Why is community-building on Discord important for marketers?
What makes community building on Discord significant for marketers? The significance of establishing communities within marketing strategies cannot be overstated. Discord has formed into a potent platform, especially for brands that want to form deep connections with their audiences. Marketers must grasp the concept of communities if they wish to sow the seeds of brand loyalty, reap higher conversion rates, and enjoy a landscape of increased customer satisfaction.
Enabling conversation and community, Discord serves over 150 million monthly active users as of 2023—an ever-growing cohort that makes for an ideal marketing venue. That’s because these users are not just passively browsing. They’re actively engaged in dialogues. They’re sharing ideas. They’re sharing their lives. And according to a recent survey, 80% of Discord users reported feeling a sense of belonging in their communities.
In a digital environment flooded with bland ads and soulless content, marketing through communities offers a way to stand out. Discord is one platform where marketers can attempt this. To build on Discord, a brand has to befriend its users—a particularly tough nut to crack in a space populated by a somewhat “hardcore” and often curmudgeonly demographic. Still, Spotify and Netflix have found ways to use the platform to good effect.
Understanding the Dynamics of Discord Communities
A community on Discord is more than just a user group; it’s an interactive space that allows brands a direct line to their customers. Dedicated servers allow companies to not only support their audiences but also to promote and announce new events and products. Better still, Discord allows for the creation of channels that can segment a server’s population almost à la carte. You can choose your own adventure, in other words, when it comes to conversations. These features make Discord a platform for not just marketing but also engaging on a meaningful level with a brand’s desired audience.
Discord offers marketers a wealth of opportunities for engaging with their audience. Like many other platforms, it has tools that allow for greater user interaction, such as bots. These are automated programs that can perform a range of tasks, from providing a welcome message to a new user to running a poll to see which flavor of ice cream the server members prefer. A bot can do all of this without taking a “breath,” or pausing, and doing it in an efficient, hands-free way. Still, the use of a bot doesn’t necessarily make for a cold, impersonal interaction. A user can be just as personal in a message written to a bot as in a message written to a human.
Exclusive content or events for community members can be created by marketers. This is effective for retention. Why? Because users feel more connected to a brand when they are given special treatment. In fact, research indicates that community building leads to 30% greater customer loyalty.
Why is community-building on Discord important for marketers in 2023?
Marketers must build Discord communities because consumer behavior is shifting. Users want authentic connections and real-time interactions. They are moving away from one-way advertisements, which are marketing’s version of that old saying, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” More and more, a brand is what a community says it is. And that conversation isn’t happening in the solitary echo chamber of monologue.
In addition, community building on Discord fosters user-generated content. When customers feel confident enough to share their experiences and views, it helps develop a brand’s trust and authenticity. A recent study revealed that 79% of consumers trust user-generated content as much as they do actual recommendations.
Moreover, Discord permits a comprehensive examination of community interactions that can be analyzed down to the finest details. This accessibility allows marketers to track engagement metrics with much more ease, so they can understand what’s working and what’s not in their community. ■ COMMUNITY INTERACTIONS ANALYTICS ■ By being a part of the dialogue, brands can learn about customer preferences and pain points.
Best Practices for Building a Successful Community on Discord
Successfully building a community on Discord demands that marketers pay heed to several best practices:
- Define Purpose: Clearly articulate the reason for the existence of your Discord server. This should align neatly with the values and interests that both your brand and audience hold.
- Participate Actively: Consistent interaction with community members is essential. Be present and responsive. Field questions and provide necessary updates to keep your community informed.
- Foster Engagement: One way to cultivate engagement is to offer users incentives to participate. This can be accomplished through exclusive content, a prize or two, or simply acknowledging users in the context of the community.
- Ensure a Positive Environment: Cultivate a warm and inviting atmosphere. Create rules to guarantee that interactions among community members are constructive and respectful.
- Use Feedback: Actively seek and implement feedback from your community. This demonstrates that you take their opinions seriously and are dedicated to making things better.
Following these best practices can help create a community with a strong loyalty to a brand. The marketing efforts of a brand can then work alongside the community it has formed, with community members contributing as they see fit in the direction of their affection for the brand. The marketing push from a brand can then work in tandem with the efforts of the community.
Conclusion: The Long-Term Value of Community-Building
To sum up, for marketers to be successful in today’s competitive landscape, they must understand the importance of community-building on Discord. This is a potent and promising platform for direct engagement with a customer base. Research conducted by the Editorial Team of Discord itself has shown that this form of engagement leads to increased customer loyalty. Moreover, the platform allows for “authentic interactions,” another term for unmediated relations between a brand and its customers.
When companies harness Discord for community-building, they must stay flexible and focused on user desires. The platform’s potential value is tied not just to driving revenue but to engendering real affection in users. The best kind of love is the kind that drives investment. And no one investing in building a community should do the thing half-heartedly.
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