For those of you don’t know, Quora.com is a free site where people post questions they are looking for help with. Why bother answering other people’s questions? It’s one of the 12 Ways Infopreneurs (and entrepreneurs of course) Can Do Marketing Without Needing The Big Bucks that I discuss in that 33-page megachapter in my book What You Know Is Worth More Than You Know! But in a nutshell, it’s a great way to show what you uniquely know, build credibility in a particular field, and get leads, sales and boost your SEO in the process.
Even though Quora has been available to the general public since June 2010, I had never heard of it till a few weeks ago from Publicity Hound Joan Stewart’s blog post 6 Reasons To Use Quora To Promote Your Expertise at PublicityHound.net (well worth your time). Quora was co-founded by Facebook’s former CTO Adam D’Angelo and originally attracted the Silicon Valley crowd.
So here are the 7 reasons why Quora is my best new marketing friend:
1. You can you set up a general profile with links to your sites and social media profiles, as well as unique mini profiles for every category you want to focus on answering questions in.
It’s great when you’re as diverse as I am and answering questions on business topics like marketing, social media, blogging and podcasting, but also healthy eating, healthy living and Zumba.
2. For each of the topics you set up to get notifications on, Quora will send you an e-mail every time a question appears.
Now this feature is not for those who get easily frustrated getting a lot of e-mail, because depending on the Quora topic, you’ll likely start getting dozens of e-mails a day from the system. No worries—it’s easy to scan an e-mail in a couple of seconds and know if it’s something you want to answer or not. And by using the e-mail notification feature, you can get the jump on being the first, if not among the first to answer the question.
Some of the questions are too general, dumb or self-serving to be worth answering, but many will give you a good chance to show your stuff—and those are the ones worth your time. Simple, right?
3. Quora uses the Twitter-like concept of followers and following—both people and questions.
So while you’re answering questions, you can also build your connections of people who are paying attention to what you specifically say as you post answers on Quora. You can also send them messages like you can in Twitter, except it appears people actually read these (at least for now they do). I use this to do a friendly welcome to anyone who follows me and restate my expertise. In fact, I already got a great lead for someone who wants me to ghostwrite a book for them just doing this one little thing.
4. When you post an answer, you get three opportunities for people to see linkbacks to the stuff you really want them to regarding your business.
When you answer a question it links to your overall Quora profile and then displays the first few words of your topic-specific profile, and then where it can be done appropriately related to your answer or as an example, you can include a link in the actual answer post as well. See why it pays to answer? But wait, it gets better.
5. After you post your answer on Quora, there will be a little box that looks like a retweet box that comes up after your answer post, that pre-fills in the question you answered and a link to your answer and asks if you want to post it to Facebook and Twitter?
Of course you do! This is probably my absolute favorite thing on Quora!
Now with one click you also have made your answer do triple duty by sharing it with the world on Quora and now it goes to the world on Twitter and Facebook. Plus, it lets people know by association that you’re on Quora so they can now connect with you and ask you a question there as well. I know a constant lament I get from marketing and coaching clients is “what do I say on social media, I’m running out of stuff to say.” Well here’s a regular way to have something very valuable to say.
6. You don’t always have to answer a question always to get exposure on the site.
You can also be the poster of a question, and just like you do for a blog, you can comment on pieces and get the same triple link exposure opportunity that you can with an answer!
7. Quora is used by many journalists and top bloggers to ask questions about items they’re working on and to uncover sources.
So who knows, the next question you answer on Quora could just get you connected to a major media outlet and result in some coverage for you and your work. Not bad for taking a moment to share your knowledge.
I highly recommend you give Quora a try, and when you register for the site, please be sure to follow me—of course I’ll follow you back!
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--Melanie R. Jordan, The Expert At Making Money From What You Uniquely Know, Author of Think Beyond The Book and What You Know Is Worth More Than You Know™ - Achieving The Life You Were Meant To Have By Making Money From What YOU Know! and Host of infopreneur podcast What You Know Is Worth More Than You Know(TM), The Podcast Available 24/7 at: http://www.WhatYouKnowIsWorthMorePodcast.com
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Check out Melanie's Other Blogs:
The Healthy Food Review where healthy eating with favorite comfort foods is deliciously possible! at http://www.TheHealthyFoodReview.com
Vegas Inside Scoop--for Las Vegas locals and visitors at http://www.VegasInsideScoop.com
ZumbaForHealth.com for those who love Zumba® like I do!
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