How to find out what people want from you

I’ve done a lot of surveys over the years. This question consistently comes up:

“I don’t know what to write/create because I don’t know what people would read/buy/enjoy.”

I have a very simple method for this.

Ask questions. Lots of them.

Ask questions. Lots of them.
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Now, I can already hear you saying “I ask questions and no one answers me!” You can’t just ask one question at the end of every blog post, or put out 10 question surveys once a year. Here are the three guidelines I follow:

1. Ask often, and everywhere.

The key for me has been to ask questions even if I’m not actively planning anything. A lot of people wait until they want to test an idea to see what people think, or they do a yearly survey because that’s what everyone does.

Be curious — always. Create 1-2 question surveys throughout the year. Respond with a question when someone shares your posts on Twitter. Set up an autoresponder to ask one question to everyone who signs up for your email list. You may not get many responses, but the more questions you ask, the more those responses add up over time.

2. Keep it simple.

The more questions you ask in a survey, the less likely people are to complete it. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do the 10-question reader survey on occasion to get more demographic information, but you’ll get more (and better!) responses if you stick to 1-2 questions.

I usually ask open-ended questions, like what people are struggling with, or 3 things they want an answer to right now. They require more thought, which means less people will typically respond, but the people who do respond will tell you more. Multiple choice questions get more responses and can help you choose between a few ideas.

3. Focus on quality over quantity.

I hear a lot of people say that they aren’t getting many responses. For starters, if you ask the right questions, you don’t need a lot of responses. It only takes one response to inspire a blog post. One blog post can lead to more conversations, and before you know it, you have a new idea for an ebook.

This is also why it’s so important to ask questions everywhere. You’re going to learn a lot more about what people want from you when you initiate quality, one-on-one conversations.

Go forth and ask questions! And tweet me @elembee_ to let me know how it goes!

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