Why Reddit is a Social Media Channel That Matters to Marketers

Forums have been a method for like-minded web customers to socialize over widespread pursuits for the reason that starting of the web. They have been the precursor to social media as we all know it at present. Many message boards noticed customers shift over to conventional social media by way of merchandise like Facebook teams, however Reddit has proven its endurance.
But from a advertising perspective, is Reddit social media? We’ll take a look and in addition present why the reply issues to entrepreneurs. Specifically, we’ll discover this often-overlooked goldmine of brand name intel by answering the next questions:

What is Reddit?
Is Reddit thought of social media?
Should entrepreneurs use Reddit?

For context, listed here are a few information and figures we dug up to assist perceive the platform:

Reddit has upwards of 52 million customers that use the platform day by day. 430 million have interaction the positioning each month, main to over 30 billion month-to-month views in 2020.
Those 52 million day by day customers signify a 44% enhance over 2019.
In December, the Wall Street Journal reported that Reddit’s “advert income totaled greater than $100 million in 2019 and is on monitor to rise by greater than 70% this yr.”

With that, let’s see what makes Reddit tick and why entrepreneurs shouldn’t dismiss it as a part of their social media advertising technique.
What is Reddit?
Reddit was based in 2005 and hailed because the “entrance web page of the web.” In distinction to the extra mainstream social media networks, Reddit makes use of a discussion board construction emphasizing communities known as subreddits.
Users create subreddits for matters that curiosity them and draw like-minded customers who subscribe to the channel. Topics will be broad or ultra-specific. There are effectively over a million completely different subreddits for each subject underneath the solar and multitudes of latest ones added on daily basis. For instance, March of this yr noticed over 60 thousand distinctive subreddits added to the platform.

Source: https://frontpagemetrics.com/historical past/month
While Tik Tok was all the trend final yr (and nonetheless is this yr) Reddit is seeing a swarm of latest customers and subreddits this yr as effectively, which is why entrepreneurs want to have it on their radar.
One of the issues that attracts customers is that it feels extra nameless than many different social media platforms. Your identify or figuring out info isn’t shared with anybody else, and this appeals to many in a world overflowing with digital belief points.
In a latest survey, 62% of Reddit customers felt that the platform safeguards their information and privateness. That’s a stat that’s virtually unparalleled on-line. And it’s ok to land them in fourth place amongst prime social media networks, trailing behind LinkedIn, Pinterest and Snapchat.
Reddit customers, often known as redditors, share information, photos, memes, significant net content material, and generate dialogue round their areas of curiosity. The website attracts celebrities, scientists, legal professionals, avid gamers, professors, basket weavers and every little thing in between. They’re drawn to discuss their pursuits and eat content material from like-minded customers. Additionally, many redditors use it to complement a new talent they’re studying, find out about manufacturers and merchandise or sustain with world occasions.
Social credibility on the positioning doesn’t lean within the path of follower rely however the assortment of karma. Posts and feedback will be both upvoted for content material different customers like or downvoted when the reverse is true. An upvote ends in one optimistic karma level, whereas a downvote removes one.
The extra a person provides to dialogue by way of feedback or posts, the extra karma they will gather. This encourages considerate or humorous engagement since negativity will invite downvotes. Additionally, the extra upvotes, or optimistic karma, a submit or remark receives, the extra seen it is going to grow to be. Conversely, with sufficient damaging karma, posts or feedback grow to be in peril of being hidden.
Posts that get a lot of traction in the way in which of upvotes can doubtlessly make it onto the entrance web page, or r/in style, the place visibility to the lots is assured. Comments inside these posts which have garnered probably the most karma will likewise be moved to the highest inside the submit, making certain extra views.
Often, mentions on Reddit can rival or surpass different social media platforms similar to Twitter. As such, entrepreneurs ought to keep watch over it for warm posts related to their model, class or merchandise. For instance, right here’s a notable swing in mentions over the cryptocurrency Dogecoin after Elon Musk tweeted about it, and once more a few days later when the worth of Bitcoin took a sizeable dip.

