Can and Should You Advertise Your Brand on Discord?
New platforms offer marketers a unique opportunity. While trying new things in your marketing is important, is it worth trying new things if the platform is still so new that you don’t know if you will succeed? For example, the once laid-off TikTok is now a social media channel of immense value to all types of businesses.
Discord is now an emerging platform that asks the same questions that TikTok once did. Many marketers are unsure how it works and whether it makes sense to use the tool as an experimental strategy.
If you’re curious, this post will explain what Discord is, whether it makes sense to join the platform, and how to market your brand or business if you do.
What is discord?
Discord is a voice and chat platform where users join conversation servers, sometimes through exclusive invitations, and talk to other members about niche topics. Originally launched in 2015 for gamers, it has since grown into a diverse group of users, from influencers to content creators to companies using the platform as an alternative to Slack and Microsoft Teams.
Given that it has seen significant growth and is now appealing to diverse groups, it makes sense that marketers would be curious to join the platform and see if it can help them meet their marketing needs.
Can you advertise on Discord?
Yes and no.
There aren’t any native advertising tools that you can find on other social media platforms like Facebook or TikTok, but you can still promote your business organically through community engagement. “Brands can authentically interact with consumers on Discord by leveraging what consumers already have about Discord – building relationships on common interests and real-time discussions,” said Jesse Nicely, VP and Group Strategy Director at Cashmere Agency, told Marketing Dive .
Which brands should Discord use?
Most businesses can benefit from using Discord, but the benefits are substantial for those looking to build an always active, engaged community of like-minded people interested in what your business has to offer.
Kenny Layton, Head of Talent Partnerships at Discord, told EDM.com, “We like to call ourselves the Internet’s 24-hour diner where communities can just come and hang out at anytime.” While it is possible, a community on Creating other social channels, most people follow a variety of accounts, creators, brands, etc., but your Discord community is entirely business-focused.
Brands looking to learn more about their audience should also use Discord. “With artists, you often have to guess what the fans want or think … there’s no better way to find out what your fans want than to let them tell you. That can inform … Marketing and advertising expenses. This data is valuable, ”Brian Barnett told EDM.com.
However, as mentioned earlier, it is an emerging platform. There aren’t any specific tools for promoting your channel, but again, this is where you can build relationships with your audience, which is a driver of customer loyalty.
If you’re interested in using the platform, let’s discuss the different ways you can promote your brand on Discord.
How to Promote Your Brand on Discord
Build your own community.
The best way to promote your brand on Discord is to build a company-specific community server along with various related channels for conversation. You can then invite users to join, find them organically by browsing the platform, or promote them on your other social channels and marketing collateral.
Marques Brownlee, a technology YouTuber, has a Discord community channel called MKBHD. His community is focused on discussions about his content, such as podcasts and new videos, but he has also created additional channels to promote various topics of conversation, as shown in the image below.
The music streaming service Spotify also has a Discord community with the #listeningparty channel (see picture below). Active users can share links to playlists they are listening to and chat about the music via voice chat.
Within your community, you can further promote your brand by sharing links to your external social profiles, as the beauty brand Starface did for their Twitter account in the picture below.
In addition to promoting your business, you can also use Discord as a customer service tool by creating dedicated channels that contain answers to frequently asked questions or where users can ask questions and get answers from you or other active community members .
When creating a community, you can also set rules to make sure everyone is respected and welcomed, and appoint moderators to patrol the channel to make sure the rules are followed.
Join communities and servers relevant to your business offerings.
Another way to promote your business on Discord is to join other channels or servers relevant to your business and participate in conversations. Most channels are moderated, but you are likely to be allowed to share links to your content, such as: B. quality blog posts that will help you attract new users.
Can and should you promote your brand on Discord?
To put it nicely: “The fast pace of Discord makes it fertile ground for emerging cultures and trends and gives brands the opportunity to constantly exchange ideas with consumers on interesting topics.”
While the platform doesn’t have the built-in advertising capabilities on other channels, it can be extremely useful for marketers looking to build a community of like-minded users who want to enjoy your business and join in the conversation. However, as mentioned earlier, Discord is still a thriving platform for marketing, so getting your foot in the door or seeing immediate success can be difficult.
If you take the time to create a unique Discord community with different channels for conversation, engaging with users in your community, and providing them with high quality content that they enjoy, you will likely find an active channel, who teaches you more about your audience.