Quora testing lead gen forms for advertisers

Quora, the question-and-answer knowledge sharing platform, is rolling out lead generation forms for advertisers in a beta test, the company announced Wednesday. A new Zapier integration is designed to bring leads into marketers’ CRM systems. Users can share contact information with businesses right from the ads without leaving Quora.

What it looks like. Users will be prompted with the form after clicking on sponsored content with a call-to-action, such as to download a report. The test is running on both mobile and desktop.

The form includes up to 12 potential fields for businesses to choose from, including:

• Contact Info: First Name, Last Name, Email, Business Email, Phone Number
• Employment Info: Job Title, Company Name, Company Size
• Location Info: City, State (U.S. Only), Zip Code (U.S. only), Country

Zapier integration. Advertisers on the platform will be able to download a CSV file of leads, which will be available in Quora’s Ads Manager for up to 180 days. Leads can also be imported to the brand’s CRM or automation platform using Quora’s new Zapier integration. Zapier integrates with 1,500+ apps, including Gmail, Salesforce, and Marketo.

Falling in line with other platforms. The new feature adds to the growing move by platforms to integrate lead generation forms that don’t require the user to leave the site. LinkedIn, for example, added lead gen forms to Sponsored InMail and Dynamic Ad campaigns in 2017. Facebook added a similar feature to Messenger in August, allowing businesses to create an automated question and answer experience within Messenger that launches via Facebook’s click-to-Messenger ads for Facebook News Feed. Google is currently testing lead form extensions for Search ads.

Why we should care. Because of the way users already engage with the platform (pose questions, answer questions, evaluate products and services), lead gen forms could give advertisers a unique opportunity to introduce related content or products in an environment where audiences are already looking for answers.

The offering may also boost Quora’s share of lead gen ad dollars, giving advertisers another channel to capture leads. With 75% of users accessing Quora via their mobile phones, according to the company, the new lead gen forms feature offer users a simpler way of sharing information without the hassle of leaving the mobile platform.