Many brands are looking to get their presence into different social media and online platforms. They spend a lot of time, effort, and money just to get in there. Yet, many customers are doing things differently these days.
They are more likely to ask the Internet questions like they are talking to a trusted friend.
Before brands know it, they disappear into a subreddit, a Discord server, a Threads conversation, or a Telegram group. They return with a shortlist, a recommendation from someone they trust, or a reason to reconsider a purchase.
By the time they visit your website, much of their decision may already be made.
Your analytics might record a branded search, a direct visit, or a referral from an unfamiliar source. They rarely tell the full story of the conversation that made someone interested in your brand.
For businesses investing in digital marketing, this creates a new challenge: finding the places where customers form opinions before they ever interact with a campaign.
Swarna helps brands approach this challenge through audience research, channel strategy, and content built around real customer behavior. The first step is to understand the hidden distribution map behind online discovery.
Search engines and mainstream social platforms remain important parts of digital marketing. However, customers often move between several online spaces before deciding what to buy.
Someone looking for skincare might discover a product on Instagram, search Reddit for honest reviews, ask a friend in a private group, and return to Google to compare prices. A business owner researching software might watch a YouTube demonstration, ask a question in a specialist forum, and consult an industry community before requesting a quote.
Each interaction answers a different question. Social content introduces a possibility. Community discussions help people assess whether it deserves their attention.
With Indonesia’s large online audience, brands have plenty of opportunities to reach potential customers. The harder question is where those customers seek advice, exchange experiences, and develop trust.
AI search adds another layer. Search summaries and AI assistants can draw on publicly accessible online material, including discussion pages, when generating responses. This gives useful community contributions another possible route to discovery, although appearing in an AI-generated answer is never guaranteed.
A working paper examining Google AI Overviews and Reddit found that eligible communities experienced a 12% increase in daily comments relative to comparison communities. The effect was concentrated in discussions involving opinions, advice, and personal experiences. The study also found that the subsequent introduction of Google AI Mode changed this relationship.
For marketers, the lesson is clear: discovery increasingly involves conversations that sit outside the channels they typically manage.
Every online community has its own culture, expectations, and reasons for gathering. The right channel depends on what customers are trying to accomplish there.
Reddit is a useful place to investigate when customers want candid opinions, product comparisons, or advice from people with relevant experience.
A prospective buyer might ask which skincare products work for sensitive skin, which project management tool suits a small team, or whether a particular service is worth the cost. These discussions can reveal the objections and unanswered questions that polished advertising often misses.
Brands can participate by answering relevant questions, sharing practical knowledge, and addressing recurring concerns. Where community rules permit, a useful answer can link to a relevant resource. Representatives should be transparent about their affiliation with the brand.
The opportunity is to earn credibility by contributing to a discussion people already care about.
The results of e.l.f. Cosmetics' Reddit holiday campaign offer a useful example. Working with media agency Tinuiti, e.l.f. developed a Secret Santa activation designed around Reddit's own culture. Reddit's published case study reports that comments exceeded the campaign goal by 53 times, while click-through rate was 20% above the platform's benchmark. The campaign also received support through TikTok and Instagram.
The idea worked because the activation gave Reddit users a reason to participate within the platform's culture.
Discord is particularly relevant to brands whose customers share an interest, practise a hobby or want ongoing access to a community.
Gaming companies are an obvious fit, but software businesses, creators, education providers and specialist product brands may also find opportunities there.
A Discord community can give customers a place to ask questions, exchange ideas, provide product feedback and interact with knowledgeable team members. These interactions can help a business understand what customers need after the initial sale.
However, running a server requires a clear reason for people to return. A community with no useful activity quickly becomes another neglected marketing channel.
Before creating a new server, brands should investigate existing communities and consider whether their participation would genuinely help members. Supporting an established community may be more effective than asking people to join yet another group.
Threads offers brands a space for conversational, personality-driven communication. Its fast-moving discussions can help businesses respond to relevant news, emerging interests, and everyday experiences shared by their audiences.
For Indonesian brands, possible entry points include Ramadan shopping habits, payday spending, local entertainment, football discussions, and the humor that circulates through Indonesian social media.
A food business might contribute a useful perspective on changing dining habits. A fashion brand might join a discussion about local designers or how people dress for a particular occasion. A technology company might explain a confusing product update in plain language.
The key is understanding the conversation before joining it.
Brands that comment on every trending topic risk sounding opportunistic. A well-timed contribution should reflect the brand's knowledge or point of view and give the audience a reason to engage.
Threads can help a brand feel more accessible, provided its participation sounds natural and respects the context.
Telegram groups and channels can help businesses communicate with people who have already expressed an interest in their products or services.
A channel can distribute product updates, educational material, event announcements, and member offers. A group can support questions, peer discussion, and ongoing customer interaction.
In Indonesia, businesses in education, specialist retail, and beauty may find opportunities to use messaging communities to keep interested customers informed. The format and frequency of communication should reflect what members have signed up to receive.
