Introducing 'Inside the Work'
Most case studies focus on the outcome. The campaign. The programme. The results.
And that's understandable. Clients want to know what was achieved.
But increasingly, I've found that some of the most interesting conversations are about the thinking, methodologies and tactical decisions that sit behind the outcomes.
That's why we're launching a new series called Inside the Work.
These articles will zoom in on the experiments, the frameworks, the reporting models, the channel tests, and the scalable ways of working.
The ideas that others might be able to adapt and apply within their own organisations.
Because while results matter, transferable thinking matters too.
Inside the Work #1:
Using Reddit to Inform and Improve B2B Marketing
For years, Reddit has largely sat outside the mainstream B2B marketing conversation.
But that has been feeling increasingly difficult to justify, because as marketers, we spend huge amounts of time trying to understand what buyers think, what challenges they face and how they evaluate solutions. And there are millions of people discussing exactly those topics every day on Reddit.
So, recently when we were developing a digital programme for a B2B technology client, we started by exploring Reddit communities focused on the sector.
What we found wasn't just another media channel: it was a rich source of audience intelligence. From product discussions to vendor comparisons, implementation challenges to common misconceptions, competitor analysis to questions from practitioners.
Answers from people who had actually used the products.
In many cases, these conversations provided more candid insight than we'd typically uncover through traditional research. And that led us to rethink the role Reddit could play.
We treated it as both an insight engine and an activation channel.
We used community conversations to:
- Identify the topics audiences genuinely cared about
- Understand the language they used to describe challenges
- Spot competitive gaps and recurring objections
- Inform messaging and creative development
- Build more relevant targeting strategies
The result was highly engaged audiences, particularly in markets that had historically been difficult to reach through more established B2B channels. Video completion rates ranged from 12% to almost 40%, while the campaign delivered cost-efficient traffic at under $1 CPC and generated awareness at less than $2.50 CPM.
But perhaps the bigger lesson was about more than just Reddit itself – it was about listening.
Too often, marketing teams start with channels, formats or tactics. We started with conversations. And the platform simply happened to be where those conversations were taking place.
A takeaway for marketers
Before asking whether Reddit should be part of your media plan, ask a different question:
Are your buyers already there discussing the problems you're trying to solve?
If the answer is yes, there's probably value to be gained long before you spend a single pound on advertising.
And that's exactly the kind of thinking we'll be exploring through future editions of Inside the Work.
