How to use Q&A Sites as a Marketing Channel
What do you do when you have a question?
Chances are, you turn to Google.
We’ve taken to using the search engine to answer our questions so much that it gets 5.6 billion searches every day.
And for the most common questions, you’ll see question and answer (Q&A) sites pop up in the results.
Just like you see Q&A sites, your prospects see them, too. So if you want to improve your customer acquisition, you should start using question and answer sites as a marketing channel.
The benefits of using question and answer sites to promote your business
The first benefit is clear: Q&A sites like WikiHow, Quora, and Reddit have incredible search real estate. They pop-up in the first spots and pages for a lot of keywords, including Featured Snippets and “People Also Ask” sections.
But in addition to that…
Q&A websites expand your reach
In particular, Quora sends regular digest newsletters to readers interested in particular topics.
If you post your answer to a question related to your industry, you stand a chance of being featured in their newsletter.
Your target audience members will click through, love your answer, and proceed to your website because…
Q&A websites let you post your links
We’ll touch on that in a second, but essentially, the majority of Q&A websites allow you to post contextual links.
For example, if you were in the email marketing software industry, you might respond to a Quora question: “How to use email marketing for small business?”
Within your answer, you could include a link to your blog post or your tool. No one is going to penalize you for that.
Of course, it’s important to keep the rules of each platform in mind.
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Q&A websites help you improve thought leadership
Posting to Q&A websites and answering concrete questions your target audience has helps you prove your worth to them, and increase trust.
Just think about it: would you trust an expert who just claims to be an expert, or would you trust an expert who consistently answers questions and proves they have experience?
Posting to sites like Reddit, Quora, WikiHow, StackExchange, and others really helps you prove that you’re a leader in your industry by demonstrating your expertise. By being right there and answering your prospects’ questions, you’re not just promoting your business.
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You’re building a brand based on experience and knowledge.
The best question and answer websites to promote your business
Here’s what you need to know about posting to the most popular websites that can significantly expand your reach and attract more customers to your business:
1. Promoting your business on Quora
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Quora set the golden standard for Q&A sites. It doesn’t get more traditional than that.
People post millions of questions every day, and by subscribing to the right topics, you can curate to find the best questions.
Ideally, you’ll find questions that get a lot of views and follows. This means they’re popular with your audience, so if you post an answer to them, a lot more people will see it.
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First, optimize your Quora profile:
- State your credentials
- Create an engaging bio that showcases your area(s) of expertise
- Add links to your website where appropriate
Then, find the right questions and topics to subscribe to. This is similar to SEO: you have to search for the right keywords your audience would use.
Finally, write in-depth answers that truly show your thought leadership and expertise.
Don’t reply with a single line. Instead:
- Show passion about the subject
- Use anecdotes
- Talk about your experiences
2. How to promote your business on Reddit
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Now, Reddit is slightly different, but it’s an absolute audience targeting goldmine. People subscribe to subreddits (specific message boards) related to their interests.
Don’t promote your business from the get-go.
Instead, subscribe to the subreddits related to your business, and start answering questions.
With Reddit, activity matters.
Make sure you post valuable insights. This will demonstrate your expertise, and help the community get acquainted with and interested in you.
For example, if you wrote an in-depth blog post that answers common conundrums, that might be okay to post. Still, check with the moderators of the community.
3. How to promote your business on WikiHow
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With WikiHow, it’s all about extensive, step-by-step tutorials.
Pro tip: create tutorials where you can plug your business.
You can find the WikiHow tutorials that need to be created here.
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Going back to our email marketing example, you’d create or update a tutorial on: “How to use email marketing to promote your business.”
And in the “Choose an email marketing tool” step, you’d mention your own.
4. How to promote your business on StackExchange
StackExchange is similar to Quora.
You can find the relevant questions through keywords, post answers to popular questions, and improve your thought leadership and reach.
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The main industries StackExchange covers are IT and engineering-related industries, but there are plenty of new, popular communities that you can find here.
Again, you should write in-depth, helpful answers, but avoid plugging your links as you would on Quora.
Instead, optimize your profile, and mention your business only after you’ve increased your reputation score.
Q&A sites and social media management go hand-in-hand
Once you’ve posted your answers (or tutorials) to question and answer sites, it’s time to cross-promote them and use them for your social media management strategy.
After all, you’ve spent plenty of time on them, and they can help you attract new audiences through networks like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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If you use a social media tool like DrumUp, you can easily showcase your answers on social networks:
- l Schedule your posts
- Create a content calendar
- Curate content
- Turn your employees and customers into advocates
Q&A sites are all about being social with other users and providing value, and the same goes for social media.
So, are you ready to get more customers?
