COMMUNITIES

• Overview
• Advantages
• Proof

There is a lot of buzz about using online communities for market research, and rightfully so. They are emerging as powerful tools for tapping insights that other methods omit. Gartner Inc. estimates that “by 2010 more than 60 percent of Fortune 1,000 companies will have some form of online community.”

Private research communities, typically recruited from custom panels or customer databases, allow people to share opinions through discussion forums,  surveys, and other interactions. Used correctly, they uncover ideas and insights that only come from real and unscripted collaboration.

While the trend towards communities is clear, agreement on the best approach is not. At FGI Research, we understand that different solutions are needed for different situations. As part of our community solution, we offer three different options:

Panel Gateway Communities:

Gateway Communities are unique to FGI and are integrated into the websites that panelists use to take studies and update their custom panel accounts. Gateway Communities capture a constant stream of insights from your custom panel members.

OnDemand Communities:

OnDemand Communities are typically event or project-driven communities that are open for a defined period of time. These communities allow clients to quickly engage target groups with fewer costs and greater flexibility.

Ongoing Communities:

Ongoing Communities are designed to engage participants for an extended period of time. While these communities require greater investments of time and budget, they can yield more insights and even increase brand equity and loyalty.