Reddit’s First Verticalized Event: Key Insights for B2B Marketers

Last week, Reddit hosted its first verticalized event tailored specifically to B2B marketers. Held at Reddit's San Francisco headquarters, The Key to Context for B2B Marketers brought together approximately 50 attendees for two hours of valuable insights, covering the latest in Reddit's advertising strategies and tools for businesses. If you didn't get a chance to attend the event, we've recapped the key takeaways below.

Carly Goodwin, Reddit's Tech/B2B Industry Director, highlighted Reddit's impressive growth, with the platform seeing a 69% year-over-year increase in usage. She emphasized how Reddit blends the best aspects of search and social platforms with a strong focus on keyword targeting to help advertisers reach their audience effectively.

Karina Pendergast, Reddit's Global Insights Lead, discussed how B2B marketers can leverage Reddit as a secondary source to validate what Business Decision Makers (BDMs) are seeing on platforms like LinkedIn. She explained that Reddit provides unique insights by tapping into communities where key business conversations are already happening. Reddit threads can be an invaluable resource for brands seeking to understand their audience on a deeper level.

Lauren Kroll from Reddit's Ads UX team stressed the value of Conversation Ads, a powerful format where ads are integrated within user comments, making them less intrusive and more effective. This new expanded ad format also allows for multi-placement optimization, ensuring ads reach users at various touchpoints.

New Tools and Formats for B2B Advertisers

Reddit continues to innovate with new tools such as Reddit Pro, which allows advertisers to track relevant conversations tied to their brand and category. This tool can be a game-changer for brands looking to engage directly with conversations that matter most.

The event also shed light on several ad formats designed for B2B use:

• Free Form Ads: Ideal for long-form storytelling and thought leadership. These ads can accommodate up to 40k characters, making them perfect for blog posts or whitepapers.
• AMA (Ask Me Anything): Organic tools for engaging with the Reddit community, supported by an ad format to help amplify these discussions.
• Lead Gen Ads: This format enables users to fill out forms directly on Reddit, with the data syncing seamlessly to your CRM via tools like Zapier.

Driving Performance with CAPI

The focus of the event wasn't just on creativity but also on driving performance. Attendees learned how Reddit's tools prioritize conversion goals, allowing marketers to optimize for the most important events. With the help of Conversion API (CAPI), marketers have seen a 15-20% increase in conversions and a 10% decrease in CPA compared to pixel tracking alone. CAPI also helps with targeting, especially for lookalike audiences.

The Power of Storytelling and Reddit's Community

The importance of freeform ads for thought leadership and case studies was reinforced. By tapping into Reddit-specific terms like TIL (Today I Learned) and YSK (You Should Know), brands can tailor their content to align with the organic flow of Reddit conversations. Another key takeaway was the reminder that Reddit ads should be built for mobile, align with your brand's voice, and be prescriptive in driving actions.

The Customer Panel included notable speakers such as Jessica Harp (Growth Marketing Manager at SurveyMonkey), Mike Gardner (Director of Marketing at Solidigm), and Liez Ferraguas (Brand Media Lead at Canva). Each panelist shared their experiences and success stories in using Reddit to enhance their brands. For example, SurveyMonkey highlighted the value of community takeovers, a strategic approach to immersing a brand within a Reddit community. This tactic has proven especially effective for creating a top-of-funnel experience that leads to full-funnel success through retargeting.

Reddit's Golden Rules for Ads

The event concluded with a series of golden rules for B2B brands using Reddit:

• Build for mobile: Ensure your content is mobile-friendly.
• Show, don't tell: Engage users with dynamic content and visuals.
• Be prescriptive: Include clear CTAs that guide the user journey.
• Reddit like Reddit: Content should feel native to the platform, blending in with organic posts.

Final Thoughts and Q&A

During the closing Q&A, attendees explored how best to engage as a brand on Reddit. The key takeaway was the importance of authenticity-brands should learn to participate in conversations naturally, adding value without overtly "selling." Upvotes from the community can be a powerful tool to amplify your brand's voice. Additionally, brands can participate in conversations organically, without paid ads, which can be great for testing brand safety and preventing ad fatigue.

Need Help Managing Reddit Ads?

Reddit's unique ad formats and community-first approach are powerful tools for B2B marketers. However, managing campaigns across multiple platforms like Reddit, LinkedIn, and more can be complex. That's where Marin comes in. Our platform helps unify all your digital marketing efforts, giving you a single interface to optimize campaigns across various channels. Whether you need help managing Reddit, LinkedIn, or other advertising platforms, Marin Software's AI-powered tools and expert team are here to support your goals. Reach out today to see how we can help drive better performance across all your marketing efforts!

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