Move over, traditional search; there’s a new sheriff in town.
One that, with just a single scroll, unveils the answers to some of life’s greatest mysteries. How did Princess Diana really die? What is the best oat milk on the market? Is investing as hard as it sounds? What’s the best way to season my new Blackstone?
Taking its rightful place as one of the most influential, albeit underutilized, platforms in the marketing world, Reddit is much more than a gathering place for chronic snarkers. A trusted search engine alternative among Gen Z and Millennial internet users, Reddit is a treasure trove of unfiltered consumer feedback and one of the last remaining truly “social” social platforms, all traits that have rendered it an essential marketing channel for brands seeking authentic consumer insight and engagement. For this reason, the platform has become a tool for marketers looking to build brand awareness, lean into contextual targeting, gauge consumer sentiment, and break into a non-traditional influencer economy.
With recent surveys indicating that social shoppers are more likely to be influenced to purchase a product on Reddit than any other social site, marketers, as they work to navigate a world saturated with skewed reviews and sponsored content, would be wise to raise a brow at the untapped potential here. And Reddit knows it, too. In response to a rapidly growing user base and internal data, which reported that 40% of all posts mention a product or brand, the social platform is working to make inroads in social commerce by rolling out new ad formats to monetize the UGC product recommendations made by users.
Due to the platform’s candid nature, however, advertising on Reddit isn’t just plug-and-play. A trade-off for the fact that advertising on Reddit requires more forethought than traditional social media platforms, the up-and-coming social giant provides the kind of contextual targeting that can’t be found elsewhere. Rather than relying on personal and often inaccurate third-party data, the platform allows marketers to target communities based on specific interests and conversations. For example, a company selling cookware may opt to advertise in the r/Cooking subreddit, where reaching its target audience is almost guaranteed and ROI is incredibly high—the kind of focused advertising and brand exposure that can’t be garnered from other social platforms, no matter how high the spend. What’s more, is that when leveraged correctly, these subreddits, though a prime location for paid advertising, can also serve as a powerful vehicle for brands looking to establish an organic presence amongst consumers, should they develop an effective strategy for doing so.
Despite Redditors’ infamous hesitancy to invite brands into their conversations, companies like Sonos and The Ordinary have proven that it is, in fact, possible to build an organic presence on the platform; it just takes a little bit of creativity and willingness to step outside the box. Sonos, for example, under the guise of the username “KeithFromSonos,” was invited to join the r/Sonos subreddit, where it swiftly became a valued community member, answering questions and offering recommendations, while The Ordinary famously leveraged Reddit’s popular “AMA” feature in the r/skincareaddiction subreddit. Here, the company presented a cosmetic scientist to answer users’ questions surrounding skincare, and members of the subreddit came flocking—a reminder that fostering trust and establishing expertise amongst a target audience is always a recipe for success and proof that the platform is prime marketing real estate for brands looking to increase brand awareness and credibility amongst their audience.
What it takes, though, is a brand willing to push boundaries, try new things, and face potential failure. Organic marketing on Reddit is both noteworthy and compelling—the kind of strategy that people admire from afar—but it isn’t for brands dedicated to playing it safe. The good news, however, is that the power of Reddit in marketing extends far beyond paid or organic reach.
From a marketing standpoint, Reddit’s most significant selling point arguably lies within its unmatched social listening capabilities. Taking to the platform to air unfiltered opinions, share personal experiences, and provide painfully honest reviews, Redditors unknowingly offer marketers the exact insight necessary to understand brand sentiment and inform strategy. And with the tendency to bring together even the most niche subgroups of people dedicated to discussing the most seemingly irrelevant topics, marketers can leverage the platform to better understand even the most specific communities. Keenly aware of the social listening and brand sentiment possibilities that exist within the platform, Reddit has begun to explore its potential as a social listening tool, most recently by expanding partnerships with platforms like Meltwater and Sprout Social, Inc., allowing marketers even more opportunities to inform campaign strategies and more accurately appeal to a given target audience based on the conversations taking place on Reddit.
So, while marketing on Reddit certainly isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution or the place to go for brands looking to blast a campaign designed to appeal to a wide demographic, it is a powerful tool for those with complex products or marketers looking to better understand their audience. Offering the depth, context, and relevance that other platforms lack in an internet age where algorithms and entertainment are king, Reddit remains one of the last places where real people still talk to each other. For this reason, it is one of the smartest—and most human—bets a brand can make.
Article by Rachel Mandia
