By Saumya Gupta
Every Gen Z individual has heard about the Discord app. It became extremely popular amongst gamers when it was initially launched in 2015. Discord’s description is incomplete without mentioning that it runs on a VoIP system.
Let me first define what VoIP is?
VoIP stands for, Voice Over Internet Protocol i.e. Makes phone calls over the internet possible. Too complicated?
Well, to break it down, discord uses a combination of video, voice, and text communication services. The app was in competition with other platforms in the past. But with new and unique features, its demand is at its peak, leaving other apps way behind.
Discord offered a non-interruptive channel for gamers, who utilized it completely. Within 3 years of its launch, it had billions of users who were active on the platform. It entered into partnerships with Fortnite and Twitch, both well known for their contribution to Gen Z and their virtual entertainment needs. Recent updates reveal how the app has now partnered with Esports, Spotify, and Xbox to expand its reach tremendously over time.
But every app needs some sort of marketing strategy to increase its growth. For discord, it was initially possible due to the ‘word-of-mouth’ marketing strategy. It encourages organic discussion about any brand or business. Discord has taken one step at a time to grow its presence in the community by running servers dedicated to such communities. An app that was earlier famous amongst gamers has now gathered the attention of brand marketers and influencers. This was all possible because of the unique features that discord came up with over time. Its success reflected itself in the market.
Starting with Discord
Discord is an online platform known for building communities virtually, i.e. over the internet. Users have the option to chat on discord through Text Messages, Voice and Video Chat.
Signing up is free. Once you have a discord account, you can start making servers (which is very easy) or join someone else’s. It all depends on you. Public servers can be searched for, while private ones are invite-only. The platform supports various types of media formats. This includes files, emojis, photos, audio, and videos. One of the features that make the discord app unique is its capacity to hold thousands of members on its server. Check out our blog to learn how to make a server on discord and promote it in 8 simple steps!
Strategize Discord and let your brand grow
Having a discord account pays off if you know how to use it for your brand. There are many brands in the market that use this app to reach out to their audience in more personal ways. For instance, Adobe has a discord community where users can ask questions and learn about the latest app updates. Some famous brands use this platform to make a connection with members in the discord server. They do it by announcing giveaways, special discounts, shoutouts, and much more.
We have some tips for you that can help your brand grow on the discord app:
1. Engagement is necessary
If you make an effort to know your customers, it makes them loyal to the brand. Not only this, it enhances the customer’s experience with the brand. Whosoever said that people like good customer service was 100% right. Customers, in this way, feel close to the brand. They feel that they can trust it which makes them stick with it for a long time.
This strategy can prove beneficial for the brand too. Through active engagement, a brand can gain customer feedback. It would help them improve their services and products over time. Better products and improved service make the brand authentic in the eyes of potential customers. From here on, they would not hesitate to start their journey with the brand.
How can you increase engagement?
By first creating a dedicated server for your brand, and then by making channels on it. These channels would divide the areas of interest. Now you can reach out to your customers through these specific channels.
2. Discord helps you monitor activity on the server
Discord evolved over time and integrated several features within its system. One of the features helps brands track the activity on their servers by giving them insights. Data in this form lets the brand point out where their server members are coming from. Besides, it records the level of engagement on these channels and highlights member activity on it. Brands have the option to view these insights on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. They can also export this data to a CSV file and analyze it more closely.
3. Brand promotion through communities
By building a loyal community, brands can attract a larger group of members. If your brand already has a discord server, you need to go to server settings and find the “Enable Community” option. It leads to a page where the app will provide you with community guidelines and tips to build a community.
Verify your email account, set the community profile, add the finishing touches and your community is good to go! All you need to do is promote your brand. Do this by implying various marketing strategies and expanding your network.
4. Set up your FAQs section on the server
As mentioned before, people like good customer service. Discord app is one of those ways to deliver it. On discord, you can also use software and third-party applications to make bots. Later, you can assign them the role of moderators. These bots are easy to make and relieve admins from the constant workload, at least for the part of it.
Applications such as Top GG, Github, and the Discord Botlist are some recommendations by top websites to create these bots. With a little coding experience, one can use Python to do the same.
Level up brand promotion on Discord
Once you have a target audience on your brand’s discord server, you get hands-on benefits to communicate with them efficiently. Use this opportunity to promote your brand for a better impact.
1. Discord is popular amongst Gen Z
When Discord entered the market, its founders worked on making this platform a safe and interactive space for everyone. There’s no follower count since thousands of people can join the server. Discord focuses on building communities and connecting people. And why is it so popular with Gen Z? Because this generation practically grew up on the internet. It’s known as the social media age.
Discord application attracts influencers and creators from all over the world. Likewise, the platform has become a major hub to connect with people. It lets brands connect with their audience on a direct and personal level. This leads to brand popularity, paid subscriptions, and product demand all at once.
2. Discord runs a Partner Program
Discord partner’s Program is open to active and engaged communities as well as for new and established members. It helps to further customize the server and make it readily available on search engines with target keywords.
This also involves an extensive application process. If you’re willing to promote your brand on the next level, you might as well fill it up ASAP!
3. Influencer Marketing
Discord attracts influencers and creators from all over the world. That needs to count for something, right?
So, with such a modern and influential audience, the brand can outsource its work that is concerned with brand promotion. This way, the influencer gets to become a part of the brand and the brand gets interesting and creative post formats for its social media handles and blogs. Interesting content gathers more people, expanding their user base over time.
4. Brand Promotion Tricks
If you’re a brand that’s looking to create a community and promote its products, then use discord to advertise. Share the invite across different platforms, asking people to join. And how would you ask them to join? Introduce special giveaways for those who join your discord server. Or you can give exclusive discounts to them. Other ideas include shoutouts to influencers and pre-sale opportunities to your members.
Conclusion
People understand the idea of social media and its power nowadays. Platforms like Discord, Clubhouse, Twitch, and Instagram Reels have grown exponentially, especially during the pandemic era. Anyone who now needs to be part of a community can do so virtually. Discord has been able to come up with the idea of community building, and that’s why it’s so popular.
The app has the potential to increase brand promotion. From our point of view, it might not be suitable for all the brands since it works on a different marketing strategy. But, it’s definitely beneficial for those brands that work or are looking to work on the same lines. It’s an excellent opportunity to interact with your customers. If you customize the way you work, it might boost your business!
Hobo.Video brings blogs to its readers and keeps them updated at all times! We encourage you to check them out. Hobo is a community-driven Social Marketplace that makes online video shopping accessible. We know how community building is important these days, and we work on the same strategy. On Hobo.Video, you get to be a part of the larger community. A community that works on brand collaborations and influencer marketing strategy.
Visit us at Hobo.Video and explore!
