How to Use Reddit to Grow Your Business or Church
Reddit is a unique social media platform with its own rules, culture, and glossary of new terms, and its user base is any age from teenagers to experienced entrepreneurs.
The strategy for using Reddit for business or church growth will be somewhat different from other social media platforms, as there is a "no marketing" culture on Reddit.
To effectively use Reddit for business or church growth, you must first understand the culture of Reddit and the expectation of the users. These users go to Reddit to get helpful information and to entertain themselves. They do not want anyone to market their products to them. If you try to sell yourself blatantly, you will annoy them. And no one wants to upset their potential customer base. So, if you spend your time on the platform helping people or providing entertainment, then you'll get noticed without annoying anyone.
You will have access to the 430 million users that frequent the platform daily when you provide entertainment and help people.
So, let's explore a few ways you can infiltrate the Reddit community without breaching any guidelines or appearing spammy.
PROVIDE ENTERTAINMENT
Post Some Memes
The most obvious way to entertain subredditors is through memes. Create memes that promote your business but entertain at the same time. Remember that your goal is to entertain Redditors, not sell your products or services. Even though Redditors don't like blatant marketing, they do enjoy fun and exciting advertisements. So, creating a fun ad can get you tons of attention even though it is technically marketing.
Post Some GIFs
Redditors love GIFs. They are cute, fun & entertaining. Bonus points if you can find one related to your business or church. If you created the GIF from a personal video, you could link to the full video in the comments.
Post Some Pictures
Ensure the picture is fun and exciting, and try to get a cat or a dog in it because people love pets!
HELP PEOPLE
Be a Redditor, not a Business
Embrace the culture by learning the lingo and contribute to the subreddit communities. Add value. Comment on posts that are relevant to your niche without pitching your offer at the end. Offer information, build relationships and earn trust.
Customer Service
When you create a subreddit for your business, you foster open and transparent conversations that provide information not just for existing customers but also for potential customers. You can create a subreddit community that provides customer service for your business without appearing salesy or insincere.
Host an AMA (Ask Me Anything)
These are very popular on Reddit and highly effective for businesses. AMAs allow Redditors to ask you anything and create a bonding experience online. All you have to do is tell people who you are and allow them to ask you questions. AMAs have successfully raised money for charities, crowdfunding projects, and launching new business lines.
Get feedback
Reddit is a public suggestion box that companies can use to improve user experience, guide external marketing campaigns, and increase brand awareness. Being open to and acting on this kind of feedback can only result in positive growth.
PAID ADVERTISING
This form of marketing is still safe on the platform as opposed to direct marketing. After assessing how many users of our product or service are actively on Reddit or are learning about your content from Reddit, it may make sense to invest in paid advertisements.
These ads are featured in niche-based subreddits. This strategy propels your business by increasing web traffic and redirecting them to your business.
Reddit is an interesting platform that is worth exploring. It opens up a new world of possibility to companies and churches that are patient enough to understand how the culture works. Just be sincere and helpful, provide entertainment as appropriate, and you and your business will be well-received.