Reddit for marketing. Worth it?
When I’m asked about social media, I always try to bring up Reddit and gauge the room’s reaction. Some people are confused or dismissive, some barely know about the platform, and others are more open and curious.
Reddit definitely isn’t the first platform to come to mind – especially for a B2B company, but I truly believe you can provide value to your target audience with enough time, patience, and – most importantly – the right engagement.
I recently gave out some advice for a non-profit coffee shop that employs people experiencing homelessness (what a great organization bwt!). As part of the pitch I was asked what I would do on Reddit for a company like this, and this was my response.
Sign up, listen, and learn
Create a branded user account, and don’t hide the fact that you’re a brand – honesty is a big thing when you’re a brand on Reddit. Be genuine and provide value. This platform isn’t the place to comment with your sales pitch – that’s exclusively against rules for many subreddits.
Engage, help, get points
Over the next few months join subreddits related to your industry and brand values to start upvoting (liking) and reading others' posts and comments. This is an amazing place for social listening because people are anonymously posting genuine questions and advice. Ask yourself:
Who’s posting what and why?
Are there influencers or especially engaging communities?
What value can I provide engaged users?
After about two to four months of social listening and low-level engagement in communities related to your product, industry, and adjacent content (think memes), feel free to start diving deeper and commenting with your brand’s perspective.
Don't get kicked out or downvoted into oblivion by posting branded content
Be genuine
Don’t be pushy
Be helpful
Engage frequently, respond quickly
Post cutting-edge industry content/links or relatable memes. The goal here is to build up Karma (Reddit’s upvote point system) and build trust. You’ll need to spend active time on the platform and gain Karma to create a subreddit and become a moderator (mod), so this is the key step.
Start attracting to your own subreddit
When you’ve successfully generated value in the subreddits you’re a part of, you can start your own branded subreddit. Again, transparency is key – be open about your brand, but don’t be pushy.
I’d highly recommend adjusting your promotion plan to include posting high-level awareness content on your branded subreddit. Feel free to share that content to the relevant subreddits you’ve been participating in, but stay on stand-by. If your posts aren’t getting by mods, they’re probably less helpful and/or too salesy. If you see negative feedback like, “Stop trying to sell stuff here,” that’s a sign to post more high-level content.
I would recommend the inverse for content that focuses on your company, product, awards, or events to keep your community engaged.
Worth it?
Not for every company. This takes time and genuine engagement. Don’t leave this up to your intern for two months. Doing this right takes some time, it’s difficult to get to the point of having your own sub. Have a good branded sub or just a community you love and would recommend? Send me an email at iamtylerscott@gmail.com.