Discord is an underrated community management and communication platform.
This VoIP-based chat platform enables users to communicate via voice, screen sharing and text.
As a gamer, I’m a huge fan of Discord and I use it more than I use it relaxation, Skype, teamor Hangouts.
From a marketing standpoint, I’m glad it’s becoming mainstream and more and more brands are incorporating it into their communications plans.
Not convinced? Let’s take a look at the following:
- What is dissonance?
- Who uses it?
- A strategic point of differentiation (or what makes Discord great).
- Discord is where your digital marketing strategy fits in.
- Advertise with Discord.
What is dissonance?
Discord is a community-supported Voice over IP (VoIP) application for iOS, Mac, Android, and Windows.
Users can create their own public or private Discord servers. These private servers have a unique invite link that expires in 7 days. Servers can have public and private channels (denoted by the # symbol) and threads within said channels.
As with several other communication platforms, users can send alerts using @here or @everyone.
The highlight of Discord (which we’ll cover in more detail in the next section) is its user role, It can grant users access to certain channels and alert only those with that role.
Discord allows users to upload stickers, emojis and GIFs and use content already shared by the community.
Who uses Discord?
As of February 2022, discord say it has:
- 150 million monthly active users
- 19 million weekly active servers
- 4 billion server session minutes per day
Discord CEO Jason Citron told NPR in 2021:
“We surveyed 20,000 users and asked them questions like ‘What’s the biggest misconception people have about Discord?’.
The resounding answer is that the biggest misconception is that Discord is only for gaming. “
Citron and co-founder Stan Vishnevskiy created Discord in 2015 to encourage a sense of solidarity and better communication among gamers.
Today, Discord says it’s “used by everyone in local hiking clubs, arts communities, and learning groups. Discord has millions of people creating places for their friends and community, and talking on the platform for more than 4 hours a day.”
What is the cost of discord?
Users can choose to use either the free version or the Nitro upgrade.
These plans include the following:
free
- 30 FPS screen sharing (low video quality).
- Boost one server per server (paid addon allows you to unlock additional emoji slots and perks such as animated server icons).
- Access video chat, private servers, public servers and voice chat.
- Discord Bot to access the server (AI that can monitor new members in the server and send automated messages).
- Image sharing and file uploads with limited bandwidth
- Can belong to up to 100 servers.
Nitro Classic ($4.99 per month)
- More customization options for profiles (animated avatars, custom labels and Nitro badges).
- 30% off server upgrades ($4.99 per month).
- Custom/animated emojis can be used outside of their origin server.
- 60 FPS screen sharing.
Nitro ($9.99 per month)
- Multiple profiles that allow you to separate your personal and professional identities.
- Customizable video background.
- Unique stickers and emojis.
- Two free server boosts (valued at $119.76 per year).
- The maximum upload file size is 100 MB.
- Higher quality streaming and longer posts (4000 characters).
- Join more communities (up to 200).
A strategic point of differentiation (or what makes Discord awesome)
User personas are one of the biggest reasons I love Discord.
These roles allow you to alert only those who have that role in important messages and determine access to channels.
One of the biggest causes of friction in Slack or Skype is the overuse of channel or server-wide pings.
By setting up roles in Discord, you can empower brand advocates, moderators, or any other professional member without bombarding others with alerts.
In this case, my user profile indicates that I am an officer of my guild and also a tribal leader (subgroup).
I also have a “Referee Chat Pass” that gives me access to our secret channel where we host game events.
The Discord video and audio setup is fantastic compared to other communication platforms.
While some settings are only available to server administrators, users can adjust:
- number of individual users.
- Move the user to a different voice channel.
- Mute (to help people who might have their mics left on or on the server).
- Invite users to other servers that you have access to.
- Set roles and annotations.
- Make the user deaf to the server (meaning they cannot hear the content).
Animated backgrounds, GIFs, and profile pictures are another great benefit.
While they’re primarily a paid feature (you’ll need to upgrade your server or become a Nitro subscriber), these features give users more flexibility to define their online personalities.
Where Discord is right for your digital marketing
Discord’s community-oriented ethos is the key to unlocking its full potential.
Your community—through streaming, events, crowdsourced content, and other collaboration opportunities—can provide you with product feedback in real-time, provide insights into ideal messaging, and help create new brand evangelists.
While Discord has many marketing apps, these apps represent some of the easiest ways to reach your target audience with minimal infrastructure work:
customer community groups
whether you are Introduce new products Or pay close attention to how your customers/prospects are feeling about your service, Discord’s channels, threads and personas provide a great mechanism to manage great customer marketing right in the center of your brand.
Unlike Facebook groups, LinkedIn communities, or Slack/Skype offerings, Discord offers a lot of flexibility and organization while retaining a branded experience.
Brands can identify highly engaged prospects/customers among Discord users and flag them as VIP events such as product feedback, discounts, etc.
A big reason why brands might want to switch to this is fewer reports Used for email marketing, and the fluctuation of social network tags.
Discord allows brands to create customized experiences with real-time ping, which is a big step forward Facebook or LinkedIn. You can do this while sidestepping the reporting issues that can come with relying on open rates.
Established twitter spaceDiscord Events is great because it allows users to collaborate and share regardless of their device, as users don’t need to be on a mobile device to share on stage.
Lastly, the bots and integrations are top-notch. They allow for first-party data tracking as well as many convenience features such as helping people standardize time zones, moderate content, and other automations.
Events and Live Streaming
Discord’s Active Features A goldmine for live events.
Between pop-up screen sharing, user audio settings, and the ability to pull people into new servers or instant mobile channels, Discord trumps many Webinar Platform.
While the resolution won’t be perfect unless the server is up to level 3 (or you’re a full Nitro user), the amount of control in the hands of the presenter is far greater than virtual event technology.
Channels can serve as sponsor hubs and networking areas, where each participant can acquire roles associated with their pass.
Live streaming can be integrated into an event or everyday communication.
Can you advertise on Discord?
Discord does not currently offer native advertising platforms like Facebook or Twitter.
However, there are already various servers that are marketed as Discord Growth experts and provide advertising channels for your server.
take away
Discord is a powerful social community tool that can easily play a role in your marketing efforts.
Not every campaign or brand needs a paid version as you get most of the features of the free version.
Put Discord on your list to test and enjoy your control over community management. See if it might fit your own marketing strategy.
More resources:
Featured Image: Urbanscape/Shutterstock
