How to find out what your customer really wants

Last week we shared with you some of the reasons why you should give away your content for free on your business blog.

Top of the list:

You become the go-to person for information in your niche

Remember your blog is not about you – it is about your customers. And in order to become that go-to resource, you need to know what your customer really wants from you.

So how do you go about this?

A great place to start is by using Google Tools such as Google Trends, and Google Insight for Research – (learn more from our 8 Google Tools to Rock Your Business Blog post)

Or, if this all sounds too complicated..you could always use the old fashioned way of simply asking what your customers and readers need to know.

Rich Brooks of Flyte New Media recommends a simple customer/reader survey using Google Docs:

There are plenty of great survey tools on the market from Survey Monkey to Constant Contact. However, most of them cost money or have severe limits on the number of surveys, questions and/or participants you can have.However, you can use Google Docs to create free online surveys that you can share via email, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or even embed into your website or blog.

In the video above, Rich takes you through the steps  of creating an online form using Google Docs.

Have you tried using an online survey to learn more about your customer needs? We’d love to learn more about how it worked for you.

About Marie

Marie Ennis-O’Connor BA, MIAPR, holds an Honours degree in History from University College Dublin. She is a graduate of the Irish Academy of Public Relations and has worked in a variety of PR roles over the past 12 years. Marie is editor of several award-winning blogs ranging from life sciences to health to business. She is a panel member of the newly established Bloggers International and is a regular contributor to Health Works Collective, an online community for thought leaders in international healthcare. She is a featured blogger on Webicina, an online service that provides curated medical social media resources in over 80 medical topics and over 17 languages, and has been awarded a top blogger accolade by Empowered Doctor.com and most inspiring writer by WegoHealth. Marie is also in demand as a trainer in social media marketing and travels the country teaching small business owners how to get online and maximise their online presence.