Infographic embed. Dogecoin Mentions Spike, Thanks to Elon Musk — Spike in Dogecoin posts and mentions on Reddit rise dramatically after related market exercise. File: Dogecoin.xlsx Dates: March 22-April 21, 2021
User curiosity and karma get these posts to the entrance web page, so don’t miss out on them in the event that they’re pertinent to your model.
Nevertheless, many customers jokingly refer to Reddit’s karma system as “pretend web factors.” Still, there are some advantages to making certain your karma rely grows in a optimistic path. Depending on the subreddit, accounts with low karma, brief account age or little remark historical past will be regarded skeptically as having little credibility, or worse, as bots.
Additionally, some subreddits require a certain quantity of optimistic karma to submit inside the group. While the karma system isn’t excellent, it does assist discourage customers from shedding it as soon as they’ve attained it.
That stated, irrespective of how area of interest your model could also be, there’s certain to be subreddits having conversations round your model – and your competitors. So, don’t miss out on these client intelligence alternatives simply because Reddit isn’t a behemoth like Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.
Reddit – An Essential Social Media Channel
If social media platforms have been kids, then Reddit is positively the “quirky” child. And maybe that’s why many entrepreneurs have a tendency to overlook it. It lacks the pizzazz of Instagram, the quick tempo of TikTok and pales as compared to Facebook’s person base. It will not be within the in style group, however its customers prefer it that method. And they’re in all probability probably the most lively group of on-line members on the market.
Reddit attracts a “sort” of person, and lots of of them don’t look after different platforms in any respect. There’s even debate amongst redditors themselves as to whether or not the positioning is thought of social media. So, is it?
Merriam-Webster defines social media as “types of digital communication (similar to web sites for social networking and microblogging) by way of which customers create on-line communities to share info, concepts, private messages, and different content material.”
Using this definition as our foundation, Reddit most actually ticks all of the packing containers for social media. The factor is – it simply hits in a different way. In our extremely individualistic society, Reddit appears to go towards the grain by emphasizing group. Likewise, the nameless nature of the platform doesn’t foster camaraderie between folks you recognize in actual life. And that has its promoting factors.
Not a lot of your pals or coworkers could be interested by seeing all your posts about your love for mid-century structure, romance novels and Pokémon cosplay. But different redditors certain will.
Perhaps due to its quirkiness, Reddit stays misunderstood by many manufacturers and would-be entrepreneurs. There is positively a distinctive tradition to Reddit – and peculiar subcultures to every particular person subreddit. It takes some getting used to, and if you happen to shade exterior the traces, the group will let you recognize. A standard phrase is to get “downvoted to oblivion.”
Of course, there are sitewide guidelines of engagement comparable to every other social media platform. Still, every subreddit has its personal algorithm that it’s essential to abide by or face getting blocked. Some are extra stringent than others, however it may possibly take a while to cozy up to what sort of content material will get traction and what falls flat.
Many of the subreddits have been round for years and have grown their subscribers by cautious moderation. Over time these communities develop distinct personalities, cultures, slang and, sure – Reddit lore. Some subreddits are extra freewheeling, whereas others uphold stringent requirements. It all depends upon the moderators of the group, most of which take the duty very significantly.
Regardless, it’s communal, social and it spreads concepts on-line sooner than most manufacturers understand – or possibly they’ve a sense of it now, since Gamestop. It will not be as flashy as different platforms, nevertheless it’s positively social media. And not solely that, it’s value your time to discover your model’s place inside the tradition.
Redditors routinely discover matters centered round manufacturers and their services or products. They additionally generate dialog that is related to your class and competitors. That stated, it’s a wealth of perception from a social listening perspective to improve your voice of the buyer (VoC) information.
As we talked about earlier, some matters that your model could also be interested by will get extra traction on Reddit than anyplace else. Diet conversations are a type of matters.
For some motive, Reddit provides customers probably the most bang for his or her buck in discussing the ins and outs of weight-reduction plan. It’s a new area for a lot of, they usually have a lot to be taught. If your model touches the area someway, you’d need to be privy to the customers’ questions, merchandise, and ache factors.
Infographic – Redditors Dishing on Diets — Top conversations by quantity of Redditors discussing diet-related points. This is a sizzling subject on the platform and one thing manufacturers in that area ought to be aware. Dates: March 21 – April 21, 2021

