As a small business owner, you know getting your name out is important. But have you thought about marketing your brand on Reddit? This site can be an excellent source of traffic and customers for many reasons. Its vast user base and the content posted there to make it easy to market any product or service.
In this post, we’ll explore how businesses can use Reddit, from what types of posts work best, to finding subreddits that suit your brand, and strategies for success.
What is Reddit?
Reddit is one of the top social media sites online with over 134 million users (as of June 2018). It’s a forum-based site where people submit links to interesting online content. Other users then vote on whether they like each post or not. The most popular content is ranked higher, which then drives traffic to the original source.
It is a place where you can post almost anything and everything without being censored. It’s also a community that has a set of social norms; Reddit users like to see authenticity, humor, and effort. This may mean that some marketers have trouble with getting their message across on this site. But if you understand and respect the app, it can be an excellent way to promote your business.
Why Market on Reddit?
There are so many different social media sites online today, why choose Reddit? For starters, it’s massive in size (over 1 million communities) so there isn’t anywhere else quite like it for marketing opportunities! Plus, it’s not Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Each of these sites has its own take on social media and the rules for success vary widely.
Another reason why marketers may want to start using this platform is that it has some of the highest user engagement levels of any website in existence today.
Users spend an impressive average of 15 minutes per visit on the website! This means they’re more likely to see your posts and click through them which can result in sales. On top of that, 44% of consumers are more likely to buy from a brand they follow on social media (like those who market on Reddit ). And getting started is easy too; all you need is your computer!
The Basic Concept Behind Marketing on Reddit: Become a Redditor
The best way to market your business on Reddit is by becoming a Redditor yourself. This will give you insight into what other people like and dislike, and how they speak to each other on the site. It’s also a good idea to subscribe to subreddits that align with the niche of your brand (more on this later).
Here are some ways you can become part of the community:
1. Share and Comment On Other Posts
Share links or text posts that have caught your eye by clicking the “subscribe” button at the top right corner of any page. Some subreddits require new members to share seven links before posting their own content (for example r/SevenSuit). Similarly, comment on posts from others too! Platform users like to see when others show their appreciation for the content, especially if it’s in-depth and well written.
2. Subreddits
The platform users create subreddits that are communities centered around a topic of interest. Each one has its own set of rules and all posts must fit within the theme of that subreddit. For example, r/Entrepreneur is filled with entrepreneurs writing about their business journeys while r/Business features news articles and marketing advice. Once you know the demographics of your brand, use this to find subreddits related to your industry (more on this later). Then follow them by clicking “follow” at the top right corner of each page.
3. Be Authentic
Another way to be part of a community is by being authentic, transparent, and helpful. If you want to market on the platform you need to give value first. Many marketers have trouble with this because they feel like they’re “spamming”. But it should never come across in that way. The best marketing comes from building a relationship with your community over time.
How To Market On Reddit: Reddit vs Traditional Marketing
The end goal of any type of marketing is typically the same: get more people interested in what you’re selling. But as we discussed earlier there are some fundamental differences between how you market on Reddit versus traditional platforms for example Facebook or Twitter.
In order to understand these differences let’s break down common goals of traditional marketing and compare them against using Reddit:
Goal: Drive Traffic
Reddit is a community first and foremost. If you’re not engaging with it as such, you’ll probably find that your marketing efforts are wasted. Driving traffic to any site through social media sites like Facebook or Twitter is just one type of engagement and this isn’t always the best way to market on Reddit. It’s better to think of the platform as its own separate platform rather than just another generic social media site; use this mindset when thinking about how to get more people interested in what you have to offer.
Goal: Increase Brand Awareness
While driving traffic is important, getting people to recognize your brand name maybe even more crucial for marketers who want people buying from their site. But there are two big obstacles here:
1) Reddit is a community that doesn’t exist solely to sell things and
2) Reddit doesn’t like self-promotion. So how can you increase brand awareness when it’s considered spam?
How To Use Reddit For Marketing: Karma & Subreddits
The answer lies in building karma within the subreddits you’ve joined. Karma is an accumulation of upvotes (good karma) or downvotes (bad karma). It helps others determine how well-received your posts are by the community, so it’s important to build this slowly over time.