If you’ve been in the marketing game for any amount of time, you know that one of the most important aspects of success is maintaining strong relationships with your peers. Public relations is a key element of this, and thankfully, there’s a great tool that can help you out: Discord.
When Microsoft attempted to acquire Discord in 2021, the platform known in the gamer world gained the attention of brands. Just as they have done with Facebook and Instagram, companies are using Discord to engage their fan bases. Brands like AllSaints, Sephora, Gucci Vault, Adidas, and others have hosted events and Q&As in their own Discord servers to stay engaged with existing fans, but also get their foot in the door with new audiences, too. Let’s take a look at how and where Discord fits into your marketing mix.
Why Should You Incorporate Discord in Your PR Strategy?
In the May of 2015, Discord started as a platform to connect gamers. It enjoyed great popularity amongst those into role-playing games and multiplayer sports, as it allowed them to chat with team members, discover other players online, or compete against teams.
However, its popularity really started taking off when non-gamers migrated to Discord to create Reddit-like message boards revolving around a particular subject. Come 2020, the platform catapulted to new heights as it introduced an array of features to allow friends and families to stay in touch, effectively repositioning the brand.
Resultantly, the monthly active users on Discord grew from 45 million in 2017 to 250 million in 2019 to 350 million in 2021 – which is an impressive rate of growth. At this rate, Discord should be a part of your PR strategy.
How to Leverage Discord to Create a Buzz?
Now that it’s been established that Discord can be a crucial part of PR management. Let’s take a look at how businesses can use it. Some common applications of Discord in PR that come to mind are:
- Boost engagement: Discord can be used to augment personalized marketing to forge deeper one-on-one relationships between your brand and its fans. The instant messaging format, along with engaging features such as the reaction functions, make the interaction fun and casual while making the business approachable.
Offer exclusive content: While Discord is accessible to all, businesses can cordon off certain sections of their server and use it to create invite-only tiered membership groups containing advocates and patrons. Using such mediums, brands can share exclusive content to strengthen customer relationships and reward loyal customers.
Build a community: One of the greatest USPs of Discord lies in how it creates a sense of community. Businesses can become a part of servers that connect them to their target audiences. At the same time, businesses can create servers to build a community. Either way, it brings together people with shared interests and encourages them to share their experiences. Adobe executes it beautifully with its dedicated servers for Photoshop, Experience Cloud, etc.
Host events: As was the case when Discord was seen as a viable option to impart eSports coaching or conduct boot camps, businesses can use Discord to host virtual events like product launches, Q&As, contests, giveaways, and more – all of this in real-time!
Improve CX: Discord COO, Mak Azadi, said “Providing seamless support from within Discord helps brands better control the customer experience while keeping users in their preferred channel.” Discord also acts as a feedback loop that allows customers to connect with businesses in a transparent, safe, and low-effort environment. Customers can express their opinions, share experiences, and offer insights on how businesses can improve. Plus, it can be an effective channel for instant customer support or grievance redressal, as server members help each other tackle issues, thereby alleviating any strain on traditional customer service.
How to Create a Discord Server for Your Company or Brand?
Clearly, Discord has a lot to offer to support your PR campaigns. If you are looking to build a community surrounding your brand, here’s how you can create a Discord server:
- Sign up for Discord and set up your account.
- Locate the “Create a Server” option, indicated by a green plus symbol, on the sidebar to your left.
- You can choose to create a new server from scratch or pick an existing template such as Gaming, Study Group, Friends, Local Community, etc. These templates are extremely useful in kickstarting a Discord server with all the necessary functions. Plus, you can customize it as per your requirements.
- Once you have selected the template, you will have to choose whether the server is for you and your friends or a club or a community. The latter allows you to create server rules, make announcements, and moderate conversations, which offers a more professional look to your Discord server. You can even skip the question for a default template.
- Finally, you will have to name the server and upload an icon (preferably your business logo) to add a bit of some personality to it. Once you select “Create,” your Discord server will go live!
Tips and Tricks for Using Discord for PR Purposes
Let’s wrap up the use of Discord in PR with a few useful tips and tricks:
- Organize multiple channels to host different kinds of conversations.
- Appoint internal team members in leadership roles to moderate servers.
- Add bots to maintain scalability and make servers manageable regardless of traffic.
- Invest in Discord automation tools.
- Maintain brand consistency to make your Discord server recognizable.
- Focus on sharing valuable content than promoting your brand.
Discord is an excellent PR tool to connect like-minded individuals and kindle organic chatter. It also offers ground-level insights that allow you to understand your audiences better.
If you want more information or need help setting up your Discord server, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Our team is experienced in all things Discord and would be happy to assist you with creating a successful strategy for your brand. Thanks for reading!
