Members Share Their Views on BN Magazine

Over the last two weeks, we have been exploring some of the findings from our all-member survey.

Two weeks ago, we discovered that the aspect of membership people value most is the sense of community and belonging. Last week, we compared what members value with what they actually use, helping us identify where we can focus our efforts to make membership even more rewarding.

This week, we turn our attention to one of our most tangible membership benefits: BN Magazine.

British Naturism has been publishing a quarterly magazine since 1964. But in a world where so much information is consumed digitally, do members still read it? And, perhaps more importantly, do they still value it?

The answer to both questions appears to be a resounding yes.

Do people still read BN Magazine?

We asked members whether, and to what extent, they read BN Magazine.

91% of respondents said they read the magazine, with 53% saying they read every issue thoroughly. Only 3% said they don't engage with the magazine at all.

That is an astonishing level of engagement for any publication and demonstrates that BN Magazine remains a significant part of the membership experience.

The finding is reinforced by another question in the survey, which asked members which aspects of British Naturism they use or engage with. BN Magazine ranked number one.

That tells us two things:

• Firstly, the magazine remains relevant.

• Secondly, because so many members use it, we need to make sure we do it well.

When something reaches such a large proportion of our membership, it deserves the appropriate attention and resources to ensure it continues to deliver what members want.

So, does BN Magazine hit the target?

Having established that the magazine is widely used, the next question was whether members are actually satisfied with it. We asked respondents to rate their satisfaction with a range of different features of British Naturism.

The good news was that members expressed a positive view of every aspect we asked about. That is reassuring in itself.

But BN Magazine stood out even further.

Despite all the features receiving positive satisfaction scores, satisfaction with BN Magazine was significantly higher than for any other feature. We certainly shouldn't rest on our laurels, but this tells us that the magazine has a very strong foundation from which to develop. And that is important as we look at what comes next.

What about the print edition?

One of the obvious strategic questions for any modern publication is whether it still makes sense to produce a printed edition.

Many magazines are moving towards online-only publishing, while much of the information we consume every day arrives through our phones and computers. For some people, digital is more convenient and accessible. Producing and posting a printed magazine also carries costs and uses resources, so it is reasonable to ask whether it remains the best approach.

Rather than speculate, we asked our members.

The question was simple:

“Do you prefer reading the print version or the online digital version of BN Magazine?”

The answer was remarkably clear.

68% prefer the print version. A further 14% use both equally, leaving just 18% who prefer the digital version.

That gives us a very strong mandate.

If we are considering the strategic future of the magazine, the question of whether the print edition should disappear has a clear answer from our members – NO. Members value the printed magazine very highly.

This is exactly the sort of information that makes a member survey so valuable. Without asking, we could easily have assumed that a move towards digital-only publishing reflected the direction members wanted.

Instead, you have told us very clearly that it doesn't.

And because so many people responded to the survey, we can make that decision with confidence rather than guesswork. Thank you for taking the time to tell us what you think.

So, is the magazine perfect?

Not exactly! The clear message about print is extremely useful, but perhaps even more valuable are the detailed responses about what members like, what they would like to see more of and where they think the magazine could be refined.

The findings we have explored this week tell us that BN Magazine already has a very strong foundation. It is widely read, highly valued and enjoys exceptionally high satisfaction among members. That gives us something very positive to build on.

The next step is to look at what is working particularly well and, just as importantly, what members would like us to do differently. So next week we'll take a closer look at those responses and explore what members want more of from BN Magazine.

The all-member survey has given us an extraordinary amount of insight. It means we don't have to guess what the membership wants from its magazine, you have told us. And with that knowledge, we can be confident that the best years of BN Magazine are still ahead of us.

Thank you for helping us make that happen.