A Marketer's Information to Discord

You may not be familiar with Discord. Or you know about it and wonder what it has to do with marketers. Isn't it for gamers? That was the case once, but no longer.

Discord has come a long way since it was officially launched in 2015. Once just a tool for committed gamers, it is now a popular base for a wide variety of groups, including influencers and hobbyists. This platform is ideal for those looking for alternatives to the more obvious platforms like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

For marketers who want a different way of communicating with their audience, Discord could be just what they were looking for.

What is discord?

Discord is a VoIP system that uses a combination of video, voice and text communication services. It's often compared to Slack, and the messaging system works similarly.

Discord was the brainchild of Stan Vishnevskiy and Jason Citron. At first they just wanted a way to talk to others in the gaming community. Discord has over 100 million active monthly users and its growth shows no sign of decline.

The versatile platform also has a strong focus on community: it's the ability to build communities that have helped fuel Discord's growing popularity.

As the founders themselves say, Discord is used by a variety of groups including study groups, art communities, and hikers. Anyone looking for a community to share their interest with or to create / grow an audience can set up a Discord account and get started.

How does discord work?

Like most online apps, Discord starts with a download. Just choose your device. In my example, I'm using my Windows laptop, but it's compatible with Android, iOS, Linux, and macOS.

After downloading Discord, open the setup file to launch it. Discord will then do all the updates and you may have to wait a few minutes for the user interface to launch. Once launched, you'll get an overview of the latest features and updates from Discord. These include:

• Screenshare on the phone. Screenshare allows you to communicate, watch videos and of course play games. You can also participate in voice calls.
• Improved inline responses. This means that you can meet a message and reply to someone right on your text channel. This helps the conversation flow and is an obvious benefit for companies looking to respond to customer inquiries.
• "Krisp" noise cancellation. You know those annoying nibbles that you sometimes hear in the background when chatting with someone? Well that's gone with the latest update. You can find this function in the voice channel.
• Rule check. Let community members view your server's rules before signing up as a member.

Eventually, Discord has gone mouse-free, which makes it ideal for those who want to multitask.

Discord functions

If you've downloaded Discord on your laptop, it will start automatically on startup and show the Discord interface. From there you can immediately check that:

• You have friends online.
• You have pending friend requests.
• You have direct messages.

You will also find an inbox and an option to send group DMs.

Explore the options

There are a number of buttons on the left that you will want to get to know better.

For voice chat, select the “W” button.

Explore communities by clicking the green and white button on the left. This will give you an idea of ​​the communities there and whether your company is a good fit for you. There are five main categories:

• music
• education
• science and technology
• entertainment
• Gaming

Create server

If you know anything about Discord, you know that it is all about servers. How do you set one up?

1. To start or join a server, look for the green button with a plus sign. It's on the left. Just click to start it.
2. If you receive an invite, you can join from there. Once started, you have the option of creating a server for games, friends or a study group.
3. For purposes other than these three, choose Club and Community or Me and My Friends. This will take you to the next page.
4. Next, you can customize the look and feel by adding an image and choosing the name of your server.
5. Finally click on "Create".

Setup takes a few seconds. You will then receive a welcome message. Now you can invite friends and personalize your server.

To customize your server:

• Select the "Personalize Your Server" option. This link takes you to the "seller overview".
• Here you can further adjust your settings.

Start a Discord channel

Channels are similar to what you see on a regular forum and provide a space to talk about a specific topic. You can choose either a voice or a text channel. To start a channel:

• Go to the channel field.
• Under Voice Channels, find Create Channel or Create Category.
• Give it a name.
• Click on "Create".

roll

Suppose you want to give someone permission to become an administrator member. You need to add a role.

To add roles:

1. Find the arrow next to your server name (your server name should be on the top left of the interface).
2. Scroll down to "Server Settings".
3. Select "Roles" and then click the plus sign next to it.
4. Add the details.

You can find a more in-depth tutorial on the official Discord website.

Integrate

This option allows you to add bots and apps, create webhooks, and follow channels. Just click the button to get started.

4 ways to use Discord as a business

Now You are familiar with the basic functions. Learn more about how to use Discord as a business here.

