Can Reddit be a Good Marketing Channel?

The short answer is YES but don't try it unless you know how to do it right!

Last week, we talked about the challenges of Reddit reputation management, something most businesses have to deal with at this point.

There were a lot of “be extra careful” notes there, which I stand for, but thanks to those, many marketers may be asking a very valid question.

Provided Reddit is so challenging for marketing, should it actually be part of a marketing strategy?

The short answer is: YES.

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The longer answer is: Reddit is such a huge community, with so much organic visibility. It cannot actually be ignored by marketers.

The better question is: How to use it right?

Here are a few things we do:

1. Reddit for audience research

Redditors are already discussing your competitors: listening to those conversations means:

• Knowing what your target customers really need

• Getting constant brand knowledge content (addressing those questions on your site)

• Understanding gaps in the market (what your competitors are not doing but you can do)

• Knowing your customers’ needs and struggles

2. Reddit for content research

What goes viral on Reddit?

Tracking those topics and trends gives you a deep understanding of your niche and how to adjust your content strategy.

If you want to create link- and share-worthy content, there’s no better place to learn that trick than Reddit.

Our team has been using Reddit for content marketing for more than a decade: They know exactly what’s likely to pique interest of your target audience.

3. Reddit for link acquisition (viral marketing)

If you use Reddit for brainstorming (like we do), you will be able to create Reddit-friendly assets that generate clicks, brand mentions, and links from Reddit users.

Reddit is being used by journalists and reporters who are always looking for stories, data and cool content ideas. It is one of the most powerful link building and brand awareness channel out there.

But it needs to be treated with a lot of care.

• You need to know the rules of each subreddit (All subreddits have different rules)

• Never just promote or link drop

• Make your content part of the discussion

If you create content with Reddit in mind, it already has great chances of doing good on Reddit. But making sure you position it carefully and strategically on Reddit is always key to success. Let me know if you need help with that.