Ready to Hop on the Discord Train? Here’s What You Need to Know

“What exactly is Discord?” Great question — we’ve got you. 

Chances are, if you’re into video games, animation, tech, NFTs, blockchain, cryptocurrency, or you’re super into forum like community solutions, you’ve heard something about it or you’re an active user already. Discord is a platform, available via website or app, that connects users via text, talk, and video with other people from all over the world. Many have called it “Slack for gamers,” but that’s not entirely true. We like to think of it as “evolved community forums.” Discord servers (we’ll get to what this is in a sec) are an excellent way to encourage conversation, connectivity, and collaboration.

So what are “servers” and “channels”? Servers are your destination. Think of it like a forum: The server is a location of activity housing a collection of channels, which are different threads of activity. These channels can be voice or text based, and public or private.

Okay, I’ve signed up and created a Discord server. Now what?

Now we’re diving into the nitty gritty! The best part about Discord is how customizable it is. You can add bots to your servers to enable predetermined automated actions; this will allow you to spice up your server by utilizing internal games, databases, and even top level moderation needs. With bots you can do everything from sharing memes to booting out bad actors who may pop up on your server. You can also use bots to add gamification elements and other customizable options to your server: think emojis, assigned roles for your customers and moderators, virtual stickers, and more. There’s practically no end to the options available to those wanting to customize their Discord servers; it’s all about identifying the perfect feature. Keep an eye out also for new moderation tools, forums, and homepage features for more organized conversations.

Great. So how can my company use Discord?

We’ve established that Discord is quite customizable. But how is it helpful for a business? Well, that customization helps make it more widely used than anything else on the market. Its versatility allows you to create a place where people can ask FAQs, share facts, generate user generated content, or provide direct and immediate feedback. You can even host live events or stream directly to the platform, complete with live chats.

What is Discord Nitro?

Yes, Discord is free, but as we’ve mentioned, it offers paid add ons. With Discord Nitro, you pay for additional benefits, like larger file uploads and better quality video uploads, custom stickers, and so much more. This is a solid option for moderators, community managers, and admins of the group to make their lives — and work — easier. For users, the higher video quality is a huge draw, allowing for watch parties and direct high res streaming directly on the platform. Without Nitro, users are capped at 720p and 30 frames per second (fps); a subscription brings users a crispier resolution with 60 fps.

Make your Discord server stand out from the crowd.

Just as there’s no one right way to cook chicken, there’s no set answer as to how to create the perfect Discord experience. Discord is the platform, your intended experience is the value. This is where community management is key. Include the following community areas and features on your Discord: 

• Build channels on your server, and focus content and community collaboration/discussion. For example, a branded (yep, branded — make sure language and nomenclature align with your brand) “Welcome Channel” for new or returning people.
• Clear rules: Everyone needs rules, no matter the platform. Setting community rules gives transparency and expectations to your new and active users. This will make it easier to moderate and mediate your community.
• Content calendars are necessary to create a thriving platform. Include updates, news articles, or any information relevant to your company. And don’t forget the fun and community centric content: activities and calls to action, shares, memes, hot discussions, and community highlights.
• Plan campaigns and thematic or community programs. Create ambassador or super user programs, drive contests and sponsorships, establish events that align with marketing and product calendars. Invest in holiday events and organized celebrations as well.

Place yourself in your user’s position. What would make you stick around? If you were one of your company’s customers, what would it take for you to invite your friends to check out this Discord server? What would make it stand out? Look at your most engaged with social posts or your top performing products and services as guideposts to continued success.

Creating a safe space

Communities are built on trust and safety. People who don’t feel safe won’t engage, so it’s important to have someone moderating your community, particularly with live chats during streams or other live events. There are Discord tools that can help, but it’s always a good idea to provide that human touch. When you create a community based on trust, you and your customers will have a better experience.

So how can ModSquad help?

Having a Discord server is simply having a destination. But without activity, support, and a purpose driven experience, it’s simply an empty, directionless forum. Time, care, and effort from community management and moderators are necessary for growth and value. That’s where ModSquad comes in. We can strategize your experience, build out community standards, create activities and campaigns to keep your community fresh and thriving, elevate and innovate with your server setup, and keep your community safe and proactively engaged.

Want to know more about how we’ll help your Discord community grow and flourish? Give us a call.