Why Quora is Great for Business

“Why did Adobe acquire Behance?” $ADBE / SML.20121227.SC.NET.Quora.AdobeAcquiresBehanceDecember2012.WhyDidAdobeAcquireBehance


Quora.com
is a Q&A social site that includes discussions on everything from the best branding techniques to making scrambled eggs without milk. Yet despite Quora’s growing popularity since its founding in 2009, it remains one of the lesser utilized social sites by large and small businesses alike.

Here are a few key ways Quora can help your business. Consider them carefully before you continue ignoring this valuable online resource.

Quora is Free…and Great for Branding

Although you shouldn’t go around spamming people with links to your website, Quora can be used as a free and easy way to get your brand name out there. Keep in mind, though, that the fun thing about Quora is that you can ask a question and get answers from real people who, like you, are interested in a specific topic. Therefore, it’s unwise to create a Quora account for your company name only.

To participate in Quora in a way that isn’t damaging to your brand, you should go the more personable route and create an account for yourself only. Use your real name, and when you go into the “Short Bio” section of your account, you can type in your company position. This will generate some brand visibility, while preventing you from looking like spam.

For example, if “Online Marketing, Inc. ” comments on a thread, people will likely skip over it because the name is generalized to an entire company. However, if “Bob Smith, Sales Manager at Online Marketing Inc” comments, people will be more inclined to ready what he has to say. By owning your personal involvement with your organization, you and your company’s brand will be viewed with more respect. Check out the comment in the image above for an additional example.

Quora Threads Help You Establish Authority

Quora is also great for business because it allows you to show others that your company is a knowledgeable source in its industry. People ask questions about all kinds of professional fields on Quora and, by responding to the right ones, you can show that your company is great at what it does.

For example, say someone begins a thread asking “How do you know when it’s time to get new car tires?” Because you work for John’s Auto Garage, you can comment on the thread and tell the person specifically what to look for. Not only will that person be glad for your advice, but other people reading the thread will see that John’s Auto Garage really knows their stuff.

One thing to be careful with in using this tactic: Make sure you triple check your spelling and grammar. Even if your business has nothing to do with writing or editing, spelling and grammar play a huge role in how people view you online. If you exclude all punctuation, have various misspellings or type in all caps, no one reading your comment is going to view you as an authority figure. In fact, these careless tactics can really hurt your brand’s reputation. If you don’t have the time to carefully craft your comments, assign the management of your Quora account to a Jr. level employee who does.

Quora Helps Your Customers Relate to You

Regardless of the size of your company, Quora can definitely help you attract more customers to your business. By participating in a social site that is growing ever more popular, you can show your potential customers that you are both professional and personable. Such distinctions have their benefits for both large and small companies alike.

Quora helps large companies because it allows them to show their more personable, human sides. Many large companies strive to do this in a variety of different ways – social media outreach being one of them. However, while a cool blog post shared on Facebook might show your customers that you’re engaged in the online world, seeing your words typed out in front of them shows customers that your company is willing to have a conversation. This can be a big plus for many large businesses.

On the other end of the spectrum, many people associate local businesses with being personable and friendly. However, customers shy away from local businesses who aren’t technologically savvy or who are unfamiliar with social media forums. In addition to the previous benefits I’ve mentioned above, participating in Quora can help small, local businesses show that they are engaged in the online world, thus making them more accessible and relatable to customers. Especially if you are struggling to reach the younger demographics of your customer base, utilizing Quora can be a huge help.

 

Do you have other strategies for using Quora for business? Tell me in the comments section below!

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