Your Quick Start Guide to Online Panel Communities

There’s nary an enterprise of any size in the world that would even think about planning a business strategy without market research. To do this would be to “fly blind” in a cutthroat environment riddled with competitors.

And to stay competitive, probably the best thing any enterprise can do is to stay very closely in touch with its customers. There’s an unquestionable need to keep up with customers’ constantly changing preferences as regards their shopping behaviour, the media they consume or use to communicate, and how they feel about the brand of the enterprise in question.

And, online panel communities are one of the best ways to do that exact best thing. If you’re new to this form of market research, or you’ve heard of it but never had occasion to try it yourself, read on to hit the ground running.

Ever answer an online survey? It’s something like that.

Very simply, an online panel is a group of people who answer your online survey—but not just any people. These survey respondents or panelists are cherry-picked for their characteristics such as already having a certain affinity for your brand or the industry you belong to.

And if you’re one of those people who’ve answered online surveys while, say, killing time on the train (or waiting for it at the station), you’ll know how these surveys are usually answered alone, or individually.

Are you in a community on Discord? It’s something like that, too.

Although some of us might still check in on Facebook to see if anyone at all posts in that group you all hate (but can’t seem to live without)—you most probably know how online communities work. A group of people get together basically to talk about something, and if that something warrants it, somebody might take notes.

Unlike online panels though (or surveys), a community isn’t exactly one-and-done: while you probably don’t know anyone who would return to the exact same survey to answer it over and over, you probably know some folks in a community who keep coming back because they’ve got something (else) to say.

Online panel communities are the happy union of the two.

The advantage of using online panel communities for market research is that you can cherry-pick your panelists, and keep them engaged for as long as you need them. And they’ll be happy to do it, too—especially if they’re that crazy about your brand (or about their opinion being heard) (or both).

Also, the qualitative data you’ll be able to gather from these panel communities will definitely give you a competitive edge in a way bare figures and cold statistics never could. It may even be argued that this kind of research enables you to look your boss in the eye and say you really do understand your customers, and know how to give them what they want.

Of course, online panel communities aren’t built in a day.

As idyllic as they sound, there are the inevitable challenges that come with running an online panel community:

• Since your panelists are cherry-picked, you can’t exactly say your research data reflects the thoughts and feelings of an entire population or demographic.
• You’ll have to keep coming up with reasons for your panelists to stay on your panel—whether that involves games, prizes, events (bribery—you get the idea).
• These communities often aren’t built overnight, so if your big brainstorming session for the next quarter’s business plan is tomorrow, you’re going to need another way to get your data.

These challenges are precisely why many businesses look to market research companies to put these online panel communities together for them, and use them for data gathering on a regular basis.

After all, what your customers love today may be old hat by tomorrow, and to continue to reach out to them on yesterday’s channels, for instance, could spell death for your brand. Learn more about online panel communities and find out how they could be the next secret weapon in your business arsenal, today.