As you read the articles in this issue of the Baylor Business Review (BBR), you may notice it looks different than previous issues. This issue and its changes reflect our readership survey results. Every four years, we conduct a readership survey. Last fall, the BBR included a print readership survey, and it was followed up with an online readership survey. Here’s an overview of what we learned from the respondents:
- More than 75 percent of readers read the magazine in its print version
- 6.4 percent reported reading the magazine online, and 1.4 percent reported reading the iPad app version
- 71.8 percent read the BBR most of the time to every time they receive an issue
- The most read, recurring sections are Alumni News, the alumni profiles, the cover story, In the News, Baylor Business Buzz and the dean’s message (in that order)
- Less than 26 percent of all audience segments read the following recurrent articles: View/Review, Learning in 360, Research in Action, Research & Publications, Ethics of and Why Hire a Baylor Grad?
- 17 percent of readers believe the magazine should be produced more often than its current bi-annual production schedule
- 21.6 percent of readers would prefer a lighter paper weight
- 84.4 percent of all audience segments report feeling proud when reading the magazine
- 74.4 percent of all audience segments report feeling connected
- 86.7 percent of all audience segments report feeling informed
- 51.9 percent report feeling represented
- 65 percent rated layout and design very good to excellent
- 62.6 percent rated writing style very good to excellent
- 54.1 percent rated coverage of alumni very good to excellent
- 51.4 percent rated coverage of students very good to excellent
- 57.6 percent rated themes of issues very good to excellent
For those of you who shared your feedback, we thank you, and we want you to know we listened. There were some clear areas of improvement, and some areas where we feel we are accomplishing our goals. We removed the articles with less than 30 percent readership, taking the magazine from a dense 60 pages to 32. In an effort to better represent our vast array of readers, instead of four alumni profiles, we’ve adjusted to include two alumni profiles, a profile of a recent graduate (someone who has graduated in the past five years), and a current student profile. We’ve simplified the design to allow for easier reading. We continue to print all of our materials, including the BBR, on 100 percent postconsumer waste recycled paper—a paper stock choice that allows us to be environmentally friendly without an increase in cost. Moving forward, we will conduct online readership surveys annually to stay abreast of our readers’ habits and preferences.
We appreciate your honest feedback and your investment in the future of this publication. For those who did not respond to our readership surveys or those who would like to comment on the new look, send us an email at BaylorBusiness@baylor.edu or post your comments at bbr.baylor.edu.
Becca Broaddus
Editor, Baylor Business Review
Baylor Business Review, Fall 2015