Over the years insight communities have become a significant part of market research. An insight community lets you do more than you’ve done before, in less time and for less money. These communities are platforms for uncovering agile, and actionable insights from the right people at the right time. The expectation is to have access to continuous insight generation from consumers and customers constantly communicating. Well, that’s what the expectations are but at times these communities don’t perform the way they need to. The pressure for the communities to perform successfully rests on the insights team.
There are various factors that determine the success of the community. Are the members recruited into the community right for the research? Is the audience accurate for the research topic? All these questions are significant to the success of the insight community and the recruitment and management of its members.
Finding the right people
The first step toward insight into the community is to find the right members. Different kinds of research topics demand a different kind of audience. The type of research and the topic have the potential to determine the types of respondents required for research. Recruiting the right set of people early in the community helps. If the community is seen as a successful engagement platform, recruiting more participants later in the research experience becomes easier, their integration into the community becomes seamless, and they require little management through moderation. Comprehending what the research experience will imply is the clue to recruiting the right community of respondents.
While a representative sample of regular customers might be the correct choice of sample for some insight communities, a sample of the general consumers might be the right choice for other brands as they might want to focus on future opportunities for the brand. It is essential for the insight teams to recruit suitable samples for the insights required, whether the community comprises customers, consumers, advocates, or an amalgamation of them all, to establish a triumphant community. A community equips businesses with a fitting opportunity to fetch valuable feedback from all types of customers, especially those who may not be as perceptible to them. Within the community, you can focus on a particular set of members and their queries but having a community accessible to all customers opens door to undiscovered unknowns.
Recruiting the right people
What follows next is the recruitment of the right people which is an indispensable step taken toward the formation of an instructive insight community. It encompasses considerations like the maximum number of respondents to be recruited and how probable they are to complete the research and provide their feedback. Once the recruitment of the desired sample is over, their most used communication channels are extensively exploited to notify them of the research opportunity and get in touch with them. The channels vary for varied respondents and since the internet connection and its understanding is not familiar to everyone, it’s essential for insight teams to keep this in mind in context with online communities. A representative sample is usually created by those who are at the convenience of technology than those who are not.
Not all respondents who don’t have a proclivity for technology are elderly stuck in their way, very often, they also comprise youngsters who may be Luddites or might not have the means to access technology. These respondents are equally important and their voice matters in the research process. An informative insight sample from the right respondents will help get to the grips of dynamic marketing trends. Now there’s a plethora of channels to recruit respondents but the frequently chosen ones are social media adverts, live-intercept methods, customer support, referrals, research panels, third-party channels etc.
The teams should always intend to collect neither too small nor too humongous sample sizes, but large enough to provide sufficient yet diverse information leading to confidence in the data collected and a satisfactory hypothesis formation from the survey.
Collecting data from target audience customers is a good way to secure reliable interpretations and learning of how that particular segment thinks and responds. It’s a prudent choice to over-recruit to avoid the end-moment consternation caused by absenteeism. In the case of a full house, there’s always an option to send the fully validated over-recruits home, but with an incentive to appreciate them for their valuable time and presence.
Incentivised and value-delivering approach
Letting the participants know about their importance is inarguably the best way to attract them. They must feel heard and that their opinions are being valued. The respondents shouldn’t feel wasted but a sense of belongingness, and then they will be raring to participate. This can be achieved through a personalised approach.
Incentives are also a fulfilling solution to drive research engagement. It’s about incentivising participation through rewards, lucky draws and prices for survey completion or providing insightful details. It’s important to make sure that participants don’t become accustomed to financial rewards. To complement this purpose, non-financial incentives can also be imparted that comprise communication and engagement. The participants must be reminded of the power they hold in the research and the impact their input will make. This gamified research is an effective way to keep potential and existing participants on their toes. These techniques work best in conjunction with the right audience to garner fruitful results.
Summing up
To recapitulate, it is essential to recruit high-quality respondents who are a true representation of your customers.
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