B2B marketers can't ignore Quora. Positioned as a question-and-answer (Q&A) engine for any topic, the platform gets people talking -- about everything.
'It blends the best in people from their academic, work, and personal lives,' said tech marketing consultant Gaia Dempsey. 'I definitely engage with topics related to my business, like social media and analytics. But I also follow topics related to science and everyday life. Quora is, perhaps, the only social network that enables nuance.'
You can lurk, but you can't hide. Here are five ways to build your marketing presence on Quora:
1. Brainstorm article topics
Quora can help you maintain creativity with your blogging and social media efforts.
'Learn what your prospective customers want. Write an answer to relevant questions,' Dempsey said.
Quora is a hotbed of discussion topics and ideas. By answering popular questions, you gain an instant content marketing audience and who wouldn’t want that?
'If you have a supporting link to add to your answer, just paste the full URL in and it will be automatically hyperlinked. This is a great way to promote your own blog content, products, or services if applicable to your answer,' blogger Kristi Hines said. Just be careful not to overtly self-promote. Nobody likes that.
2. Network with smart people (and potential customers)
Quora is all about relationship-building. Beyond face-value tweets and LinkedIn connections, Quora facilitates substantive conversations.
'You'll definitely want to follow any topics that are specifically about your business so that you can join in the conversation when new questions about your products or services are asked,' Hines said. 'You may find potential sales opportunities too as people are likely to ask the difference between your products or services compared to others.'
3. Gain SEO traction
Quora is gaining prominence in search, ranking high for question-based search queries.
That isn't a surprise.
Quality content, thoughtful discussions and reputable information are focal points for Google SEO. 'With its peer-driven community of experts, Quora meets all of those standards, which is why the platform will continue to rank high in Google results,' according to the Unbounce Blog.
Skeptical? Google a few questions, and see for yourself.
4. Learn about your industry
Expert-panel discussions happen a few times a year, and frequently, they're expensive or far away. Quora happens during brain breaks at work and when you're fiddling with your smartphone.
'It's easy to look up topics and questions that are currently top-of-mind for my prospective customers. In this way, Quora excels as a market research tool,' NaviDate founder Dean Blackburn said.
5. Learn about new industries
Quora lets people follow an infinite number of topics -- about anything and everything. Instead of limiting your perspective to your immediate surroundings, broaden your world view. Quora makes this process efficient.
'I thought that I would overwhelm myself by following too many questions and topics, but Quora actually curates interests well so feel free to mark down many,' venture capital firm associate Alexander Niehenke said.
Quora gives you endless opportunities for connections, business information, advice and more. At Grasshopper, we especially love it for monitoring our brand and keywords. Get in there and see what people are saying about your product or brand! Did we mention it’s free too? If you haven’t checked out Quora yet, give it a try. You may be surprised how beneficial it can be to your business.
Not convinced? Check out these other articles on Quora:
