Just make sure to buckle on your armor first: The locals are tough on marketers. According to <\/a>Sherice Jacob<\/a>, \u201cDo it right, and you\u2019ll be seeing a measurable stream of targeted traffic. Do it wrong, and you\u2019ll be downvoted into nothingness.\u201d<\/p>\n This short video<\/a> gives you a quick tour of Reddit, summing up the site as \u201cthe gateway to everything interesting going on in the world.\u201d At its core, Reddit is a place for people to gather, share information, and then endlessly discuss and dissect that information in every possible way. Think of it as the Wild West of news and commentary, an anything-goes zone where you are just as likely to have a fascinating conversation about episode three of Firefly<\/i> as you are to spend six hours arguing over the best sandwich meat.<\/p>\n Any member can start a thread on any topic, such as \u201cThe color of my dog’s nails correlate with the color of his toes,\u201d an actual trending thread that has over <\/a>450 comments<\/a>. Within each thread, users comment on the topic or, more typically, go completely off topic. Threads on a similar topic are bundled into larger categories called <\/a>subreddits<\/a>. Popular subreddits include politics, world news, and gaming.<\/p>\n Does this sound like a smorgasbord of randomness? That\u2019s kind of the point. But there is a method to the madness.<\/p>\n The upvote\/downvote is what turns Reddit into the ultimate meritocracy. If users like your thread, they can vote it up, which helps your thread rise a little higher in the rankings. If the upvote is the equivalent to adding a little helium to your thread, then a downvote is like tying a lead weight to it. A bad thread will quickly get dragged down and disappear forever into the downvote graveyard. Users can also upvote and downvote comments within a thread, which helps quash unhelpful or pointless comments and brings the best (or at least the most interesting) to the top.<\/p>\n Reddit is the internet equivalent to a massive watering hole where a savvy marketer can wander among <\/a>800,000-plus subreddits<\/a> and eavesdrop on conversations among a target demographic for free. These conversations can easily allow you to identify your target market\u2019s:<\/p>\n These insights can help you make new and interesting discoveries about your customer profiles. Once you learn the ropes\u2014which is a critically important step\u2014you can even solicit direct feedback from the Reddit community by asking specific questions. In this way, Reddit can act like your very own focus group.<\/p>\n It is important to note that, like all social media networks, Reddit does skew to specific demographics. According to <\/a>Ignite Social Media<\/a>, Reddit attracts an audience that skews significantly male in the 24 to 44 age bracket. Its users hail mostly from the United States and Canada and tend to have at least some college education. That doesn\u2019t mean that you won\u2019t find anyone outside of this demographic on Reddit. However, the young, educated, acerbic males who dominate the site mean that topics such as gaming, technology, comics, sports, and politics get a lot of love.<\/p>\n The first and easiest way to start panning for customer-research gold on Reddit is, simply, to use its search feature. Are you considering making an interactive game for young children? Try the <\/a>\/r\/Parenting<\/a> subreddit to find thousands of conversations between parents. A few well-considered keywords can help you refine your search. When you find a relevant thread, click on it to scroll through and absorb the conversation.<\/p>\n If your company or product is already well known, then search for names and terms related to your business. The discussions may bounce all over the place or be a little hard to swallow, but that may be exactly what you need to improve your product, customer service, or brand. For example, a <\/a>quick search<\/a> for \u201cFitbit\u201d reveals over 7,000 posts, as well as a <\/a>Fitbit subreddit<\/a> that has been running for four years and contains 21,538 subscribers.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a good idea to spend some time as an observer on Reddit to get comfortable with the local \u201creddiquette<\/a>.\u201d Redditors can be merciless when a newbie makes a faux pas<\/i>. Eventually you\u2019ll want to come out of the shadows, create a profile (this will allow you to accumulate karma points when your comments are upvoted or downvoted), and join the conversation.<\/p>\n Being a part of the conversation can earn you loads of amazing insight, but only if you do it right. Ben Beck of <\/a>Social Media Examiner<\/a> explains, \u201cReddit is not a platform to shout your message at fans, but rather a place to interact with them.\u201d <\/a>Travis Levell of Startup Bros<\/a> puts it a little less gingerly: \u201cRedditors aren\u2019t big fans of self-promotion. In fact, there is a special fiery hatred within every redditor\u2019s heart toward shameless self-promoters.\u201d<\/p>\n In other words, you can be a redditor who happens to also be a marketer, but you can\u2019t be a marketer on Reddit. If redditors even get a whiff of self-promotion, you\u2019re bound to get down-voted into permanent anonymity, and probably heaped with loads of mockery along the way. You may even get \u201cghosted,\u201d which means no one will be able to see your posts.<\/p>\n Once you get a feel for how the site works, you can begin to ninja a tiny bit of market research into the mix. <\/a>Dave Schneider of Business 2 Community<\/a> highlights the case of two guys who asked for feedback on a new voice chat program they were thinking of designing. They posted their question in the wildly popular League of Legends<\/i> subreddit and received 1,137 comments, as well as 4,694 upvotes. As Schneider explains, \u201cThese comments and the discussions they generated resulted in invaluable customer research directly from the target market.\u201d<\/p>\n If you are feeling brave, consider starting your own thread within a subreddit, or possibly even creating your own subreddit. Beginning your own thread will allow you to shape the conversation you want to have and attract a highly tailored community. When this goes right, you can reap invaluable feedback from your target market. Again, beware: If you come off as an advertisement, instead of someone who earnestly wants to start a conversation<\/a>, you\u2019ll hear crickets on your thread, or worse, the trolls could come out to play.<\/p>\n Create something relevant that will interest and entertain your target market. <\/a>Travis Levell<\/a> of Startup Bros doesn\u2019t mince words when he says, \u201cOnly share something with the community if you think it\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\nReddit\u2019s Astounding Popularity and Activity<\/h3>\n
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![](\"\/\/www.salesforce.com\/content\/dam\/blogs\/ca\/Blog%20Posts\/reddit-001.jpg\")
<\/img><\/p>\nOkay, So What Exactly Is Reddit?<\/b><\/h3>\n
Why Use Reddit for Customer Research?<\/b><\/h3>\n
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How to Search on Reddit<\/h3>\n
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![](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/reddit-002.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img><\/p>\nHow to Strike Customer Research Gold on Reddit<\/b><\/h3>\n
Search for Your Audience<\/b><\/h4>\n
Reddit Wizard Tips:<\/b><\/h5>\n
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Some of Reddit\u2019s Etiquette for Posting (aka Reddiquette)<\/h3>\n
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![](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/reddit-003.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img><\/p>\nJoin in the Discussion<\/b><\/h4>\n
Reddit Wizard Tip:<\/b><\/h5>\n
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Start Your Own Thread<\/b><\/h4>\n
Reddit Wizard Tips:<\/b><\/h5>\n
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Do an IAMA<\/b><\/h4>\n