This impact, when used effectively, is a valuable business liquidity. We are all familiar with celebrity feeds on Instagram and approvals as a form of social influence, although many of us see these marketing tricks. Bloggers and depositors also have a huge amount of social capital.
However, who are the real mediators of social influence? Where do we go when we want to get a neutral, objective view of a business or organization? Maybe, Reddit or Quora? There is one website that, despite much controversy, is still considered the last pillar of reliable knowledge on the Internet — Wikipedia.
Why Wikipedia is the most powerful social influencer?
You can think that nobody considers a website that consists entirely with the content created by the users, as a reliable source. However, Wikipedia content is not only created by users, but also moderated by users. Community members carefully examine contributions (edits) of each other.
In his book, the enthusiast of the Wikipedia Revolution Andrew Lim describes this process as a Piranha effect and compares it with a collective intelligence similar to an ant farm. Everything, from mathematical formulas to trifles, such as the date of birth of our beloved actor or the birthplace of a certain celebrity, is subject to careful study.
The formed model of Wikipedia makes an encyclopedia a valuable form of social currency, a gold standard that can be combined with lies, promotions and likes on social media: Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook use Wikipedia to confirm the celebrity, verification, blue check mark, etc.
How to combine the commercial content of Wikipedia for maximum effect?
The information contained in the Wikipedia article does not reflect the views of one person, it represents a wide consensus achieved by the community discussion. This consensus is represented as a neutral point of view, although the article does not have to be supported by impartial sources.
However, the sources must be reliable and verified. If everything is done correctly, the encyclopedia content can often be a sharp contrast to the company's website or a press release. The strong page of Wikipedia refuses to sell words, high-pierce exaggerations and empty PR narratives for clear information. This is not something that marketing units need, but exactly what consumers want.
How does business have to place itself on Wikipedia?
Pages should be related to others to encourage research and analysis, so think about the widespread ontology of your company when developing content for your company on Wikipedia. The path that passes a potential customer in the study of your business will have a profound impact on the acquisition decision.
The influential commercial content on Wikipedia should also be issued by the community, so be open and ready to abandon a certain level of editorial control in favor of editors and Wikipedia moderators. Consumers often trust a page with a long history of editing, active user contributions and a healthy debate on the article discussion page.
Summary
There is no doubt that Wikipedia is a powerful social authoritative source with deep SEO capabilities. However, it is also important to remember that it is primarily an educational resource. So, before the deep studying and creating a page for your business, spend a bit of time to find out more about the platform and try to put its vision and approach in the first place. Moreover, remember if you are stuck, or you have any questions, there are professional editors ready to answer any questions.