Discord is considered one of the hottest new messaging platforms right now. But, what is Discord exactly? And is there any potential for businesses? A beginner's guide!
Discord originally started out as a chat site for gamers. However, the user-friendliness of the application and its many useful features quickly turned Discord Messenger into one of the most popular new online platforms. Discord brings various elements of social networks such as WhatsApp, Slack and Facebook into one application. These features and highly engaged user base make Discord an intriguing channel for companies.
Short and sweet: Discord at a glance
- Claim: The hottest messaging platform with a rapidly growing community
- Number of users globally: 390 million registered users and 154 million monthly active users (as of 2023)
- Target demographic: Gamers, young people, musicians and e-sports companies
- Special mention: Very high proportion of desktop usage
- Advantages: Free to use, increasing number of users, high engagement, direct interaction with target group
- Disadvantages: Low data protection, no end-to-end encryption
What is Discord?
History
When Jason Citron and Stan Vishnevskiy launched Discord back in 2015, they had the online video gaming community in mind. Their aim: develop an efficient chat that would allow gamers to network and communicate with each other quickly without slowing down the speed of the games.
The user-friendly design, very efficient interface and numerous additional functions have made Discord one of the most popular gaming chats in the world.
Word spread quickly and Discord is now popular with many different users and age groups beyond its initial young and male target group.
Features on Discord
In addition to regular chats, Discord also enables video chat functions and the sending of voice messages.
There are specialized voice chats for exchanging voice messages. When a user enters such a chat room, the microphone automatically switches on and they can exchange voice messages with other users, similar to the popular Clubhouse app.
In addition, files such as videos, documents, music, and images can also be sent via Discord.
However, the servers in particular have contributed to Discord's success outside of the gaming community.
The importance of servers on Discord
Users can come together in groups on Discord, known as servers. The servers are a cross between forum and interest group, where like-minded people come together in theme-based groups.
Discord servers include study groups, fitness groups and forums where users can discuss the latest sneaker styles and trends, for example.
Some servers are public, so anyone can join. However, there are also private servers that you can only join via invitation.
All users can also start their own servers.
Users can configure the servers to suit their preferences, take on certain administrator roles in the servers or even mute individual group members. The server menu on the left-hand side of the screen also allows users to switch between different servers with just a single click.
There is no upper limit for joining servers.
Discord bots
Discord bots are an essential feature for the servers. They technically don't have to be added to a server, but they bring fun and additional functions to the group, so many users love to add pre-existing bots or even build their own to add a bit more pizzazz to their community.
Instant messaging
Aside from the group servers, Discord also offers classic messaging features. Just like with services such as WhatsApp or Telegram, users can send private messages to friends here. Group messages are also possible.
In addition to messages, documents, videos, and photos, you can also send GIFs or emojis via Discord.
The premium version "Nitro" also gives users some additional options, such as the ability to stream in 4K or send larger files.
It's also possible to connect other social media channels such as X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, and Twitch as well as gaming consoles, such as Xbox or PS4 with Discord.
Discord can be used online in the browser, as a desktop version (by downloading the app from the homepage), and on mobile devices.
Data protection
While Discord Messenger is generally praised for its sophisticated functions and easy usability, there are a few points of criticism regarding the topic of "data protection".
While most of the functions on the platform are available for free, Discord earns money by selling user data. Accordingly, the messages and servers are not provided with end-to-end encryption.
This means that Discord has access to all messages and can process information from them into marketable data at its own discretion.
Although this is explicitly stated in Discord's terms and conditions, it may be an issue for users who value their privacy, even if some of the tracking functions can be switched off manually.
Another problem regarding privacy on Discord is the fact that the California-based company's servers are located in the USA, where data protection guidelines are not as strict as in the European Union, for instance.
However, this doesn't seem to discourage people from using Discord Messenger, as the user numbers show.
Discord for business: How can companies use Discord?
Internal business communication
With its chat, video and data transfer features, Discord is an ideal tool for internal business communication.
The advantage of Discord compared to similar services such as Slack or Microsoft Teams is that almost all of its features are available for free. Unlike the business offers of competitors, companies do not have to pay a monthly fee for Discord's functions.
However, companies should still be careful when using Discord. Depending on the business model, Discord's open data model may not always be compliant with your country's or region's data regulation.
Anyone interested in using Discord for internal business communication should therefore seek advice from data protection experts beforehand as a precaution.
🔐 These apps let you communicate completely offline!
Community building
What can quickly spiral into an unmoderated disaster within a WhatsApp or Telegram group chats is simply part of Discord. This might not sound like an advantage for businesses, but if are comfortable with giving up some control, but building a genuine and highly engaged fan base in return, Discord is the right choice.
Some companies that are pioneers in the web3 space, such as Samsung, Nickelodeon, and Adidas are experimenting with Discord. In general, if you would say about your company that community building is at the core of your marketing, you should definitely be on Discord.
Samsung, for example, uses Discord to announce product updates, organize events, but also to provide an exchange platform for Samsung users and tech enthusiasts. Community members can take up specific roles if they want to, and members that are very active get special rewards, which is a clever way to drive engagement through gamification (on a gaming platform!).
In addition, users also talk about technology, phones, and, of course, their Samsung devices. For Samsung, this is a great source of knowledge to learn what features their target group likes, dislikes, and is looking for in tech products.
Play with roles for a personalized experience
As Discord is an ad-free platform, you can't run targeted ads, and possibilities of setting up a target audience are limited. That's where roles come in. Businesses can use them in their servers to create customized experiences for users.
