By Ben Easton
Eliciting information from current and potential customers is how your business blog can move forward. Yet, finding ways to ask the right questions in order to get the most important feedback can be fraught with challenges. As the owner of a business blog, it’s to your advantage to learn techniques that allow you to ask key questions, gaining invaluable insights from your readers.
To get the most out of information readers share with you, you must thoroughly listen to what readers reveal. The following methods will help you hone into the information so your business can thrive. It’s often overlooked. But, blog comments are one of the best ways to get customer feedback.
Blog Comments Opening Dialogue
It’s probably too simple to say that you won’t get answers if you don’t ask questions, but that’s the gist of it. Businesses spend inordinate sums of money trying to figure out what their customers need or want when the fact of the matter is—it’s most cost-effective just to ask. In fact, over a 4g internet network, a blogger can pose a simple question like what more might you want from your refrigerator? What device would you like to see powered by solar energy? What are your favorite smart phone features?
Simply opening a discussion in a blog format can elicit helpful advice for a business. Ask directly and you’ll likely get a direct answer. People who take the time to read a business blog are also likely to respond or comment on it when asked to. Quality blog comments reveal what customers and prospects are really thinking.
Offer a Survey
Sometimes a business needs answers to more than one question. In such cases, consider inviting your blog’s readers to participate in a survey. Straightforward and easy to set up, surveys provide detailed analytics that your company can use to develop future business plans or tweak the direction the business is headed in. Consider offering survey-takers an incentive like a digital coupon for participating!
Say Something Risky
Publishing a controversial opinion can elicit numerous responses; however, as a business blog owner, you have to weigh the potential negative comments the opinion could generate. If the point is to generate discussion and fuel an enthusiastic conversation, this route usually delivers on blog comments. Consider what type of information you really want to learn from your customer base before publishing emotionally charged opinions. Use the power of conversation wisely. Also, state outright that you’d like to hold a debate about a controversial topic; observe the response you get. You just might be surprised at the outpouring of feedback your business blog receives.
Tell a Story to Drive Blog Comments
Everyone loves a good story. If you want to invite reader comments, try telling your business story, connecting more deeply with readers. You could also ask employees to share their stories with readers. After telling a story, include questions for discussion such as “what would you do in this situation” or “how does this story’s conclusion make you feel?”
Blogs are a great platform for genuine discussion. A business that uses a blog to communicate with its customers may discover many facts about its readers and shoppers, data the business can use to better understand its customer base so it can employ new ways to enhance the customer-business relationship.
About the author: Ben Easton is a customer service representative. He frequently writes about his top tips on small business blogs.
If you enjoyed or benefitted from this article, please share it with others by clicking the social media share buttons below. You bet! We appreciate it!
Click on the “Subscribe” button at the side of this post so you can always be the very first person to receive our updates!
Get Your copy of Love Pour Over Me at http://www.amazon.com/Love-Pour-Over-Me-ebook/dp/B007MC0Z2C
Business News
Why you shouldn’t ignore blog comments
By Ben Easton
Eliciting information from current and potential customers is how your business blog can move forward. Yet, finding ways to ask the right questions in order to get the most important feedback can be fraught with challenges. As the owner of a business blog, it’s to your advantage to learn techniques that allow you to ask key questions, gaining invaluable insights from your readers.
To get the most out of information readers share with you, you must thoroughly listen to what readers reveal. The following methods will help you hone into the information so your business can thrive. It’s often overlooked. But, blog comments are one of the best ways to get customer feedback.
Blog Comments Opening Dialogue
It’s probably too simple to say that you won’t get answers if you don’t ask questions, but that’s the gist of it. Businesses spend inordinate sums of money trying to figure out what their customers need or want when the fact of the matter is—it’s most cost-effective just to ask. In fact, over a 4g internet network, a blogger can pose a simple question like what more might you want from your refrigerator? What device would you like to see powered by solar energy? What are your favorite smart phone features?
Simply opening a discussion in a blog format can elicit helpful advice for a business. Ask directly and you’ll likely get a direct answer. People who take the time to read a business blog are also likely to respond or comment on it when asked to. Quality blog comments reveal what customers and prospects are really thinking.
Offer a Survey
Sometimes a business needs answers to more than one question. In such cases, consider inviting your blog’s readers to participate in a survey. Straightforward and easy to set up, surveys provide detailed analytics that your company can use to develop future business plans or tweak the direction the business is headed in. Consider offering survey-takers an incentive like a digital coupon for participating!
Say Something Risky
Publishing a controversial opinion can elicit numerous responses; however, as a business blog owner, you have to weigh the potential negative comments the opinion could generate. If the point is to generate discussion and fuel an enthusiastic conversation, this route usually delivers on blog comments. Consider what type of information you really want to learn from your customer base before publishing emotionally charged opinions. Use the power of conversation wisely. Also, state outright that you’d like to hold a debate about a controversial topic; observe the response you get. You just might be surprised at the outpouring of feedback your business blog receives.
Tell a Story to Drive Blog Comments
Everyone loves a good story. If you want to invite reader comments, try telling your business story, connecting more deeply with readers. You could also ask employees to share their stories with readers. After telling a story, include questions for discussion such as “what would you do in this situation” or “how does this story’s conclusion make you feel?”
Blogs are a great platform for genuine discussion. A business that uses a blog to communicate with its customers may discover many facts about its readers and shoppers, data the business can use to better understand its customer base so it can employ new ways to enhance the customer-business relationship.
About the author: Ben Easton is a customer service representative. He frequently writes about his top tips on small business blogs.
If you enjoyed or benefitted from this article, please share it with others by clicking the social media share buttons below. You bet! We appreciate it!
Click on the “Subscribe” button at the side of this post so you can always be the very first person to receive our updates!
Get Your copy of Love Pour Over Me at http://www.amazon.com/Love-Pour-Over-Me-ebook/dp/B007MC0Z2C