2016 Reader Survey Results (& What You Can Expect in 2017)

Hey Friends! Today, I’m so excited to share the 2016 Reader Survey results with you!

I’m so grateful for the many readers who completed the survey. The comments, constructive criticism, and feedback really helped me to gain clarity regarding the direction that Refined Rooms should go during the next chapter of our journey together. I was BLOWN AWAY by all of your positive feedback! Y’all are the greatest group of cheerleaders, and I’m HONORED to have you as dedicated readers!

After we dig into the survey results, I’ll share my exciting plans for the blog in the coming year!

WHO YOU ARE

Although I generally have a pretty good idea about who my readers are, it’s always useful to collect some basic demographic information in order to validate my assumptions.

Survey respondents were almost exclusively women over 35+ years old (equally divided between the 35-45, 45-55, & 55+ age groups). The vast majority of you are homeowners (88%) and also mothers (85%).

Just for kicks, I was curious to know how many of you are fellow bloggers. Come to find out very few of you are (7%).

YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH REFINED ROOMS

As a blogger, it’s super helpful for me to understand how you read, access and follow the blog (as well as other channels of communication, such as social media and email). Armed with this intel, I can make strategic decisions about where to focus my time and energy in cultivating my relationship with readers.

Since 80% of the survey respondents were “veteran” readers who’ve been around for at least 6 months (many of you for more than a year), you were able to offer up some valuable information. So here are some things I discovered:

The majority of you first discovered Refined Rooms through Pinterest (31%) or Facebook (24%). Another 26% were introduced to the blog via a guest post that I wrote on another website.
Most of you (80%) are regular readers who visit the blog at least once a week. You typically visit when notified about new posts via email.
The vast majority of you don’t use a blog reader (like Feedly & Bloglovin’). Instead, you opt to read posts directly on the site.
Most of you follow me on at least one social media platform (mostly Pinterest and/or Facebook).
Most of you are also email subscribers. Over half of you who are subscribers have downloaded resources from the subscriber-only resource library (Psst…if you want access to the resource library, you can become a subscriber by clicking here).

YOUR CURRENT STRUGGLES

All of the information I gleaned from the survey results is valuable to me. But this question provided the most insight into how I can best help you in 2017:

WHAT’S CURRENTLY YOUR BIGGEST FRUSTRATION WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR HOME?

And here’s just a sampling of what you had to tell me:

Can’t keep up with the paperwork. Piles just accumulate all over!

Getting rid of all the things in the house that accumulate when you live with grown children.

Interruptions

Lack of storage space

Clutter. Finding a place for everything, especially kids’ stuff

My paper clutter…knowing what to keep

Your biggest frustrations fell into one of these categories:

Generalized clutter
Paper clutter/disorganization
A lack of storage space
Feeling unproductive (lack of motivation, unable to overcome distractions)
Difficulty letting go of stuff
Difficulty carrying out household routines

O.K. Got it.

REFINED ROOMS CONTENT FEEDBACK

Now it’s time to dig into the content. I was curious to know the primary reason you all continue to visit the blog. Are most of you here to learn about home organization, or are the home styling/decorating tips what draw you in?

Here’s what you told me:

WHAT TOPICS DO YOU ENOY READING ABOUT MOST ON THE BLOG?

Message heard loud and clear! It’s all about organization. Not surprising, given that it’s the primary focus of this blog. I was a little surprised to see how many of you casted your vote for productivity tips and DIY projects.

I also asked what content you’d like to see MORE of this year. The majority of responses fit into one of these 4 categories:

Productivity/Planning (for both work & home life)
Decluttering
Storage/organizing solutions for small spaces
Downsizing (both yourself and helping your parents to downsize)

Duly noted!

HOW ELSE CAN I HELP?

In addition to writing weekly blog posts on the topics that are most important to you, I also like to provide lots of additional free resources for my readers. Up to this point, these free resources have taken the form of printable worksheets, checklists and mini-ebooks that I make available to my subscribers via the subscriber resource library.

As we embark on 2017, I was curious to know what types of free resources you’re most interested in. Here’s what you had to say:

WHAT TYPES OF FREE RESOURCES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE OFFERED IN THE FUTURE?

Holy cow, everyone is clearly excited about printables! I was so happy to see that there’s a huge demand for more printables, since I really enjoy creating them. In fact, I was on the fence about investing in a course on printable creation that will enable me to take my skill set to the next level. The survey results helped me to make my decision!