Telegram is particularly worth considering when customers benefit from recurring updates or a direct communication channel. It requires permission, consistent moderation, and a clear reason to remain subscribed.
For brands focused on retention, a well-managed community can support the relationship after the first purchase.
Some of the clearest marketing opportunities begin with a specific question.
People visit specialist forums and question-and-answer platforms to solve problems, compare alternatives, and understand unfamiliar topics. Their questions can reveal what they need, what concerns them, and what might prevent them from buying.
A financial software company might find repeated questions about invoicing requirements. A skincare business might discover confusion around ingredient combinations. A digital agency might notice that business owners keep asking how to evaluate marketing performance.
These discussions can inform helpful answers, website articles, and service pages. They can also reveal content gaps that conventional keyword research may miss.
This is where search engine optimization (SEO) and generative engine optimization (GEO) connect with community research. Clear, accurate answers can help people discover a brand through search and may support its visibility in AI-generated responses.
The priority is to answer the actual question. Any links to the brand's website should add useful context and comply with the platform's rules.
Community-led marketing already has local examples worth studying, even when the activity takes place on mainstream social platforms rather than Reddit or Discord.
A 2025 study has examined the role of Avoskin’s RUBI Community in building brand engagement. The study identified content collaboration, education, exclusive experiences, and two-way communication as parts of its approach. Members acted as brand advocates, content creators, and communication partners. Read the study.
The broader lesson is that community relationships can give customers a role in a brand's communication. Members can share experiences, learn from one another and help other people understand the products they use.
For a growing Indonesian business, this approach may begin with a small group of engaged customers rather than a large, resource-intensive community programme. The business needs to give members a reason to participate and respond to what they contribute.
The same principle applies to international campaigns such as e.l.f.'s Reddit activation. The format will vary by platform, but the underlying opportunity remains consistent: people respond when a brand understands the environment and gives them a meaningful reason to join in.
These examples demonstrate possible approaches, rather than guaranteeing the same results for every business. Audience expectations, product category, and execution all influence performance.
There will always be that temptation to treat every new platform as another distribution channel, and it is understandable. A business already producing social content may assume it can simply repost the same material in a few more places.
That approach often misses what makes communities useful.
People join discussions to get answers, exchange experiences, or connect with others who share their interests. Promotional posts that ignore those expectations can attract negative reactions or be removed by moderators.
The language matters, too. A polished advertising caption may feel out of place in a technical forum. A sales pitch in a support group can weaken the trust a business has spent months building.
Brands need to learn the rules and tone of each community before participating. They should also be clear about who they represent and avoid manufacturing conversations or posing as ordinary customers.
This takes time, which is why channel selection matters. A business with limited resources will usually achieve more by participating thoughtfully in one relevant community than by maintaining several accounts without a clear purpose.
We recommend that you start with customer behavior rather than a list of popular platforms.
First, identify the questions customers ask before making a purchase. Review customer inquiries, sales conversations, search queries, product reviews, and public discussions. Look for recurring concerns, comparisons, and requests for recommendations.
Next, investigate where those questions appear. A customer researching a complex business service may use specialist forums, while someone looking for a product recommendation may turn to Reddit or a creator-led community. Match the channel to the customer's intent.
Then establish how the brand can participate. That might mean answering questions, publishing useful explanations, supporting an existing community, or creating a private group for customers who want ongoing communication. Each activity needs a clear purpose and enough resources to maintain it.
Finally, measure the results. Referral traffic and tagged links can reveal some visits, where tracking is permitted. Branded search trends, qualified enquiries, assisted conversions and customer feedback can provide further evidence. Ask new customers how they first heard about the business, since community influence may be invisible in standard analytics.
AI can help speed up parts of this research. It can group recurring questions, classify themes in public discussions, and identify common customer concerns across large collections of text. Human review remains necessary to interpret sarcasm, local references, community rules, and genuine buying intent. Handle public data responsibly, with respect for privacy and platform policies.
The goal is a practical conversation map that links each channel to a customer need, a suitable brand contribution, and a measurable business outcome.
Your next customer might never see your latest campaign. They may discover your business because someone recommends it in a community discussion, answers a question about your category, or shares a useful experience with your product.
That is why the best starting point is a clear understanding of where your audience already spends time and what they need from those spaces.
Some brands will find their opportunity on Reddit. Others may benefit from a specialist forum, a relevant Discord community, or a messaging channel that keeps existing customers informed.
The right choice depends on your audience, your resources, and the role each conversation plays in the customer journey.
Your brand does not need another social account by default. It needs a reason to participate where customers are already talking.
We are a digital marketing agency for emerging brands that want a clearer strategy for reaching the right audience. Through audience research, content strategy, and channel planning, we help your business identify relevant conversations and turn customer insight into purposeful marketing activity.
If your current media plan leaves gaps between brand awareness and customer decisions, our team can help you find where those conversations happen and build a strategy around them.
Talk to our team and explore how we can support your brand's next stage of growth.
At Swarna, we'll help your brand fly high so your reach shines brighter like the stars!
We don't just break limits, we redefine them.
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