The categories may be limited at first, but many brands are successfully using Discord. Here are some examples:

• Adobe's Discord group allows users to get reviews, ask questions, and find commissions.
• Newegg has a Discord group where you can find the latest deals, get answers to questions, and more.
• Streamlabs, which provides streaming tools and software, also has a Discord account. The Discord servers offer tutorials, general chat, and much more.

Discord has great potential to help your business and grow its community.

Promote engagement

Commitment is important in building your business. As you get to know your customers or prospects, trust and loyalty increases over time. However, the benefits of the customer experience don't end there. Activate engagement too:

• Improves the customer and brand experience.
• Allows you to gain customer feedback and insights that you can use to shape and improve your brand / service.

How does Discord enable engagement? Across multiple channels, and that's maybe one of the best things about it.

As mentioned earlier, you can speak to customers directly via video, chat, or text. Or you can reach potential customers through your servers and specific channels.

Monitor activity

A newer feature is Discord Server Insights. Studying your findings (or data) can help you understand:

• Where are your server members from?
• Loyalty Numbers
• Engagement with channels and other members
• Your audience geography

You can aggregate your data daily, weekly and monthly and export it to a CSV file for further analysis.

Promote your brand with communities

If you want to set up a community space where you can attract larger groups of members, you want to start a community.

In order to do this:

1. On the left side of your server page, scroll down until you find "Enable Community". This will start the page. You can also access Server Insights and other tools and apply them to server discovery from this page. However, we want to focus on building a community.
2. Under the "Are you building a community?" Title you will find a blue Get Started button.

From here there are three steps:

1. Security checks (email confirmation)
2. Set up the basics
3. Give the finishing touches

Answer customer FAQs

You can answer customer FAQs by setting up a server and listing them there. Just follow the instructions in the article. Another way to do this is with a bot.

You can use third-party application bots. However, it does mean that you are giving them access to your Discord account. If you are unfamiliar with this, move on to the next method.

There are some FAQ bots ready to be installed. I've listed some popular ones below.

However, these are not recommendations. As always, you should be careful before using any third-party scripts or granting permissions to your account.

• Top GG
• The Discord botlist
• GitHub (Andreas Gassmann)

If you have programming experience, you can also create a bot. You can do this with Python. How to use this method:

1. Log in. Go to the application page and launch the “New Application” button.
2. Name your application and select "Build".
3. Go to the Bot tab. You can find it in the settings and select "Add bot".

Easy enough so far, right? But this is where things get a little more complicated: you have to code something. Here is an excellent tutorial to walk you through each step.

4 tips for marketing discord

With Discord, you have an enthusiastic audience in front of you and can communicate with them in a variety of ways. What do i dislike Now all you have to do is know how to market them effectively.

This next section lists some best practices to help you.

1. Know your audience

Discord users are mostly younger adults and teenagers. This population group has very different wishes and needs than older age groups. So think about whether your brand is a good fit for you.

Also, keep in mind that Discord is meant for the casual audience. It's not a professional network like LinkedIn.

2. Consider working with the Discord Affiliate Program

How can you better market your audience on Discord? By participating in its affiliate program. The affiliate program is aimed at its "active and engaged" communities and is open to new and established members.

Perhaps the most important benefit of the program is greater personalization. This means you can further customize your server to keep up with your branding. Another benefit is that your services are easier to find on the discovery page.

Not everyone will qualify for the program, and there is a fairly extensive application process.

3. Encourage user generated content

Encourage your customers to promote you by setting up their channels and servers to discuss your brand and specials.

Consumers are often more receptive to personal recommendations than to "big sales".

4. Offer exclusive discounts

Who doesn't like a discount? Offer exclusive discounts, specials and competitions through Discord. Invite others to continue promoting your brand.

Conclusion

While Discord doesn't have the high profile of some social media sites, it is still a useful marketing tool for anyone looking to build a community.

It combines personalization, advertising, and multiple communication methods so you can reach customers more effectively.

Discord may not be right for every brand, but many companies, including Adobe and Newegg, have made good use of it.

With a little imagination and creativity, you can develop unique customer offerings, introduce new ways to communicate with your consumers, and take your customer service to the next level.

Do you use Discord for your business? Let us know in the comments below.

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