A good number of you also expressed interest in email courses and video tutorials. Hmmm…food for thought!

2017 is THE YEAR that I plan to create paid digital products. So naturally, I was quite curious about your interest in purchasing products to solve some of the most common organizing problems I address on the blog:

WHICH PAID PRODUCTS WOULD YOU BE MOST INTERESTED IN PURCHASING?

Given what you told me about your biggest frustration at home, I wasn’t surprised that you expressed a high level of interest in a paid ebook/course on paper organization. Products related to decluttering came in a close second.

Phew! I can’t tell you how helpful this process has been! So now that I’ve summarized the 2016 Reader Survey results, let’s chat about what you can look forward to here on the blog in 2017.

WHAT’S NEW FOR 2017

Printables Galore!

O.K., printables are not exactly new, but I plan to up my design skills so that I can deliver super high-quality printables to help you achieve your organizing, productivity and home decorating goals this year.

You’ll also be seeing MORE of them. I can’t promise a free printable in every blog post, but when it makes sense to include them, I will. Some will be free and available to all readers. Some will be reserved for my subscribers.

More Decluttering Resources

I’ll be creating a free ecourse designed to help you with the decluttering process. I’ve been wanting to complete this project for awhile, but it just hasn’t made its way to the front burner…until now.

One of the stumbling blocks that people often run into when they embark on decluttering is knowing what to do with the things they’ve decided to get rid of. I plan to help you with this aspect of the decluttering process in three ways:

Creating an Ultimate Guide for Where to Donate Items (for the things you plan to donate)
Creating a monthly blog series called “Sell Your Stuff”. Each month, I’ll introduce an online resource/service for selling your discarded items and share my personal experience with using the service.
In light of the crazy popular 10 No Brainer Things to Toss During Your Kitchen Declutter Session post, I plan to introduce a monthly “No Brainer Things to Toss” series for various spaces throughout your home.

If you need help with the decluttering process, you don’t need to wait for these new resources to get help. Check out the Organize & Refine Your Home Challenge posts to get decluttering tips for specific areas of your home. And if you haven’t downloaded the Declutter Tool Kit yet, now’s the perfect time.

Paper Organization Ebook

I’ve waivered back and forth about whether to make my first paid product about paper organization or photo organization. This indecision has been a wee bit crippling and prevented me from moving forward on product creation. So I feel incredibly relieved to have a clear cut answer regarding where I should initially focus my efforts.

You’ve got issues with paper clutter. Most everyone does. I love paper organization and am passionate about helping people go paper-less. Writing my first ebook on paper organization is really a no-brainer. So that’s what I’m doing.

There. I said it. No going back on my word to my readers. By the end of 2017, I WILL deliver a super helpful solution to your paper clutter frustration. Promise.

In the meantime, don’t forget about the Paper Declutter Challenge…my 13-week series for helping you to banish paper clutter from your life.

Organize & Refine Your Life Facebook Group

Back when the Organize & Refine Your Home Challenge was first launched in January 2016, I created the Organize & Refine Your Life Facebook Group to serve as a support forum for Challenge participants. Over the past few months, I’ve been guilty of neglecting this group. Life has just gotten in the way. BUT…I’m recommitting to this group and extend an invitation to anyone whose looking for support, accountability, inspiration, and tips from others who are in the organizing/decluttering trenches (not just those of you who are going through the Challenge assignments).

I’m planning on creating daily prompts to inspire thought and discussion. I’ll also pop in periodically to give my 2 cents where requested. Eventually, I’ll add impromptu Facebook Live sessions to the mix, since you expressed an interest in video tutorials.

What’s Happening on the RR Editorial Calendar

1. Per your request, look for the following topics to be covered in future blog posts:

Storage products and organizing techniques for small spaces
Productivity processes, hacks, tips, and tech tools for the home office & workplace
Downsizing & “inheritance clutter”
Kid Clutter

2. FYI, I plan to publish new posts 2 times per week on Tuesdays and Fridays (moving from Mondays/Thursdays)

3. Be on the lookout for more round up-type posts!

There is so much great information (and so many gorgeous home decorating projects) to be found across blog land, that I’d like to share that awesomeness on a regular basis with all of you (I certainly don’t have a corner on the market when it comes to great organizing advice or pretty room makeover reveals).

That’s a wrap! Thanks from the bottom of my heart for joining me on this journey. Here’s to an incredible 2017 for all of us!