In Blogs, Use Questions To Show You Know The Answers

An Indianapolis Woman Magazine article called “Home Quiz” reminded me of something I used to do every week for twenty-five years in my “Dear Rhoda” financial planning columns – answer readers’ questions. And isn’t that exactly what blog posts are designed to do? Searchers turn to the Internet because they’re looking for something – a product, a service, or information.  When the query relates to what you sell, what you do, and what you know about, those readers find your blog.

But this issue of Indianapolis Woman reminded me that the blog can be doing the questioning.  “Home Quiz” presents different options, multiple-choice style, for home buyers:

Your dream location is to live….

A. Downtown, in or near a big city
B. Close to the beach or in a rural area.
C. Doesn’t really matter if it’s in close proximity to others.

What you’re looking forward to the most about your home is…

A. Less cleaning.  Your last place was too big.
B. Decorating.  You can’t wait to get your hands on a paintbrush.
C. Meeting the new neighbors around you.

Near the end of the article, readers learn what their answers “mean”: (“If you answered mostly A’s, the best home that suits your lifestyle is a one-bedroom studio apartment because those are usually small, inexpensive, easy to keep clean, and found in cities…”)

The Indianapolis Woman quiz is a very successful format.  Why? It’s all about the reader, while at the same time showcasing the broad knowledge of the writer.

A blog can include a link to an actual survey, sometimes with an incentive for participation. Some blogs invite customers to comment on their product and service (either in a personal or phone interview or through an online survey, and then talk about those comments in the blog posts. AFT Products, for example, ran a contest, asking their customers why they love the AirFlow Breeze, then using the responses in blog posts.

Almost by definition, quizzes and surveys involve blog visitors, helping to engage and keep their interest through interaction. So long as you keep the material short, blog posts are the perfect place for them to ask – and answer questions!