Quora for communicators isn’t new, and it isn’t as intimidating as Reddit can be.
And yet, we still don’t hear about it that much in our strategic or tactical discussions.
A quick “Quora strategy” or “Quora for marketing” Google search yields a ton of relevant responses.
Go check it out. We’ll wait.
[insert patiently-waiting-interlude-music… elevator music?]
Done? Quite a few, right? Even some from Quora itself!
Quora: A Nice Place to Visit
But still, while it’s clearly a strong(ish) component of many communication campaigns, Quora seems to live in the “nice to have” zone, rather than the must-have, go-to spot.
It’s a nice place to visit, but it seems like most would rather live somewhere else.
The operative word?
Seems.
Any statement that includes the word “seems” begs to be dug into, right?
So, the next Spin Sucks Question asks:
Do you use Quora? Do you have a Quora strategy? What do you love about it? What do you not like about it?
Quora Strategy: Idea Generation
Madeline Sciullo uses Quora for ideation and promotion:
I use Quora for idea generation when planning content to write for our business, and our clients’ businesses.
Quora is full of people asking questions related to your product or service, so it’s a great resource for
gaining some insight into what your customers are thinking or searching for.Find those questions, and write an in-depth answer!
I also use Quora as a content promotion tool. If you already have a blog post or resource available that answers a Quora user’s question, link to that content and write a short response. It establishes you as a wise resource, and also gives a link back to your own content!
The only thing that I do not like about Quora is that it does not allow business profiles. You can share your brand’s content as an answer to a user’s question, but you must do it via a personal account.
The point about business profiles is an interesting one, but I have to admit I like the idea that questions and answers need to be provided by actual people.
Those people represent brands and organizations, of course. Ultimately, though, you are on Quora to get answers from people, not brands. No?
Either way, they do seem to be trying to cater to businesses more, so we’ll see where that takes them!
Quora Strategy: Domain Authority
From Gregory Golinski:
Quora is a great way to interact with people, answer questions and increase your website’s authority. You can mention your business and add your url, so it’s a nice opportunity to increase your traffic too.
The downside is that many other people are doing the same thing, and some of them are not really trying to bring anything new to the table. They’re just spamming Quora.
That’s the major issue with this website: the quality answers you share might get drowned in a sea of spammy content.
Quora for Content
Christopher Penn shares a video outlining the tools he likes to use for content creation, which includes Quora!
An Accidental Quora Strategy
Mandy Brice didn’t set out to develop a Quora strategy… it just kind of happened:
I kept getting emails that different people had followed me on Quora, but I never remember signing up, and didn’t know what it was.
Then I was invited to an even for makeup artists and other beauty professionals to teach us how and why to use Quora, and how it can be beneficial.
Apparently, they had been seeing an uptick in questions about beauty-related topics, but had a shortage of people using the platform and answering questions with beauty expertise.
Since following their instructions, I have been published a few times on Apple News and Huffington Post, as well as Forbes.com for articles about both beauty and social media.
I continue to use it to build my credibility and get published in those areas.
I’m also going to answer more personal development questions coming up, as I am hoping to pivot myself into that direction soon, and believe that would enhance my background.
Quora Strategy: For PR Professionals
From Jered Martin:
I use Quora to interact with PR professionals’ questions regarding media relations best practices, tools, and problems they deal with when it comes to media interactions.
This approach not only allows me to provide insights through my direct conversations with reporters and journalists,
but also allows me to interact with my target demographic.Dislike: Quora is helpful for anyone looking to ask questions on a given topic, but sometimes I find the questions to be a bit vague or general.
Many times a simple Google search can provide the answer the person is looking for.
Quora Strategy: Nerding Out…
Katie Robbert acknowledges the benefits of platforms like Quora, but advises caution at the same time:
We’ve developed algorithms that scrape sites such as Quora and Reddit, as well as other sources that quote marketers and CMOs to help us get a better understanding of what questions keep marketers up at night.
We use those questions to create useful, tactical content that falls into the everyday “help” bucket Quora and other sites need to be used as a guideline, not word for word.
They are good for crowdsourcing information but you’ll find a lot of people that don’t know what they are talking about but love to hear themselves talk. If you ask a question, proceed with caution—know that a good chuck on what you get back won’t be helpful.
Quora Strategy: Where’s the Conversation?
Albane Flamant would like to see more conversation on the platform.
Not everything is about a simple question or answer. Sometimes you need to provide context or dig deep.
What I don’t like on Quora it that there doesn’t seem to be a lot of conversation/comments going, just questions and answers.
Quora: The Final Word
Even though the #SpinSucksQuestion asked about strategy, I thought for sure we would get WAY more responses speaking to quirky questions and answers featured on the platform.
The closest came from Chip Griffin, so we’ll give him the last word on Quora:
I use Quora primarily for research (of all kinds). It’s useful for content ideas.
It’s good for finding answers (sometimes, with the caveats noted previously).
It’s a resource for competitor/market research (including both questions asked and answered).
My favorite Quora question? How do you pronounce Quora?
Here Comes 2019
The New Year is rapidly approaching.
With that in mind, we’ve announced the 2019 Spin Sucks 30-day Communications Challenge, along with The Communicator’s Playbook (Version 2). Exciting!
These are the tools you need to help set you up for success in 2019.
But apart from these two opportunities, what are you doubling down on next year? What’s been working, what hasn’t?
Some may lean toward the idea that if it’s not broken, don’t try to fix it, but we work in a space that is constantly evolving. Status quo isn’t really in the cards for communication pros.
With that in mind, the next Spin Sucks Question asks:
Whether it’s personal, or professional, what are you changing in 2019?
You can answer here, in the free Spin Sucks community, or on the socials (use #SpinSucksQuestion so we can find you).