How to Apply Quora to Your Marketing Strategy

Introduction

If you're seeking to develop your brand into an authoritative voice within your field or business sector, answering your audience's questions is an excellent way to accomplish this.

Whether or not you have high expertise on certain topics, you're already likely to have more knowledge than the average person. A great starting point is by using Quora.

What Quora Is

A social media platform for questions and answers, Quora lets you assist others by answering questions on any subject. Users post their questions, while other users can reply with answers, and all users can interact with each other. Launched in 2009, Quora now has millions of registered users, with questions on a vast range of subjects, from informative to off-the-wall.

Why Quora Is Important for Marketing

1. Quora's 300 million monthly visitors can view your posts.
2. It sends top-quality web traffic and sales leads to your site.
3. You have the opportunity to show your mastery of virtually any subject, with over 300,000 to choose from.
4. You can supply answers directly to users inquiring about your company, goods, or services.
5. You can display information from your site, and those of others, within topic-centered boards on your member profile page.
6. Additionally, Quora offers several options for paid ads, translating into quality leads, increased traffic and conversions, and brand awareness.

Steps to Setting Up and Using Quora

1. Signing Up. Sign up with an email address, although you can also connect through your Twitter or Facebook account. The next step after this is creating a profile. This is important to set up so that your audience will know more about your brand. If you need to edit this at any time, click or tap on your profile photo in the corner, beside the search bar, at the top right. After this, select your name from the drop-down list and your Quora profile opens in another tab. There, you can: create a headline, modify your name or credentials, change your photo, make topic revisions, compose a sketch that describes your brand, change your profile. Don't forget to supply links on your profile that direct to your primary social media account(s) or website. This will ensure that your Quora readers are driven to your social media platform(s) or website.
2. Locating and Following Industry-Related Topics. Now that you've completed your profile, you'll need to locate topics you can follow. Using the search box at the top of the page, you can search for a topic by entering a keyword. From there, Quora supplies dynamic suggestions based on that keyword. Once you're on a topic page, the following will be displayed: Related topics (on right sidebar); Quora Spaces (on left sidebar), which is topic-related; the most recent user questions. Upon selecting the button to "Follow Topic," you'll be given the most recent posts regarding this topic on the newsfeed on your home page.
3. Adding Credentials. Credentials are helpful to prove to your audience that you have authority in your field. Upon following a topic of interest, return to your profile. Select the editing icon, located beside "Credentials and Highlights." Select the button to "Add Credential" and choose "Topic." At this point, you can elaborate on your expertise with each of your followed topics. When supplying an answer to a particular question, you can choose to display this credential as well.
4. Using Quora as a Customer Service and Reputation Tool. Topics can be brand-specific, too. After performing a search, you can discover if others are mentioning your brand. By following topics that align with your brand, you can be aware of any new questions related to your brand and reply to them. This can open the door to increased sales, as you will be in the position to answer why your brand is superior to your competitors.
5. Submitting Questions and Answers. Now that you've chosen your preferred topics to follow, you're ready to begin posting questions and answers to these topics. This is an ideal method to introduce your product, service, or blog. However, to avoid appearing as spam, make sure those posts are relevant to the topic.

To add a question, go to a selected topic, and at the upper right of the page, click the "Add Question" button. Or, you can request an answer from a specific user. This is done by hovering over the user's name to reveal the profile pop-up, and from there select the "Ask a Question" button. As you begin receiving helpful answers, you can upvote them by clicking the "Upvote" arrow under the answer.

To answer a question, choose a topic and click on the "Answer" tab, where you'll find the latest questions. Quora gives you the option to answer the question or not, the ability to downvote it, or to post it to Twitter or Facebook. By using the @ symbol, you can tag other users, topics, or spaces. It's easy to add images with your answer by uploading them from your computer.  To provide sources for your answer, you have the ability to add footnotes and web links. While composing your answers, you can also save drafts of them.

6. Using Quora Spaces. Topics on the Quora site are particular themes you follow and can give answers to questions. However, Quora Spaces are groups sharing similar interests. Quora Spaces enables posting on the topic using web-wide resources, besides answering questions. After choosing and joining a Space, you'll automatically be updated on all content and updates, which are posted on your Spaces feed. This is similar to Facebook Groups, but Space users can designate that content contributions and responses to questions can only be made by certain users. Spaces can have rules, such as a requirement to follow the Space in order to contribute,  or that an administrator must first review all submissions. To follow other users of Spaces within your field, select "Following" beneath the Space name and you'll see others who follow the Space. Select the "+" beside a name, and this profile's updates will appear within your newsfeed.

Conclusion

Quora is a great way to market your brand to your target audience and allows one-on-one communication with them in your specific field. Quora users who wish to learn more about your brand can find the information they need on your authoritative profile, including your website and social media accounts. As you follow your industry-related topics with active, helpful posts, you will be recognized as an authority with stimulating queries and informative solutions.