Thank you to all that participated in the reader survey in the month of April. The feedback was helpful and I thought I’d share the results and my corresponding conclusions here, as a transition back into the regular educational blogging that will pick up again next Monday.
The following statistics are based on the feedback of the respondents and hopefully may also reflect the feelings of the general readership. I’m also including what I’m considering, based on the feedback and my schedule and thoughts.
How may times a month do you read the blog?
Nearly 60% read the blog posts everytime they come out with 20% reading it at least three times a month. Given that about 80% read it so consistently, I’m planning to continue blogging regularly.
What frequency of content is ideal for you?
While close to 60% like a weekly post, a significant number (33%) would welcome twice a month. One mentioned that it depends on their workload at the time, which is understandable. This is interesting, and I am thinking that I might take one Monday a month to send something very simple or visual, particularly if it is the week the 5 on the 15th comes out. I also conclude from this that there is no need to add something separate on a different day of the week, which I had originally tried as an experiment.
Rank the types of content in order of favorite type.
Here’s the order:
- Blog Posts
- Quick tips
- 5 on 15th
- Hope & Henry
- Video
Hope & Henry and videos only took about 10% of the votes. This helps me see that this type of content is much less preferred than regular posts and tips. Thus, I’ve decided to table Hope & Henry. I still plan to do a video here and there, but may concentrate that type of thing into other resources like courses.
Do you read/interact with my material on social media?
A little over half of respondents admitted to “not much” interacting on social media. The other almost half do occasionally or even frequently. So it’s about 50/50 whether social media activity is that valuable to my business. I’ve got an active presence on several channels, and since nearly half of people do use it, I will continue to be active. I will be, however, giving thought to reducing the level of activity. One thing I believe I will do is to put some blog posts directly onto Linked In more often, given the business audience there.
If someone asked what HOPE Unlimited is or what Beth Beutler does, what would you say?
This had interesting responses, includes “help keep us sane” and giving practical tips. The seasoning of faith seemed well appreciated. Notable is that only a few specifically mentioned my services as a Virtual Assistant. Since HOPE Unlimited has moved toward VA and Business Soft Skill education as our main focus, I am feeling the need to be more intentional in helping readers understand what we do to help overwhelmed professionals excel. However, with my faith being very important to me, I believe there will still be a noticeable flavoring of it in my resources and services.
Bonus: How does reading this blog affect your work and your overall life?
Most, if not all, respondents, decided to answer this bonus question, which I greatly appreciate. Some quotes:
Reading the blog helps me to slow down and focus on things that matter.
I appreciate the honesty and personal touch.
It is a weekly break to learn new things.
I feel supported in my efforts to be organized and effective in my business.
Gets my mind to think about my work in a more organized manner so I can do it and still be calm enough to look for Jesus along the way and be a blessing to others, too.
Perhaps the most touching feedback of all came from a professional who experienced a major loss in recent years, and was slowly gaining her passion for work again, finding organization to be her biggest issue. She thanked me for doing this and “caring about us.”
That brought tears to my eyes. This is the reason we work folks…not just to make a living, but to impact lives.
Thanks for letting me into your worlds.