Business South Lanarkshire readers comment
The editorial team would like to say a big thanks to everyone who took the time to fill in the readership survey in the hardcopy version of the Spring 2000 edition. All in all, the results were very positive despite a relatively low response rate. We’ve noted some of the highlights and how many of them we might be able to act on.
What We Asked
The questionnaire broadly covered the areas of:
What Readers Liked
Interestingly, all replies said they did read the magazine, with most reading some articles and around 20% reading all articles. Few said that they skimmed it, reading headlines only.
The favourite article in the last edition, by a considerable margin, was the cover story on Tunnock’s. After that, in order of reader interest, the articles on GT Martin & Sons, V Facto and on the Economic Development Service itself, took the runners-up positions.
Usefulness
On the usefulness of the publication, most respondents indicated that it kept them ‘informed of Council activities’. Of less significance was the ‘providing good background material’ followed by introducing them to new topics or issues. Indeed, virtually all who replied said there were no parts of the magazines they didn’t find helpful.
Future Editions
Looking to what future issues might cover, the topics most favoured, in descending order, were: company profiles; details of changes to eligibility for funding; legal, financial and property issues; e-commerce; product/process development; and exporting.
Other suggestions for topics worth covering included education/business partnerships; chambers of commerce activities; and architecture/building related.
What Can Be Improved?
A high proportion of replies said they would like to see more company profiles. Seen as less important, but which should be still considered, was the development of longer articles and more editions per year. A number of replies also indicated that less, rather than more, advertising would be an improvement.
Layout and Design
Encouragingly every respondent liked the design of Business South Lanarkshire and its A4 format. There was an even split between those who would like to see a longer magazine and those who would like to see it at its current length.
What Did People Do After Reading It?
Most respondents indicated they would either pass the magazine on for someone else to read or save it for reference only. Around 20% said they would throw it away. Quite a high proportion - about 60% - were willing to contribute or suggest ideas for articles and we will attempt to develop a number of these for future editions.
Keeping You Informed
Although a small proportion of replies said the Council should not produce a unique business magazine, more than 60% suggested we should produce a short monthly newsletter in addition to the quarterly Business South Lanarkshire.
Other ways readers suggested we keep you informed about the Council’s business support packages included regular email updates, mail shots (to a lesser extent) and more briefing events. Disappointingly, only a small percent of respondents have visited the online version of the magazine - so there’s room for improvement there.
What Next?
Over the next year and where practical, we will try and act on some of your suggestions. We will continue updating and improving on the magazine, trying to keep the balance of articles weighted more towards company profiles. Consideration will also be given to developing short monthly updates on our activities and issues affecting companies.
Business South Lanarkshire - Summer 2000
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