Does your brand want to build a strong online community? If this is something your marketing team has been working on, the platform Discord has probably popped up as a suggestion a few times.
What started as a platform for gamers to chat and play together has grown into a communications platform that has communities that now reach far beyond gaming.
If your brand is thinking of creating its own server on Discord, here is a seven-step process for building a community that covers everything from how to set up a server and channel to how to nurture your community.
Before you start building a Discord server, you first need to be sure that it will be a good fit for your brand.
Like every platform, some brands are better suited to it than others. Here are some things to consider when deciding if Discord is the right platform for you.
You have decided that Discord is the right platform for your business. There is one more step you need to take before you can get to building a server.
Set yourself some goals.
For example, you may choose to use your discord server to:
The goals you set for Discord will often not be directly linked to sales. Discord is a platform that will relate to your business goals that center around building trust with your customers.
You'll notice that most of the reasons I listed here aren't related to direct selling—they're about building trust with customers.
Let’s get to the fun part!
First of all, you need to download and install Discord on your device.
To build a new Discord server, look to the top left-hand side of the window and click the + button that you will see under the servers that you are currently a member of. If you are new to Discord then there will be no servers and you will simply see the + button and the compass button.
In the pop-up window, you can choose to ‘Create my Own’ or follow a template. The templates are based on categories such as Gaming or Local Community and will have a list of channels out of the box that you can edit however you like.
You will then be prompted to choose whether your server is a club or community, or private group. We recommend choosing a community.
Now you will be prompted to choose a server name and icon.
Choose a name that includes your brand and an icon that matches your profile image on other platforms such as your logo.
A channel is created within your discord server. You will probably want to start with a few and then add more. You can break up your channels by media such as Text Channels and Voice channels.
Each channel will be used to talk about a different specific topic. You'll see a list of your server's channels to the left of your channel's messages.
You want to make sure your channels correspond to the goal you set at the beginning. For example, if you want to share brand updates you can create a specific channel for that. If you want to improve customer service you can create a channel for customers to raise issues.
Every server will have a rules page that users have to read and agree to before they can start posting.
For example here at the rules from Kanye's server:
Your server's rules are there to keep it a safe place and facilitate healthy dialogue.
You will also need to set roles for users within your server. A role will determine a user's permissions, channels, name colour, etc.
Now your server is live, you need members to join.
You will want to promote your Discord server in places where potential community members will become aware of it.
You can send out an invite to your email subscriber list. You can also share it on social media, on your website and even within other relevant Discord channels.
A Discord server has to be maintained. It is an investment in your community and to keep it growing and benefiting them, you will need to stay involved.
You can assign moderators or administrators that will help you with issues within the community. As your community grows you may need someone to take on the role of community manager within your business to manage the channels.
Once your Discord community starts to become more established you can start running events, giveaways, polls, or gatherings to further strengthen the community.
Discord is a top tier communications platform and has a lot to offer marketers who are looking to build their brand communities. The extensive array of features and simple to use interface make it a top contender as the platform that you may want to gather your customers on.
See inspirations here:
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