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Using Quora to grow your online business

These days when people have questions, they immediately turn to the internet to find answers. Since for some inquiries it’s hard to figure out what information is accurate and what isn’t, Quora was invented.

This question-and-answer service is highly inclusive and you will find people interested in all sorts of topics, from very simple or even goofy to highly complex issues. The platform functions with an upvoting system so that the answers that have been deemed relevant by higher numbers of users will show up higher and thus have more visibility.

Since when you design an online course you are aiming at solving a problem your audience has, bridging a learning gap or answering some important questions, you can easily establish yourself as an expert in your niche by becoming a constant presence on Quora.

Why use Quora to promote your online course?

I’m not one of the people that advocate marketing wherever it is free. It takes no small amount of effort to keep an interesting presence on several platforms and you need to figure out which ones feel and work best for you.

That being said, Quora is trending right now and there are a number of perks to using it:

  • You can get exposure to Quora’s millions of monthly visitors from all over the world.
  • You can get really valuable insights on your topic or from your industry.
  • You can demonstrate your expertise on the subject or subjects you are interested in and passionate about.
  • You can have direct communication with anyone who asks about your courses.
  • You can share interesting content from other websites (including your own page or blog) in topic-focused boards on your profile.

Read more: Getting started with marketing your online course in online communities


Setting up a Quora profile

This is quite straightforward and simple. However, since you want people to see your expertise if they are so inclined, it’s best to link it to all your other online profiles (Facebook and Twitter for example) and make sure the link to your website is also easily spotted and followed.

There are numerous topics on the website and you can find those that are of interest to you. Quora also does an excellent job of suggesting what you might want to be kept in the loop about.

Once you have selected your topics you can go back to your profile and fill in information about your personal (and professional) experience on those subjects. Whatever you enter here will be shown next to your name whenever you answer questions on those particular topics. If you don’t enter anything in this area, then the main headline for your profile will show up next to your answers

Asking questions

This is always a great way to start conversations, perk people’s interest, and get valuable insights. Once you have followed your favorite topics, you can start submitting questions and answers. You simply have to go that topic and click on the ‘Add question’ button.

It’s important to stay on top of it and interact with the users who write answers. You have upvote and thank links below each of the answers.

One of the fantastic features of Quora is that you can actually nominate users you would like to hear from. The users suggested by the platform are usually the top answerers in that topic. You can view more suggestions if you want to or find people by conducting a search. This feature ensures you can draw as much attention to your questions as you see fit.

Adding answers

This is the reverse of the coin. You can demonstrate your expertise on different subjects by participating in other users’ conversations. You simply need to click on a specific question in a topic you are following, then scroll down to the Add Answer box and type away.

You can link/tag other questions, topics, and Quora users in your answer using the @ symbol. You can upload images from your computer or use an image URL from the web – of course, you ought to be careful of copyrights.


Read more: What you need to know about copyright for online courses


If you have a relevant link to add to your answer you need to simply paste the full URL in, and it will be automatically hyperlinked. This is a great way to promote your own blog posts, infographics and even online courses as long as they apply.


Read more: Leveraging online communities to promote your course

Setting up boards

This is another great way of establishing yourself as a relevant voice. If you want to organize your favorite questions, answers, and collect content from other sites on your Quora profile this is the way to do it.


Read more: 6 Personal branding tips for knowledge entrepreneurs


On your profile, you have a ‘Create a New Board’ button, and then you can either click the Add to Browser button to add a Post to Quora bookmarklet to your browser’s bookmarks toolbar or take it from their resources page.

Then click on the Post to Quora bookmarklet to add content from outside of Quora onto your newly created board. You will get a popup window asking you to add the link you want to share to your own boards or others that are open to outside contributions.

Another option is to simply paste links in. Make sure you fill the Share with Followers checkbox either way.

Wrapping up

Quora is a good place to get more high-quality traffic, boost your authority, and learn more about your target audience. The platform is growing and it’s the place to be for business audiences, which means it’s the place to be for marketers as well. By ‘setting up shop’ here you will not only grow your online brand presence but also keep up with the trends in your industry.

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