Reddit to enhance live interactions on its platform: a way to foster deeper connections with audiences for brands?

Reddit, a web content rating, and discussion website, attracts a diverse range of users and content creators as the platform is reputed to encourage free and open discussions.

In an effort to encourage live interactions, the company has recently announced that it has begun testing Discord-like chat channels with a small number of subreddits. The social network is attempting to provide additional opportunities for community members to connect with one another through this move, in addition to the regular asynchronous commenting system.

It is also known that Reddit has previously experimented with various methods for live interactions, such as Reddit Talk and live chat posts within a community. However, the company's community chat rooms feature was discontinued in 2020, citing a lack of popularity.

And for this new move, the company already began testing with 25 volunteer subreddits, but no list of those subreddits was provided. It stipulated that participating communities have fewer than 100,000 residents.

Reddit

A specifically devoted channel for moderators to discuss subreddit management will also be included in the new feature. Furthermore, they will be able to choose whether or not to allow this option for the community in the first place.

Besides, the platform gives moderators tools like the ability to choose who is eligible to participate in a chat, manage the discussion queue, and regulate specific messages in a conversation.

Reddit is also accepting applications from subreddit moderators who are interested to test the chat channels feature for their community.

In today’s day and age, merely having a website and being present on social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc. is insufficient. A brand's digital presence includes all online interactions about the brand, such as on social media, review websites, and so on, and not just the websites.

On that note, the social network platform Reddit and its possibly upcoming discord-like chat feature are more valuable for brands to maintain a cohesive and compelling brand story among their customers.

Improves engagement with customers:

With communication features getting more robust, brands will be able to better engage with their target audiences on Reddit. Thus, by actively engaging, brands can increase their visibility, build a positive reputation, and reassure sceptical audiences, leading to more people discovering the brand and potentially becoming customers.

Can connect with customers on a personal level:

As the Discord-like chat feature on Reddit will provide a dedicated space for chat rather than a one-off post, it will enhance the possibility for brands to private chat with active users in real time. It can help brands respond to their audience's concerns or resolve issues in a more personal and timely manner. This can help brands build strong relationships with their audience, which can ultimately lead to increased brand loyalty.

Provides valuable insights:

As the new feature will pave the way for brands to interact with their target audiences in a new way, it can also contribute to providing valuable data insights to marketers. This can probably be helpful for marketers to better understand their needs and identify their preferences. As a result, marketers can accordingly seed the conversation on the platform, persuade neutral audiences to buy their products, and create more opportunities for themselves to maximize conversions.

In a nutshell, Reddit’s discord-like chat feature is outright a welcome move for brands and marketers, as it opens the door for brands to strongly establish their public reputation. In our opinion, it is only up to marketers to stay relevant to their audiences and make the chat feature effective for their brands.