How Brands Can Use Discord Communities

Brands put themselves in front of thousands of eyeballs when they use social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. Discord, a relatively recent platform that works a bit like the chat rooms or message boards of yore, seems like small potatoes. However, if your brand targets younger audiences or certain niche communities, Discord might be exactly where you need to be.

In a Clutch survey of 413 online community members, only 10% reported regularly using Discord. However, that top-line number masks a significant generational divide. 30% of Gen Z and 11% of millennials regularly use Discord, compared to only 5% of Gen X and virtually no baby boomers. Discord offers brands special access to a youth-oriented, uniquely engaged community, but only if marketing teams do their research and develop a plan.

Learn what makes Discord different and how brands are using it today. Explore common pitfalls and practical steps for using the platform so you can get started building a presence in Discord communities.

What Makes Discord Different from Other Community Platforms

Discord started in 2015 as a voice app for gamers, designed to address shortcomings in existing voice software. Over several years, the app gained dedicated fans in the e-sports world, support from other tech brands, and, most importantly, additional funding to go mainstream.

While the app continued to make gradual inroads into gaming-adjacent communities online, the real Discord boom came during the COVID-19 pandemic. The platform's combination of voice and text channels gives users multiple ways to stay in touch, and unlike other social media, it isn't designed around a central algorithmically driven feed. Instead, servers are divided into channels based on interests.

Amid shelter-in-place orders, Discord fostered a sense of closeness and community you couldn't find anywhere else online. Everyone from artists to university instructors took advantage.

Now, Discord servers are popular with streamers, YouTubers, and other influencers. Interest-based channels keep fans engaged in what they like most, and role-based permission structures allow server moderators to restrict access to certain channels. Subscribers may receive access to a special channel, or a channel might be reserved for commercial requests.

Interest-based communities are popular with consumers; our survey found that 69% prefer this structure. Discord is offering consumers, especially younger ones, exactly what they want: a conversation-first rather than content-first platform.

Why Discord Appeals to Younger Audiences

Let's take a closer look at the generational breakdown in Clutch's data. Nearly a third (30%) of Gen Z respondents used Discord regularly, compared with 11% of millennials and 5% of Gen X. For youth-oriented brands, those are great numbers.

It's easy to see why Discord is so popular with Zoomers. These are the true digital natives, who have barely known a world before Web 2.0, smartphones, and the ever-present algorithm. Discord offers something different: a laid-back place to hang out with friends and fellow enthusiasts. It's a clubhouse environment that feels more authentic than elsewhere on the internet.

Your challenge as a marketer is determining a way to join these conversations without killing the vibe. The most important thing is knowing your audience and how they express themselves. According to Kamron Yazdani, COO of theKOLLAB, "The trick [to community marketing] is learning the local accent of the platform so you can participate without looking like a tourist or an out-of-touch brand trying to blend in." Don't be afraid to lurk for a while and take notes.

Understanding what makes Discord so different is key to unlocking its full potential. You need to know what Discord can do, and what it can't.

How Brands Can Use Discord Effectively

Discord isn't like other apps, so many of the typical social marketing strategies won't work there. Remember, there's no algorithm to boost your work.

Instead, focus on building a community that your customers trust and feel invested in. Determine your goals, create channels that support your aims, and foster community however you can. Even the best content needs a community to engage with and share it.

Build Around Value, Not Promotion

Create or join a server with the goal of providing something useful to your target audience. Discord isn't a one-way channel, and it isn't a place for straightforward sales pitches. However, the platform offers unique aspects that marketers can leverage.

One way brands currently use Discord is for intelligence gathering. If you give customers and fans a place to freely express their feelings, they'll be happy to use it. While no one likes to hear criticism, brands willing to listen to and engage with unfiltered complaints can learn a lot.

These communities can be a way to warm potential customers up before a pitch. Discord logs are searchable, and a consumer considering a particular product may take a look at a brand's Discord as part of their research.

Journalists may also use a server's log for their research. When you give a journalist access to your Discord channel, you allow them to see the kinds of conversations your staff is having with your customers. Instead of being emailed a press release about your great customer service, they can read the press release on your Discord, then see proof of it in how you interact with consumers on your other channels.

Use Channels Strategically

Discord makes it easy for the members of a server to self-select into channels on topics they care about. Go with the flow and don't try to force everyone into one central conversation or channel. For instance, Perplexity allows new members of its Discord server to self-select the channels they want to join, so they're not overwhelmed by options.

Your server should have role-exclusive channels that make it easier for certain groups to see relevant messages. Many servers feature channels specifically for community moderators, journalists, influencers, or paid subscribers.

This isn't about gatekeeping —  things you say in one channel will bleed over into the others. Journalists shouldn't have to wade through days of meme posts to get the information they need, though, and customers looking for product advice are much happier when they don't have to hunt for the information they want.

Empower Community Members

Discord marketing is about community and conversation. Give roles to channel members, even those who aren't employed by your team, and make sure you highlight and reward active contributors. Many servers allow members to accumulate flair for participation or for linking other accounts to their Discord profile.

Most importantly, allow your members to shape the space. You're there to provide value, not control the conversation. Moderation is a must, but a policy that's too strict or seems arbitrary is a great way to ruin credibility with members.

Write clear server rules, prominently post them, and follow through on the consequences. Discord has tools that can help you keep a light but steady touch, such as activity alerts about unusual server behavior and the ability to place users on a time-out.

Show Up With Real People

You can't build a community very effectively with a faceless brand account.

Empower your team to participate in conversations, use their real photos as avatars, and engage as real people, not marketing reps.

Discord can facilitate deeper conversations with both fans and the press. Game developers use Discord to take questions about new features, musicians use it to tease new music, and PR professionals use it to coordinate press requests.

Giveaways can be a great way to increase server numbers. If you build enough buzz around a server event, you can generate earned media coverage.

Common Mistakes Brands Make on Discord

Discord doesn't operate like other social media apps, so it's no surprise that brands make many mistakes. Here are some of the most common ones we see:

• Treating Discord like a broadcast channel. Discord allows consumers to feel part of a brand by participating in a two-way conversation. Don't destroy that strength by posting press releases and ignoring the comments.
• Over-moderating or being too corporate. While you don't want your brand associated with offensive content, be careful not to go too far in the other direction. Don't kill a good conversation with too many rules, and keep your moderation about participation, not punishment.
• Launching without a plan. This unique platform isn't something you can go into blind. Make sure you have a Discord strategy in place and that you've done your research.
• Ignoring the promotional content problem. Content that's too obviously promotional won't build trust with consumers. Keep a light touch with your official Discord posts.

Discord may not be the best place for brands that want strict control over messaging or don't have the resources to keep the conversation flowing. Before every post, do a gut check. Will your target consumer feel this post adds value? Will they feel it's too corporate — or worse, too cringe?

One bad post isn't the end of the world, though. Just use the feedback you get to up your posting game.

Getting Started With Discord: A Practical Roadmap for Brands

If those are the Discord pitfalls, how can you set yourself up for success? Here's a practical structure to help you get started:

1. Do your research. Join Discord communities in your brand's niche and stay up to date. Take it all in: what people talk about, how they talk about it, and what your brand can add.
2. Define the purpose of your server. Is your server for fans of your product to connect, or for consumers to get technical advice? Trying to be all things to all people isn't possible. Defining your goals for your Discord campaign helps you recognize if you've reached them.
3. Start small. You're not going to be the hottest new Discord server overnight, and it won't go well if you assume you already are. Slow, steady work to build your server's popularity among the niche you're trying to reach is ultimately better and more sustainable.
4. Staff with real people. Have members of your team post in your channel and give them the freedom to speak as themselves. A real person with opinions and personality can make connections a brand can't.
5. Measure what matters. Discord is about slow, value-building marketing work. Focus on quantitative metrics that show your server's growth, as well as qualitative measures that show how you're connecting with your customers.

Each brand's Discord marketing strategy will look a little different, but no strategy will deliver results overnight. Research and writing a plan may take several months on their own. After you implement your plan, it may take three to six months to generate consistent earned media moments, but building a Discord community right is worth the effort.

Success in Engaging Discord Communities

Though they aren't for every brand, Discord communities are among the best ways for a brand to reach Gen Z and young millennial consumers. With conversation-driven engagement and an authentic, comfortable environment, Discord can help a brand build deep trust with fans while improving its reputation with journalists and casual consumers.

Discord presents significantly different challenges to other social media platforms, but doing your research, taking your time, and setting appropriate expectations can bring great rewards.

About the Author

Anna Peck Content Marketing Manager at Clutch

Anna Peck is a content marketing manager at Clutch, where she crafts content on digital marketing, SEO, and public relations. In addition to editing and producing engaging B2B content, she plays a key role in Clutch’s awards program and contributed content efforts. Originally joining Clutch as part of the reviews team, she now focuses on developing SEO-driven content strategies that offer valuable insights to B2B buyers seeking the best service providers.

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