In April, I launched my first ever reader survey. I did it because I wanted to learn who my audience was and how I can better serve you. I’ve enjoyed analyzing the results and thought I’d share with you what I discovered through this experience.
More than two hundred and twenty people took the survey, which was surprisingly high to me. If I condensed the results of those participants into a “reader profile,” it would look something like this:
- My typical reader is a female (65%) between the ages of 25-44 (54%).
- She has at least a high school diploma (44%) and now works from home (31%).
- Lives in the U.S. (90%).
- Is a Christian (99%), attends a Mennonite (59%) church at least once a week (54%) and her faith is so important to her that it affects everything she does (65%).
- Started reading my blog in the last three months (54%) and prefers to read it on my website (58%). She usually reads my new blog posts (48%) and is most interested in posts dealing with relationships (73%), discipleship/following Christ (64%), and personal development (58%). She has yet to recommend my blog to others (51%).
- She has not yet read my eBook, Dad and I (49%), but does read eBooks (52%).
- She faces a mixture of challenges in relationships, church, lack of personal discipline and not having clarity about her purpose in life (60%).
- Reads less than 10 books a year (40%) and doesn’t plan to pursue any further education at this point (59%).
- Does not have her own blog (79%), but would like to start one (57%). She wants to learn how to write better (66%).
- The social media network she is most active on is Facebook (88%).
Now, I’ll be honest with you–this kind of surprised me. When I started blogging I didn’t intend to reach women, considering I am a man (no offense, ladies). Furthermore, I figured most of those who read me would be younger than me. They may be, but just didn’t take the survey. Either way, I enjoyed seeing who some of my audience is and look forward to interacting with you in the future.
Based on the comments I received through the survey, I discovered five ways I can improve my blog:
- Continue to write authentically. People appreciate honesty and the willingness to address white-elephant issues.
- Write for Anabaptist’s. Until recently, I always stayed allusive about my particular denominational affiliation. I wanted what I had to say to be helpful to those from other denominations, as well. But my audience is 80% Anabaptist and they seem to really wrestle with Anabaptist issues. While the main goal of my life is not to further Anabaptism as much as Jesus Christ, I see value in engaging my audience and church culture in this way.
- Condense my posts. I’ve gotten mixed feedback on this. Some say fewer posts with more thought, others say more frequent but not as long. However, my target age group (18-24) seems to appreciate more condensed posts. So I am going to work in that direction.
- Use more Scripture. While I always seek to keep my posts aligned with God’s Word, I don’t always reference particular passages. Sometimes people want a specific verse to see the principle more clearly.
- Stay relevant. People appreciate when I address issues they are facing.
Because of your comments, I have some great ideas of how I can improve my blog. I’m already working on several of them. I do acknowledge this one thing: I am not going to try to please everyone. I have a specific purpose for this blog (to help others live a life of continual growth) and a specific group of people I care about (young people 18-24 years old). I am learning how to better achieve that purpose. If this blog is not for you, you are free to “un-follow” me.
