We first came across Quora a few months ago, and it was one of
those things that we looked at, played with and liked...but then
forgot all about. However, New Year, new start and all that, we
decided to take another peek, and here are our initial
thoughts.
Quora, not unlike Yahoo or LinkedIn answers, provides a place for
users to ask and answer questions in a public forum and for these
answers to be voted on. This means that the quality answers are
given more weight, which helps the site to become a more valid
resource.
The question and answer format also allows a writer a little more
freedom than when they blog, as they don't need to consider whether
anyone is interested in what they have to say, or spend time
thinking of a topic and worrying no one will care about it if they
write it a certain way. The captive audience is already there, and
they are interested in what you have to say.
Quora also benefits from facilitating a more open online identity
as you can only log in with your twitter or facebook log in which
means your online community is exposed to more about you and also
allows Quora to follow questions and subjects you are likely to be
interested in.
So, as a personal tool Quora is really interesting, community
driven and an actual resource, but how can you use it as part of
your marketing mix?
Well the naysayers will always say that isn't the point of
something like this and that marketers using it 'ruins' the
service, but that isn't the case if they use it sensibly.
So obviously don't go around stuffing a load of self promotion and
links into all your answers, but use Quora to show what you (and by
default your organisation) know and that you are always happy to
help and share your knowledge, and if you do have a useful, related
resource then add a link to it in your answer.
Don't just answer questions either, ask them too and you might be
surprised what you find. Use the questions for market research to
find out likes, dislikes and trends, as well as for recruitment and
fact finding.
The organisations that get the most out of Quora, will be the ones
who understand its community values, the importance of their own
brand's reputation and who aren't always focused on the push sell.
So don't just think of it as another platform for pushing out your
message: get involved in the Quora community.