Wikipedia often overlooked and misunderstood as a marketing tool, but a new guide offers some tips to get the most out of the popular user-generated website.
Revenue Performance Management solutions firm Eloqua has published the Grande Guide to Wikipedia.
The latest e-book in Eloqua’s “Grande Guide” series aims to shed light on the inner workings of Wikipedia, one of the most frequently visited sites on the Internet.
The fifth edition in the Grande Guide series – a collection of resources designed to provide “subject matter expertise in the time it takes to drink a ‘cup of coffee’” – the Grande Guide to Wikipedia helps advance readers’ understanding of Wikipedia, while providing practical guidance for how to adhere to the property’s 150+ on-site rules and guidelines.
In addition to explaining Wikipedia’s terminology and policies, the e-book also addresses common questions among marketers, including:
– Is Wikipedia a marketing opportunity?
– Why doesn’t my company have a Wikipedia article?
– Who edits Wikipedia and who approves edits?
– Can I create a new article if I’ve never edited before?
The Grande Guide to Wikipedia also alerts readers to the most common mistakes made by new members of the Wikipedia community, like failing to include citations or not adhering to the site’s style guide. Readers can expect to find rich content, such as cartoons and infographics in the 11-page resource.
According to Eloqua VP of Content Marketing, Joe Chernov, “Wikipedia celebrated its 10 year anniversary this year, yet to many marketers the site is still a mystery, a ‘black box.’ Despite the fact that Wikipedia consistently ranks at the top of search results marketers know very little about how the site works or what the Wikipedia community values. We wanted to open that box for our followers.”
Grande Guide to Wikipedia author William Beutler, who also runs a popular blog called The Wikipedian, added, “When you consider that more than half of the American adult population relies on Wikipedia for information, it’s astonishing that so few understand how it works. I’m excited about this project because I believe the Grande Guide is the perfect format for communicating with an audience that sometimes has the most trouble with Wikipedia, and it’s rare for a company to sponsor an open resource such as this.”
Published under the Creative Commons Share-Alike License, the Grande Guide to Wikipedia was developed in collaboration with design and content partner JESS3. Along with previous Grande Guides in the series, it is available for free at Eloqua’s dedicated microsite.
The content can also be found on the company’s social outposts, including SlideShare and Facebook and Eloqua’s “It’s All About Revenue” blog.
www.eloqua.com