Amongst the disappointing earnings news from Yahoo this week was a couple of interesting quotes from Yahoo Chief Executive Terry Semel. When asked about social media Semel responded:
“We are convinced that the social media space will continue to grow and evolve, and we plan to be a key player in this business.” Semel, added that Yahoo has grown Flickr, Del.icio.us, and Yahoo Answers, which currently have 30 million users between the advertiser-coveted ages of 15 and 24.
Yahoo Answers qualifies as a social media site as it contains user-generated (UG) content where users ask questions and the community at large responds to them. This is the web 2.0 version of the messages boards.
Why should Yahoo Answers be a component of your social media marketing plan? One reason is this Yahoo Answers is a social neighborhood with 30 million people between the ages of 15-24. If this is your target demographics, then you are missing out on a lot of branding opportunities by not being in front of them. Second reason is that Yahoo is incorporating Yahoo Answers results within their regular search results, so by providing answers you are capturing more real estate on the Yahoo search engine results page.
How do you reach this audience? Yahoo Answers does run contextual ads next to the answers, so traditional text ads is one option. The other option, and I believe better option, is to start to answer question in your field. For example, if you sell cell phones, provide answers to questions that users have in this area. Engage in the conversation, provide useful information and build your reputation in Yahoo Answers as a knowledgeable source of information.
To market successfully on Yahoo Answers the time commitment is not that large, there are 30 million members, little competition, and this is a fast growing section of Yahoo. Is Yahoo Answers part of your social media marketing plans?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Nina K. 10.19.06 at 10:58 am
I recently found a new service called AskMeNow that I actually prefer over Yahoo Answers. For whatever reason I feel like the answers are more accurate. It’s easier to use too.
David Wilson 10.19.06 at 11:29 am
While AskMeNow is an interesting service Nina, it appears to be aimed just for the text (re mobile) market while Yahoo Answers appeals to a more broader market.