First and foremost, it shouldn’t be ignored for the buyer intelligence motive alone. And generally, the anonymity makes the customers extra possible to be frank about their likes and dislikes than they’d on a platform the place they might be seen by folks they know. That will be advantageous to see shades of dialog that you could be not get elsewhere.
When you’re trying to market immediately within the platform, that’s the place some tact is so as. Yes, you possibly can run sponsored adverts with out difficulty, nevertheless it’s greatest not to go weapons blazing proper off the bat inside the subreddits themselves. That takes a plan.
Redditors are cautious and have excessive disdain for blatant advertising with out offering to the group first. If you look, you’ll find the as soon as used accounts of numerous manufacturers who tried and gave up. It’s a robust nut to crack if you happen to don’t strategy it proper.
But – if you happen to endear your model to the best communities through their subreddits, you’ll have earned a seat amongst a few of the most loyal social media customers on the web. Let’s discuss that.
Should Marketers Use Reddit?
Redditors are markedly curious and intrigued by intelligent content material. Brands ought to preserve that in thoughts when formulating their strategy to the platform. It’s not that customers of the platform don’t need to hear from manufacturers in any respect. They are open to it, however they need to get to know the model in the event that they work together with it. That stated, manufacturers that do greatest discover methods to humanize themselves and inform their story.
Brands that simply present up in a long-running group and begin flaunting their merchandise are seen as disrespectful and can rack up fast downvotes. You have to get artistic and add to the dialog. This is the place many manufacturers get it mistaken and transfer on.
What is a part of your model story that might be fascinating to outsiders? Is there a undertaking your improvement staff is engaged on that would have interaction a explicit group? You can discuss that. For occasion, the r/IAmA or r/AMA subreddits, brief for “ask me something,” are communities the place celebrities, leaders, researchers, activists and academia arrange a time for a devoted thread the place redditors pose questions to the host. They’re wildly in style and may very well be a nice match for manufacturers with a fascinating story behind their work.
The neatest thing you are able to do is undergo them and search for examples that might resonate along with your audience. Brainstorm and discover the tasks or model tales that may very well be a hit with customers on the positioning. Sift by way of the threads and see which of them took off and which of them tanked. Always be taught from different’s errors when doable. That’s advertising 101.
The good AMA’s are those that humanize a model or establishment. And that’s what customers are in search of in model interactions. You are giving again to the group first earlier than asking something of them – and there is respect for that. It additionally lets the customers know that you just’re not out to make a fast buck off them and transfer on.
But there are different artistic methods to give again and construct your area inside the communities on Reddit. Here, for instance, Nissan’s group managers made a thread asking what folks favored on Amazon. There was some apprehension in the direction of the model till folks realized that Nissan began shopping for a few of these gadgets for the customers. It was a hit and endeared the model to the group. Here’s their follow-up submit.

And generally, after you get the correct of engagement on Reddit, magic UGC occurs. Nissan later shipped one among their autos to a purchaser’s home in a large Amazon field. A Reddit person occurred to dwell close by and took some images, which they uploaded. That thread gained traction for Nissan for gratis to them. They simply did one thing that caught folks’s consideration and reaped the rewards. It helped that they’d already kindled a relationship with the group too.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And this reveals that possibly they knew one among Reddit’s little secrets and techniques. They find it irresistible after they get talked about exterior of the platform or in “actual life.” And that goes for his or her slang and memes too.
For instance, earlier this yr, you could keep in mind when the r/wallstreetbets subreddit made the information over the GameStop brief squeeze. The factor is, that subreddit has a pronounced subculture, replete with a laundry checklist of slang phrases. Of these, “tendies” is the phrase used to reference when your inventory portfolio will increase in worth. Popeyes wasted no time leaping on that one with the hashtag #Tendies4Yall.

https://twitter.com/PopeyesRooster/standing/1356248441236688901
You’ll discover they threw this out on Twitter and never Reddit. They didn’t want to, because the Redditors themselves picked it up and went haywire with it on the platform. Seriously, take a web page from Popeye’s playbook as their advertising division pulled off some 3D chess strikes right here.
They confirmed they might converse the group’s language whereas acknowledging they have been attempting to outmaneuver hedge funds shorting GameStop. They additionally offered a deal within the course of which they shouted out off-platform and let the customers drive the message onto the positioning themselves. It was a good transfer, they usually did it proper because the story hit essential mass on the information networks. Reddit went wild.

So, ought to entrepreneurs use Reddit? Most positively. While it may possibly appear intimidating at first, there are alternatives to have interaction along with your viewers in very artistic methods. Start off your strategy to the platform with some heavy market analysis into manufacturers which can be getting it proper. Chances are, you’ll discover them not essentially taking conventional advertising approaches. After all, if you happen to endear your self to the best subreddits, you could discover that they take the reins and do your advertising for you.
Start small and be genuine from the get-go. Look for tactics to humanize your model, inform your tales and provide worth. Reddit is solely rising extra distinguished, and it’s value your time to get your model’s foot within the door. If you need extra ideas and perception, be certain to take a look at our 2021 Social Analytics Guide to Influencer Marketing on Reddit. Also, attain out for a demo, and we’ll get your model armed with the social listening instruments you want to make the perfect use of the platform.
 
Published May 1st, 2021

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About the Author: Amanda