INSIGHTS IN ACTION: THE FGI BLOG
FGI’s Qualitative Research Capabilities Expand
In a recent press release, FGI Research announced innovative updates to its online research community, the FGI SmartPanel Community. These changes come as part of an overall update to FGI’s online community offering. In addition to the qualitative, forum-based discussion and quantitative “quick polls” at the heart of the original solution, FGI’s community now features a live feed from Twitter to track conversation on social media. The updated solution combines social media monitoring with the controlled, customer-driven discussion that has always been the force behind FGI’s online research community.
Online Communities Drive Deeper Insight
Our experts have spoken before about the benefits of online-community-based market research. Industry news sources report that more and more companies use communities to fill a need that focus groups once did, attracted to the comparative flexibility and cost-efficiency of the Internet. Certainly, the online community and the focus group have a good deal in common –but they are different in very important ways.
Like in a focus group, moderators can ensure that forum discussion in the community stays on-topic and addresses objectives. However, the online format gives community members more opportunity to speak candidly. This frees insights to emerge from the discussion in a way that feels organic and authentic. Online research communities bring to light ideas that other research methods can miss, and businesses, as a result, are able to capture richer data from the qualitative research they conduct.
Social Media Monitoring Captures Unscripted Feedback
Social media monitoring collects qualitative data, but it does so in a different format than the online community. Social media monitoring captures spontaneous online interactions that are not moderated, and hence it harnesses thoughts that consumers might not express as freely under controlled conditions. The social-media approach gives businesses new ways to understand and respond to consumer behaviour. Researchers found recently that Twitter is an accurate predictor of box-office profits. The popular micro-blogging site sheds light on other subjects, too –which is why FGI Research chose to include data from Twitter in its community solution. With social media monitoring attached to our community solution, we can create a more complete perspective of any research project.
What the Updates Include
The SmartPanelTM community invites consumers to take surveys and participate in forum discussion in exchange for material incentives. The community portal features an online forum, quick surveys, and secure client- and user- access, among other features. Meanwhile, the new community solution offers the choice of whether to include, on the landing page, a module tracking forum discussion or a feed tracking buzz on popular social media sites.
Qualitative data from community-based research will help businesses refine existing quantitative studies, contextualize quantitative results, and define fresh business initiatives to better serve customers’ interests. For community members, the many features and opportunities to contribute to research make for a dynamic online experience. In short, the new community not only engages customers in online discourse, but it provides researchers with a larger volume of better data, for a better value.
More About SmartPanelTM
The FGI SmartPanelTM is one of the most respected online consumer panels in the industry. It is an engaging and interactive platform that invites users to take surveys, exchange ideas, and interact with other panelists in exchange for rewards like cash and prizes. Cash and prizes are delivered promptly, securely and directly into survey respondents’ PayPal accounts. In addition, SmartPanelTM members are eligible to join the SmartPanelTM Community. To join SmartPanelTM, visit the SmartPanelTM Gateway (http://ld.fgiresearch.com/fgireportbuilder/sp/gw/).