Many small businesses feel they are on the fore-front of marketing when they utilize social media channels. They're largely correct. Hordes of small businesses are embracing technology like never before. Social profiles for business, especially those on Facebook, have gained momentum, followers and value very quickly. But, that doesn't mean your business needs to go and sign up for every shiny new social media service that comes along. Quora is a case-in-point.
Quora is a red-hot startup is trying to be the leader in the questions and answers service. The service has gotten off to a fast start and is being embraced by the trend-setters and the elite of the tech community. But, most small business owners, at this time, should stay away from services like Quora.
A couple months ago, Robert Scoble (a tech elite tastemaker) declared Quora "the future of blogging." Over the weekend, he stated that Quora is a "horrid service for blogging." Yes, those two quotes, just several weeks apart, came from the same person. And they illustrate perfectly why you don't need to bother with the social media service du jour. Let the bleeding edge techies argue over the future of Quora while you build your business with mainstream services that normal people actually use on a daily basis.
One moment something like Quora is hot, the next it's not. That is definitely not a consistent, sustainable marketing environment for a small business to enter into. So, don't waste your time on the bleeding edge of technology. Go for the mainstream. Go where the people are. Even then, you'll have plenty of businesses who aren't using the largest, most popular services to promote themselves so you can still get an advantage over your competition.
Let the uber-techies spend time on Quora or whatever new service the tech elite christen one day then castigate the next. Small businesses need to spend their time on mainstream, consistent platforms that actually reach their prospects and potential customers.
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