A role on Discord is a type of rank that the server owner grants to users. They give users certain privileges or let them stand out (by adding a color to their name, for example). You can also assign certain permissions (the mentioned privileges) with a role. For instance, a user with a moderator role might have the permission to read the entire server history or attach files to his messages.
As a business, there are several things you can do with roles.
- Assign roles based on interests: Based on activities or interests, users can get certain roles (fashionista, Apple fan, podcast addict, etc.). You can then @role certain users with targeted messages that better fit their interests, and also avoid spamming everyone with information they might not be interested in.
- VIP roles: Like in the Samsung server, you can reward highly active users by giving them certain roles, and send them special discounts for an event or new product.
- Role-based channels: You can grant users with certain roles the permission to create channels where only users with the same role can join. This is another great way to further community building, but also to cluster interest groups for more personalized content.
Announce product launches and get feedback
As Discord users are so engaged, announcing a product launch in a server will get you valuable (and honest!) first feedback, which can help you to gather insights, but also to improve the product.
Use Discord as a rewards channel for customers
Similar to a WhatsApp group or broadcast, you can also use Discord as a way to give out special treats to particularly faithful customers or to incentivize new customers to try out your product or service.
For example, you can send special discount codes to anybody who will join your Discord sever. Or, invite existing loyal customers to your private Discord to give out special rewards.
Once customers have joined the server, it's easy to re-engage with them in the future.
Organize events
Discord events are real-time happenings that bring your community together. You might have noticed how even some YouTubers have taken to Discord to host live watch parties. There's a reason for that. Discord events are fun and will bring you plenty of interactions.
Similar to Facebook, if you schedule an event on Discord, it'll allow users to say that they're interested, and it'll also send automated reminders before an event starts.
Traditionally, this feature is used to stream games on Discord, but it can also be used for business events.
Why not have a special product launch event? Or get together for a quiz or trivia night centered around your business. You can even host webinars or classes on Discord as well as podcasts, video interviews, and contests.
Brand development
Discord is the ideal platform for anyone who wants to become more well-known as a brand, reach potential new customers and build up long-term customer relationships.
Discord users are very active. They use Discord specifically to exchange ideas in interest groups or with companies directly. This allows brands to collect feedback from customers on Discord, build a close-knit community and gain loyal, returning customers in the long run.
The fact that Discord is sorted based on interests actually makes it quite easy for companies to find their target demographic and address them directly.
Discord has recently introduced a partner program for businesses. The program offers participating partners various benefits, such as free access to Nitro's additional features and the opportunity to customize their own servers to reflect their brand design.
Partners are also highlighted on the discovery page so that users can find the respective servers more quickly, which can significantly increase the visibility of your own brand.
Current partner companies on Discord include the learning platform AP Students and the dating network Spectrum.
The partner companies use Discord so that their customers can network better. At the same time, they announce company news, such as new products or new workshops or offer Discord users special discounts in order to attract new customers via Discord.
Customer service
As a chat platform, Discord Messenger is also ideal for customer service. People who use Discord are looking to communicate with others. Companies can use this to establish a direct channel for customer service on Discord.
According to a survey by Social Media Today, 67 percent of consumers use social media to solve problems with a product or service. Discord could be an important new channel for companies.
Chatbots
Discord currently doesn't offer its own Dicord bots on the platform. However, companies can easily program their own chatbots and integrate them into their respective profiles.
AP Students, for example, uses its Discord bots to answer frequent customer questions around the clock.
It's also possible to use web tools to connect the Discord server to a Facebook page and program trigger commands, such as automated responses or reactions.
🔥 Tip: 👉 How to use chatbots successfully in your company
WhatsApp or Discord for business: What's better?
When directly comparing the number of users between Discord and WhatsApp, Discord doesn't appear to be as promising at first. Especially in countries like India where almost 80% of all internet users are on WhatsApp, companies can reach more people using WhatsApp.
Discord also lacks important communication features. For example, companies can't send broadcasts or targeted marketing messages via Discord.
In terms of security, end-to-end encryption and personal data protection on WhatsApp is better than on Discord.
However, the rapidly increasing number of users and, in particular, the high level of engagement on Discord shows: companies shouldn't write Discord off just yet. Quite the opposite, actually.
After all, such dedicated users are hard to find on other social media platforms. Even for small brands or niche products, it's currently still very easy to build up a following of thousands of followers on a Discord business server within a very short amount of time.
On more competitive platforms such as WhatsApp or Facebook, this is much more difficult.
The very small fitness platform Effective Fitness, for example, has around 8,000 followers on its Discord server. And the highly specialized fashion label Hypebeast already has nearly 18,500 users on its server.
Another interesting development is the increasing number of influencers on Discord, who are attracting their own followers and other new target groups to Discord.
💡WhatsApp influencers? They do exist and are very successful!
Conclusion about the potential of Discord
Discord is a new, promising platform with a growing number of highly engaged users in a very specific target demographic. Although Discord isn't as popular as WhatsApp or Telegram yet, it offers companies an interesting new marketing and service channel.
Discord shows its strengths particularly in the area of direct customer communication and in building a loyal community. Digital niche products in particular, which tend to get lost more quickly on larger social media channels, are very successful on Discord.
If the platform continues on its current rate of growth, Discord will probably introduce further business options for companies in the future. That's why companies that establish themselves on Discord now will probably benefit more later on.
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