Reddit is on our mind again this month; is it on yours? The community-based social platform may surprise you, as it offers significant opportunity for B2B marketers, to reach audiences where they are gathering information. If you're interested in diversifying a classic B2B channel mix, Reddit could be the place for your business to drive purchase intent through authentic engagement.
Before diving into any social platform, it's best to do some thinking and ask yourself if the platform fits into your wider social strategy. Focus on a strong foundation of objectives, audience behaviours and measures of success to kick off.
Connecting with your target audience is the key to influencing a community and driving intent. However, defining whether that's through Facebook, Instagram, X or Reddit is key to ensuring valuable impact and results. Start by considering a few things...
What’s your goal? Are you aiming to build brand awareness or drive leads and conversions? Clarify your primary objective before signing up.
Is your audience there? Assess whether your customers actually use Reddit and would find value in your presence. If not, your efforts may be better spent elsewhere.
Where do your communities live? Use organic search and Reddit’s own search tools to uncover relevant subreddits aligned with your audience’s interests.
Is your industry already being discussed? Gauge the size of the opportunity by researching keywords, topics, and sentiment. This helps set realistic expectations and success metrics.
Do you have the resources? Reddit requires thoughtful, ongoing engagement. Make sure you have the bandwidth to participate consistently and authentically.
Can you commit to listening before speaking? Redditors value authenticity and transparency. Lurking and learning first helps you avoid missteps and build trust.
Are you ready to experiment? Success on Reddit comes from testing: different subreddits, content types, tones, and even paid strategies. Flexibility is key.
Social media marketing can be a whirlwind, so, setting a strategy to clarify your direction is the best place to start. Do your research and be confident in your decision.
Start small, stay curious, follow the rules, and engage like a real Redditor.
Consistency is key, if at first you don’t succeed, keep refining your approach until you do. Start with three simple steps to begin:
Many Subreddits have strict rules about promotional material, and even if your brand does find a loophole, tread lightly (Redditors can be ruthless). That said, posting transparently as a brand to the right Subreddits and providing helpful, entertaining and genuine responses or questions can be a valuable gateway to reaching your target audience.
Subreddits are the backbone of Reddit. They're moderated by real users, not Reddit staff, who deeply care about the quality and integrity of their community. It’s about finding what’s right for you and what’s right for the community, think audience-centric marketing.
The challenge isn't just finding a new channel, it's finding the right one. Find where real people are having real conversations about their interests, needs, and decisions that you can authentically be a part of. You will build trust, confidence and ultimately influence when you Reddit like a Redditor rather than an advertiser.
Source: TalkShoppe, Find Your People US, n=2000, 13-54 year old, social media users, February 2022
Organic search is a great tool, but if you want to take community research a little deeper, Reddit Pro is a free to sign up to. By joining, you unlock Reddit Pro Trends which could help you to deepen your community research and find those pockets of authentic engagement for your business.
You don’t need to pay to get started. Some of the best marketing on Reddit comes from showing up with insights, humour, or help, organically.
We've said it before, because it really is the #1 piece of advice: be a part of the conversation first and foremost.
People come to Reddit to be informed. Seeking opinions from networks or communities is the #1 reason people use Reddit for product research. Reddit creates a high intent environment where people are ready to make decisions, often about a purchase.
If you've built some traction organically and are curious about paid campaigns, Reddit Ads can offer a more direct way to reach your audience with creative variations that are bold, intentional, and targeted.
But success still comes down to playing by the platform's rules. Start small, stay informed, use the right tone and always Reddit like a Redditor.
Do your research, and lean on the experts at Reddit with their wealth of knowledge - they have figured out how Reddit can work for B2B marketers.
If you’ve got a curious Redditor on your team, a clear strategy, and the resilience to experiment, Reddit could be a powerful channel for your B2B business.
With the right approach, launching organically into the right subreddits or communities can be a low-cost, high-impact way to build awareness and drive intent with niche audiences. It might not be the perfect fit, but you won’t know until you try.
Join us on LinkedIn to continue the conversation on all things B2B; we’ll see you there.
