If you’re in the habit of typing questions directly into Google, then you’ve almost certainly seen Quora appear a time or two in your search results. That’s because Quora is quite literally in the business of answering questions, and its vast community of writers and knowledge enthusiasts is very good at that.
But Quora is more than just a fun place to hang out if you’re an information junky who loves to share what you know. It’s also a great fit for brands interested in expanding their content marketing strategies.
But what is Quora anyway, how can it help your brand, and what’s the best way to use it to support your existing digital marketing strategy? Let’s take a closer look at the answers to those questions and more.
What Is Quora?
Quora is an informational website that focuses strictly on questions and answers. The range of topics discussed there is incredibly vast, making Quora an excellent place to learn about everything from comic books, to relationships, to small business management, to creative writing.
The ways a person can use Quora are varied. Those seeking information can ask questions or search the hundreds of thousands of answers already on the site for a specific take on a topic. Content creators and industry experts also go to Quora to answer questions and display their expertise.
How Does Quora Work?
Creating content on Quora is mainly about answering as many questions as you like on topics relevant to your niche or other areas of expertise.
You can do this by answering questions that have already been asked on the platform. You can also ask a question before answering it yourself and inviting others to do the same.
Quora is similar to platforms like Reddit or YouTube in that it employs an upvoting system to help the best content rise to the top of the heap.
The more upvotes your answer gets, the more Quora’s algorithm will shop it around to other users.
Is It OK to Link to Your Site on Quora?
Quora does allow users to link out to their own websites (or any other website of their choosing) within their answers. However, it’s important to make sure your link is relevant to the rest of your post and adds some value to its content.
Spammy posts that are clearly all about getting users to click on a link don’t do well on Quora for obvious reasons, so post wisely.
In addition to upvoting, users can also downvote questions they feel are low in quality or otherwise don’t add value to the platform, so always focus on producing quality content people truly want to read.
You can also paste links into your profile bio on Quora, so that’s a great place to include any backlinks you especially want other users to see.
If people like your posts, they will get curious about you and embrace the opportunity to check you out elsewhere.
How to Find Your Audience on Quora
So what is Quora as far as its user base? Quora is home to an educated, fairly affluent community of users. Most have college degrees and just over half of Quora users have an annual household income in excess of $100,000.
The average Quoran is very curious with multiple interests, as well, so it’s worth a marketer’s time to establish an audience on the platform. Here are a few essential tips to get you started.
Search the platform for relevant topics
One reasonably reliable way to build an audience quickly on Quora is to search the platform for existing question-answering opportunities related to relevant keywords and topics. (Many Quora users follow entire topics they care about so they can see a variety of related answers in their feeds.)
Users can also follow individual questions that especially interest them, so write answers to question posts with high follower counts. It will maximize your chances of having your content seen by precisely the people who want to read it.
Scope out your competitors
Regardless of the platforms, you use to boost your content marketing strategy, you want to keep an eye on your competitors’ actions, and Quora is no different. So definitely check to see if your competitors are also using Quora.
If they’re not there, then great. Make the most of being the first in your niche to get on board. And if they are there, pay attention to how they use it to connect with customers. What kinds of questions do they answer? Are they running any ads? How can you take what’s working for them and do it even better?
Create a Quora ad account
Like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media-style platforms, Quora has an ad program businesses can use to boost their visibility and reach a target audience.
Definitely consider signing up to make the most of your presence there.
Quora ads are incredibly easy to set up and launch. Just specify your objective, set your parameters (including budget), connect your payment method of choice, and you’re all set.
How to Get Started on Quora
As is the case with every social media platform, getting a great start on Quora and ultimately succeeding is all about adding value to the community.
However, each platform has its own rhythm and etiquette users need to be aware of if they want to succeed. Here are some beginner’s tips to keep in mind.
Add value to ongoing conversations
Building an audience on any social media platform involves a perpetual cycle of sharing, engagement, and thought leadership. The more you participate in this cycle, the easier it becomes to keep making progress.
Jim Collins called this the flywheel effect in his book Good to Great. The best way to make it work for you on Quora is to make terrific ongoing contributions to the community.
Excellent answers that are well-researched and well-written can easily go viral on Quora and make the rounds if they inspire enough engagement.
Especially successful answers will likely be picked up by Google, as well, not to mention referenced by other media outlets.
Set your profile up for success
Although anonymity is acceptable on some platforms, Quora users are generally expected to post under their real identities.
Set your profile up for success on the platform by filling out your entire profile with accurate information about yourself, your brand, and your expertise.
Be sure to include the credentials that make you an authority people should listen to in regards to the topics you want to write about. (You can set up several Quora credentials and choose between them when posting a new answer.)
Know what makes a great answer
High-quality Quora answers are helpful, well-written, and thorough. They’re also not too short, so be sure to dive into your topic deeply enough to offer genuine value and showcase your expertise.
Really give people a reason to click past the preview and read the entirety of what you wrote.
You’ll also want to make sure your content is as readable as possible. Use Quora’s formatting features to break longer answers up into snackable, skimmable sections.
Images and bullet lists are solid ways to make your post more interesting and easier to digest, as well.
Consider promoting your best answers
Once they have the hang of the platform, digital marketers and brands should definitely consider using Quora Promoted Answers to give their best content some legs.
Posts that make great promoted answers:
- Show authority and support solid thought leadership
- Are high in quality and value to the community
- Are long enough to require the user to click through to the full post
- Include your brand in a relevant context that isn’t too salesy
Connect and engage with other users
As with every content community, success on Quora is about more than just creating and sharing amazing content. There’s a social media aspect to the platform, as well, and that means you need to engage regularly to really get ahead.
Follow users who also follow topics you like to post about. Contribute to Quora Spaces dedicated to your industry, niche, or favorite topics (or consider creating one of your own). Read and leave thoughtful comments on answers that interest you or otherwise relate to your industry.
Add Quora to your social media posting rotation.
Remember that flywheel we talked about a couple of sections up? The more consistently you post, the easier it becomes to keep that flywheel spinning along at a nice pace, so it’s important to post new answers to your Quora profile on a regular basis.
Quora accounts grow best when they’re treated like blogs, so updating according to a similar schedule is a good idea. The bare minimum you’ll want to aim for is once a week but post as frequently as you can for the best results.
As with your company blog and social media profiles, shoot for posting times your target audience is most likely to be online.
Most people check their various social feeds around lunchtime and then again toward the end of their business day. Don’t be afraid to experiment a bit and see whether different posting times get you better results, though.
Take Your Content Marketing Strategy to the Next Level
At this point, you’ve learned the answer to the question “what is Quora” and discovered some best practices for getting started with a splash.
You know how to put the platform to work for you as part of a well-rounded digital marketing and social media strategy. But you don’t want to stop there.
There’s always more to learn when it comes to expert content marketing that gets results, whether you’re posting that content on Quora, to your company blog, or somewhere else entirely.
Check out our breakdown of the most crucial make-or-break factors to consider in content marketing to learn more. You’ll learn about the benefits of embracing multimedia, going interactive with your content, setting realistic goals, and more!
