Building Your Community on Discord

This article comes to us from the Speaking Human University Program, which gives voice to the opinions and perspectives of the next generation of consumers and marketers… 

Discord, created in 2015, is a platform originally designed for communicating with friends while playing video games worldwide. According to Discord, the platform is now used for various purposes, like servers for local hiking clubs, art communities, and study groups.

Within Discord servers, there is the potential to have different channels, and these channels can be added, named, updated, and utilized for organizational purposes. Brands can leverage their servers to suit their target community in various ways, and here are just a few.

Brand Applications

Brands often claim that they value the relationships they have with their consumers. Using Discord would be the next step for brands to involve the members of their communities directly while keeping everything in one place. Building a community could enable brands to receive feedback and offer support while driving engagement through unique features.

Build a Community

When you send a tweet, the whole world can see it. On Discord, the only people who see what you post are the users who choose to — which could make them a highly engaged audience.
Server owners can appoint moderators, so the community not only figuratively plays a role in the community but also literally.

Gain Instant Feedback

With a solid connection to those that want to be present in a community, you can gain valuable insight, ideas, and advice on a product or service. The members of an invite-only server often support startups or guide established brands to their next product launch.

Provide Support

Consumers could ask questions or gain further knowledge on a brand and get immediate responses from server moderators, programmed bots, or others in the community. FAQ channels are also a way to showcase answers to commonly asked questions.

Live Engagement

Discord allows voice and video calls and live streaming, which brands can use to host giveaways or other events, encouraging users to be more present. Consumer loyalty can be seen through these types of communication, as members will be excited for the next opportunity to be involved.

Pandemic Impact

The pandemic has shifted the world to rely more on digital means of life. Since everyone was inside waiting out the pandemic, people also moved to online communication.

Because of this, there was also an increase in online purchasing habits. While Discord itself is free, like almost all apps, there are payable upgrades to customize the experience. According to Statista, in 2020, annual sales revenue for the site/app jumped by nearly $70 million from 2019. Discord is an entirely advertisement-free experience, so this jump in revenue is solely from server boosting and Nitro, which create a unique interface. This stat shows the growing need for online communication during the start of the pandemic and the potential that Discord has for the future.

…And Beyond

Following the pandemic, the world is still seeing a need to be connected online, especially after brands saw how important it was to keep their communities strong throughout constant changes. Though there is no way to advertise or market on the site directly, it could be a valuable tool for building a strong community.

While Discord users are more likely to be interested in technology, gaming, and computers, it would be interesting to see new startups or established brands expanding these interests. The first big company to grow in this way might cause a breakout trend, with others following suit.