Reddit is a risky marketing tool that can put your subscription e-commerce business right in front of your target audience and result in fast-paced growth. Reddit’s simple user-interface is prime real estate for finding communities of people talking about your products and industry.
There’s only one problem: Reddit is also territory for trolls, and trolls hate marketers. Navigating the Reddit waters might be scary because negativity online often catches fire and users will call you out publicly if they are suspicious of your sales pitch. In order to hack Reddit, enhance your brand and positively impact growth you must:
✓ Find the right communities, also known as “subreddits.”
✓ Be real
✓ Provide a true value (Promo offer, helpful tips, expert insight)
✓ Ask questions and follow through on your value prop
We reached out to Tom Huynh, Co-Founder of the e-juice subscription service Zodist, to talk about how he took a risk and successfully hacked Reddit to grow their brand awareness and customer base.
Tom Huynh, Joshua Wathen, Tri Nguyen
Where did you get the idea to use Reddit?
Tri, one of our co-founders, has always been an avid user of Reddit and discovered a sub-reddit relevant to our industry. Users in the electronic cigarette thread are very active and very vocal, so we decided to test the waters.
Was there a particular approach or strategy you took?
We first knew that we had to establish authority in Reddit before customers started to trust us and buy from us. Then when customers became more comfortable with us, we started posts with promotional offers. One thing we learned:
Never intertwine Reddit promos with any other type of social media; Reddit users hate it. Everybody likes to feel exclusive.
What was your goal of the Reddit post?
Our goal was to raise brand awareness and increase our subscription base. We’re known for our customer service. When one of our customers received a product they didn’t like, without hesitation, we sent them a replacement. That alone landed us 10 new subscribers in one day. Customers talk about the great things and the bad things, so it’s our job to keep our customers happy.
How did your target audience respond?
One of our posts was a 50% off promo. We were able to double our subscriptions in one day and raised awareness about our company. However, after one month, almost 50% dropped off. That sounds pretty f**king scary, but in reality, we were able to keep true customers and lose the ones that were only in it for the promo deal.
What metrics did you use to judge success?
On the Reddit side, we measured the amount of upvotes and comments that our post was able to get. We managed to get on the front page a few times, and that definitely drove traffic!
Does Reddit have a future in your customer acquisition strategy?
Yes, we love our Reddit customers. We don’t plan on throwing out another super big promo anytime soon though.
Reddit is also a great place for customers who are your biggest brand advocates to publicly brag about your company: a feat any founder should be proud of. Reddit is a channel that thrives off “viral content” and is an awesome opportunity for any startup with a shoestring marketing budget.
