account will get you anywhere, it really won’t. Redditors generally do not trust a new account that has no activity.
To make your marketing efforts on Reddit fruitful, start with becoming a genuine member on subreddits and niches that align with your brand.
Immerse yourself in the platform and understand how it works. You can also start with a personal account rather than a business account and start engaging with the community.
You can only gain acceptance on Reddit as a valuable community member if you can appear as an authority in your niche. So, try to offer sincere advice, share useful tips in your niche, answer questions and share valuable content.
Post Original Content
Redditors value, accept and upvote original content. So, if you are thinking about repurposing any of your Facebook or Instagram posts on Reddit, just don’t.
Most users on the platform are either looking for news or entertainment. So, if you give them that related to your niche you may unlock some brand followers automatically.
Most communities on Reddit have an 80/20 combination. They want you to contribute at least 80% of the time and the rest you can self-promote. This ratio can differ depending on your content and target audience.
Start an AMA
“Ask me Anything” is a popular subreddit where community members post a topic and answer any questions asked. Interesting AMA’s garner upvotes, comments and likes. The subreddit isnt topic specific, so you can post about anything.
Becoming active on this subreddit is a great way to share your valuable insights and get the community to engage with you. You can use it to your advantage to spark a conversation, answer queries or share advice related to your niche.
Dig Out Feedback and Suggestions
To start marketing on Reddit on the right foot, first listen. Invaluable conversations are taking place on Reddit where users share their experience about brands. Redditors ask for suggestions, seek advice and give their recommendations to the community.
As a marketer, you can use Reddit to find out what people are saying about your brand. You can do this easily by following relevant niches and using a social media listening tool that notifies you when your brand is mentioned.
This insight is invaluable, allowing you to fine-tune your brand message, respond to customer queries and address their concerns.
Start a Subreddit
Once you think you are starting to become familiar with the workings of Reddit, you can start a subreddit for your brand. However, again remember that engagement is key.
Your subreddit should be mostly used to share industry news, brand updates, answering customer queries and forming an engaged community.
Remember that Redditors value human interaction and engagement above all. They are fiercely protective of their communities and thus, forming a connection is the first and foremost thing to get right, if you want marketing success on Reddit.
