Social media marketing

How to Use Reddit as Part of Your Marketing Strategy

Marketers are always looking for fresh, new, innovative ways to market to our target audience. Sometimes in our pursuit to find the newest and latest tactic, we forget about a few options that have been around for a while. Reddit is one of those platforms that many small business marketers overlook but shouldn’t. Ready to rethink Reddit?  Here’s how to use Reddit as part of your marketing strategy.

What is Reddit?

Reddit, which was created in 2005, is a social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website. Users submit content to the site such as links, text posts, and images, which are then voted up or down by other members. Posts are organized by subject into user-created boards called “subreddits”, which cover various topics including news, science, movies, video games, books, fitness, and image-sharing. Submissions with more upvotes show at the top of their subreddit and if they receive enough votes, they can end up on the site’s front page.

Who uses Reddit?

The site currently has about 330 million users, 50,000 communities, can be seen in 217 countries, and boasts about 40 million searchers daily. The demographic tends to be those more digitally savvy, skews slightly younger, and is more male than female. Here are a few more interesting Reddit statistics:

  • 71% of Reddit news users are male
  • 59% of them are 18-29 of age
  • 47% identify as liberal (only 13% consider themselves conservative, and 39% as moderate).
  • 47% of Reddit users are online almost all the time (compared to 21% of U.S. adults overall)

How can Reddit benefit your brand?

Reddit is like any other social platform. When used correctly, it can elevate brand awareness, drive traffic to your site, and provide a platform for your content marketing efforts for better overall engagement. Also, like any social platform, you need to be careful not to be overly salesy (or “markety”?). Readers are looking for value. If you provide that, great; if you don’t, you’re wasting your time.  Engage with the Reddit community; don’t just talk to it.

Ideas for marketing your small business on Reddit

Here are a few quick tips to successfully use Reddit:

  • Be consistently active – if you’re going to post, you want to build a presence so you can engage your community. Be consistent in what you post and how often you post.
  • Be sure you’re posting in the appropriate subreddits – don’t forget, each subreddit is a targeted audience, so be sure to craft your message and post content relevant to that audience.
  • Watch to determine what type of content gets the most engagement – just like any social channel, different types of content resonate with different people. Review the content you’re posting to see what gets you the most traction.
  • Don’t overuse your brand name – people understand that you’re going to share some information that comes directly from your brand, maybe even promotes your brand. That’s fine, but don’t overdo it. Be helpful, not salesy.
  • Engage in other people’s content – don’t forget, Reddit is a community, so treat it like one. Post content. Ask questions, Answer questions. Leave (appropriate) comments on other people’s content.

How to use Reddit as part of your overall marketing efforts

If your small business marketing plan includes Reddit, great!  Be sure to use it in conjunction with your other marketing efforts. Here are a few ways to do that:

  • Share a link to your blog posts on Reddit
  • Answer questions and reference content pieces that may help provide additional information
  • Offer a Reddit users-only discount for products or services
  • Solicit advice from Reddit users on service and product feedback
  • Cross-promote your social channels on Reddit (and promote your Reddit presence on your social channels)

A final note on Reddit

People on Reddit are fairly marketing savvy. They can spot a salesperson or marketing message a mile away, so again, provide value and participate. The community will turn on you quickly if you come across as a spammer. One article by Kissmetrics said it best: “Many business owners unfortunately dismiss Reddit as being the red-headed stepchild of the social media world, but if you’re targeting certain niches, aren’t afraid of criticism and want to reach trendsetters – there’s no better place.”

Patty Hughes

Patty Hughes is President of Strategic Marketing Services and has over 20 years of experience in marketing and sales strategy. Having been fortunate enough to develop exceptional business relationships with both customers and colleagues throughout the years, she has been honored to help small businesses grow and has enjoyed being a part of their successes by partnering with them to establish a well-developed marketing strategy and assist in managing their ongoing marketing needs.

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