1 of 47

The Enr llment Marketer’s �Guide t Reddit

Stephen App

@stephenapp

Account Executive

Campus Sonar

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

2 of 47

Reddit, Demystified

  • Reddit is completely anonymous
  • Reddit is not subjected to algorithms
  • Conversations are organized by topic via “Subreddits”
  • Subreddits are controlled by moderators
  • Reddit has fewer than 500 FTEs, but tens of thousands of volunteers 2

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

3 of 47

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

4 of 47

Reddit: The Stats 1

Million Monthly �Active Users

330

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

5 of 47

Reddit: The Stats

Million Monthly �Active Users

330

Billion Pageviews Per Month, on Average

21

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

6 of 47

Reddit: The Stats

Most-Trafficked Website in the US

5th

Million Monthly �Active Users

330

Billion Pageviews Per Month, on Average

21

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

7 of 47

Reddit: The Stats

Most-Trafficked Website in the US

5th

Million Monthly �Active Users

330

Billion Pageviews Per Month, on Average

21

Active Communities

138,000

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

8 of 47

Reddit: The Stats

Most-Trafficked Website in the US

5th

Million Monthly �Active Users

330

Billion Pageviews Per Month, on Average

21

Active Communities

138,000

Members

104,000

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

9 of 47

Reddit: The Stats

Most-Trafficked Website in the US

5th

Million Monthly �Active Users

330

Billion Pageviews Per Month, on Average

21

Active Communities

138,000

Members

104,000

Members

40,000

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

10 of 47

Getting Started with Reddit

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

11 of 47

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

12 of 47

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

13 of 47

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

14 of 47

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

15 of 47

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

16 of 47

Getting Value From Reddit

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

17 of 47

Getting Value From Reddit

Macro Benefits

Micro Benefits

  • Audience insight
  • Sourcing questions (and answers!) for content creation
  • Improving student retention through offline programming
  • Informing academic program decisions
  • Answering key questions
  • Identifying student and alumni evangelists

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

18 of 47

Understanding Your Audience

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

19 of 47

Sourcing Questions

​

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

20 of 47

Sourcing Questions (and Answers!)

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

21 of 47

Sourcing Questions (and Answers!)

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

22 of 47

Informing Academic Program Decisions

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

23 of 47

Improving Student Retention

“

“After a recent student death, mental health was top of mind on campus. Students were making lists of things they wanted the administration to do and much of that discussion happened on Reddit. We monitored those conversations and it helped inform our decision to hold community forums on the issue.”

​

​

Dave Tyler

Social Media Director

Rochester Institute of Technology

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

24 of 47

Engaging on Reddit

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

25 of 47

The Reddit Rules of Engagement

  • Be YOU, not a school or department
  • Help, don’t hype
  • Build a coalition of the willing

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

26 of 47

Be You, Not a School

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

27 of 47

Host an AMA (with permission)

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

28 of 47

Help, Not Hype

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

29 of 47

“But Steve,” you’re probably thinking.

“Reddit is anonymous. How can I know that I’m talking to a legitimate prospect, or tie activity and pertinent information back to my CRM?”

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

30 of 47

Students Love to Share

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

31 of 47

Students Love to Share

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

32 of 47

Students Love to Share

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

33 of 47

Students Love to Share

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

34 of 47

Students Love to Share

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

35 of 47

S

Hey JJ - did you see this post on Reddit from an accepted law student? Is there enough information here to identify her in your CRM?

Jun 13, 1:35 PM

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

36 of 47

S

Hey JJ - did you see this post on Reddit from an accepted law student? Is there enough information here to identify her in your CRM?

Jun 13, 1:35 PM

J

I’m pretty sure I know who she is. She still has a first deposit with us and an overlap with Wisconsin. The deposit deadline is Saturday, so we’ll know more next week.

Jun 13, 2:32 PM

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

37 of 47

Students Love to Share

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

38 of 47

Students Love to Share

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

39 of 47

Students Love to Share

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

40 of 47

So, where did she go?

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

41 of 47

S

Did our Baltimore friend submit deposit 2?

Jun 17, 7:04 PM

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

42 of 47

S

Did our Baltimore friend submit deposit 2?

Jun 17, 7:04 PM

J

She told us she wasn’t coming. She didn’t tell us where she was going, but I can see it is Wisconsin on the overlap report.

Jun 17, 7:13 PM

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

43 of 47

Try it Yourself

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

44 of 47

Try it Yourself

School-Related Conversation

  • Search for your school’s name
  • Check nicknames and acronyms
  • Watch for similarly-named institutions
  • Look for a dedicated subreddit first
  • No dice? Pay attention to subreddits for your encompassing town, city, or state

Topic-Focused Conversation

  • Prioritize admissions-related subreddits
    • r/ApplyingToCollege
    • r/GradAdmissions
    • r/lawschooladmissions
  • Explore broader topic subreddits
    • r/finance
    • r/filmmaking
    • r/nursing

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

45 of 47

Looking for more info?

​

In Social, Sometimes the Best Advice is to Shut Up and Listen

David Tyler, Rochester Institute of Technology

​

Using Reddit to Inform Your Content Strategy

Steve App, Campus Sonar

​

The Punishing Ecstasy of Being a Reddit Moderator

Robert Peck, WIRED Magazine

​

An Interview with the Student Who Analyzed 2,374 College Emails on Reddit

Joel Anderson, Waybetter Marketing

​

The Social Listening Handbook

Liz Gross, Campus Sonar

​

​

​

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

46 of 47

Need help?

Campus Sonar combines experienced data analysts with enterprise-level social listening software. We’ll filter out the noise and help you find the conversations that matter.

​

Stephen App

sapp@campussonar.com

​

Get these slides: http://info.campussonar.com/nscec

​

​

​

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19

47 of 47

References

  1. https://www.redditinc.com/press/
  2. https://www.wired.com/story/the-punishing-ecstasy-of-being-a-reddit-moderator/

@stephenapp @CampusSonar #NSCEC19