Improve Communication with Your Audience
Calling all journalists and freelance writers, publishers and editors. Now is the time to breathe more life into your articles. Turn your articles into living pieces that spark measurable debate and that allows you to engage with your readers mind and soul – we’re talking revolution.
As it was in the beginning
Publishers have for many years relied on letters to get feedback from their readers and although email has opened up this method of communication it is still time consuming and difficult to monitor and process, and for the more popular articles, it is either a case of only a fraction of the received correspondence ever being used, or where online comments have been allowed, well written and good comments can be buried under poorly written and abusive comments.
As well as being an overhead for the publisher, it can also be an unrewarding medium in terms of the amount of effort required and response that is received, just consider the number of letters that go unread and unpublished.
As it is now
The Internet has brought new channels of communication and has opened up opportunities that allow us to challenge traditional methods. The Internet is now a mature technology, no longer the preserve of the new fad brigade but a technology that has been embraced by a global population, young and old alike and it allows us now to re-evaluate the way things are done. Newspapers, trade journals, magazines and ezines now have the opportunity to change the mental process.
When people read an article that provokes thought they now expect the opportunity to comment either by writing a comment, sending an email or writing a letter. Emails make communication easier but it still takes time to craft an email and time for the majority, is what they haven’t got.
Although of interest a letters page is at best a snapshot of views or if comments have been allowed an unmanaged and often never ending list of comments; they may be well crafted and well written but due to the free text form, collectively they are views that are notoriously difficult to measure.
As it should be
Now consider the advantages of linking articles to online surveys where as a publisher you will have the ability to obtain valuable feedback from your readers and in a form that can be easily measured. Just as important as you communicating with your readers is giving your readers a way to communicate with you where they know it will count.
Want a snapshot of opinion? Did they like the article? Did the sentiments expressed in the article have the support of the audience or do the readers have a different view?
Now it is easy
Traditional printed surveys would have taken considerable effort to design, publish and collate, a process that was too long winded and justifiable only for the niche and important topics.
However, using a hosted survey site surveys and questionnaires can be created and published via the Internet by anyone who has a pulse. Professional looking questionnaires and surveys created in minutes make the perfect complement to articles that prompt opinion and debate.
The advantage online surveys have over letters, e-mails and comments are that feedback can be properly managed and measured and online survey websites furnish you with polls and real time charts that you can either keep private or share.
Linking articles to online surveys will not only extend the life of the article but will involve your readers in the discussion and in a way where that they know that their opinion will be counted.
If you think they would rather send an email? – no problem – include the facility within the survey and get the best of both worlds.
It’s quick, low cost, and easy to do; it will empower and engage the reader, provide first class feedback and having established a communication channel you then have the opportunity to promote other related articles.
Join the revolution and have your say about this article here:- Readership Feedback Survey
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