Social media is getting more crowded and competitive, with new businesses mushrooming every day. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook may be the biggest and most popular stages for companies, but they aren’t necessarily the best.
One common quality that seems to have gripped these “old dogs” is the tendency to “Swipe/Scroll.” Smaller companies will find it incredibly hard to build a meaningful relationship with their prospects and clients in such an atmosphere that doesn’t allow deep conversations and engagement.
If you want to build a really engaged community of customers and prospects, you need to use another social media channel. This is where Discord comes in. Here we explore a few tips you can use to build a compelling and engaged discord community.
What is Discord?
Discord is one of the newest social media platforms on the market today. A digital content distribution and instant messaging platform, it offers users a secure space to build online groups, where you can share messages and content with each other. There are 6.7 million Discord servers today, of which many are small brands that are creating a strong and engaged community space where –
- The brand can interact with its customers & prospects in an intimate setting.
- Customers/prospects can interact with each other and share common interests.
Tips for building a thriving community on Discord
Some of the ways to build a Discord community that your prospects will love to be a part of (and which can help convert them) are –
1. Share exclusive updates and offers to your Discord members first
Getting people to join your Discord server can be hard. You need to give them something they can’t refuse to encourage them to join while also rewarding them for their commitment. Both these goals can be achieved if you choose to release pre-order offers and discounts that are exclusive to your Discord community. Doing so makes your Discord feel like an exclusive space, and more people will want to join it.
Also, running giveaways on Discord can be a great way to get people to start engaging with you on Discord. For example, to win your giveaway, have Discord members engage with a recent post you published and offer their opinions. Or to maybe showcase how they use your products.
2. Set up different channels to champion different activities/products
Let’s say you are a stationery company selling planners, journals, pens/pencils, coloring material, stickers, washi tape, etc. It helps if you create separate channels on Discord, each dedicated to one item. That way, if your members have a question or recommendation or a comment they wish to share about that item, they can go directly to the corresponding channel.
The same goes for activities. Such as monthly/yearly plan-a-thons, where members who wish to participate can post pictures of using your product on the dedicated activity channel. In fact, these activity channels can generate a lot of engagement around festivities and holidays. For example, the yearly plan-a-thon in December, where your members can use your newly released dated planner in anticipation of the New Year.
3. Have a comprehensive and dynamically evolving FAQ section that you don’t have on your website
Your conventional FAQ on your website can’t answer all the questions which users may have about your products/services. This is where your Discord community can step in. You can make your Discord community a supportive and welcoming place where members can ask you – and other members – any questions they have about your products/services. They can post their concerns, ideas for how they plan to use your products, their hopes for future iterations of your products/services, and more.
In fact, it helps to have a dedicated group of moderates managing each channel. They can answer any question or concern your members may have in under 24 hours. Having such a dynamic FAQ section can make your Discord community – and by extension, your brand – feel very personalized and welcoming.
4. Host workshops, events, and live streams exclusively for your Discord community
Many people enjoy attending workshops, live streams, and events online. What if you make some of your most anticipated workshops/events an exclusive offering for your Discord community? Not only will this increase your following on Discord, but it will also make the community an exciting place to be.
The anticipation of attending an event or learning a new skill, or speaking to a celebrated person from within that industry, can be a very exciting experience. It can definitely spark discussions between members and be emotionally and intellectually stimulating.
5. Make your Discord a tiered community – with special permissions, privileges, and access
Discord allows the community owner to set up different tiers within the server. You can choose whom to give certain permissions, privileges, and access within your community. In fact, some of these privileges and access can be earned through increased community engagement. If the member fulfills these engagement needs, they get to move up a tier, unlock new permissions and privileges and enjoy greater rewards. If they drop engagement, they lose these privileges too. In this way, you can encourage members to continuously engage with you on Discord.
Wrapping up
Now that you know the tips and tricks behind creating a thriving Discord community, build your own today.
Tracy is the Design Manager here at Redwood Creative. She’s been designing amazing graphics and web layouts for large and small businesses for upwards of 7 years.
