online communities
November 17, 2010
From the pressures of managing new media to the advent of technologies likeSmart Grid, utilities providers face a range of unfamiliar challenges. Like anyone in an alien environment, these companies need information to make sense of the landscape and help them develop a plan of action. Happily, research firms like FGI have the tools and capabilities to equip them with much-needed insight. Using online research methods such as communities and social media monitoring, utilities providers not only enhance their grasp of the trends but leverage their knowledge to adapt to and overcome change.
May 17, 2010
New ideas and spontaneous insights sprout in the “walled garden” of private online communities.
The focus group (online or in person) is a tried-and-true method for gleaning qualitative insight from a subset of your target audience. One of the most attractive benefits of the focus group is the presence of a trained moderator, who can direct and manage conversations so as to target specific questions. The answers to these questions can produce valuable insights that drive marketing decisions and fuel additional quantitative research, both of which ramp up business performance.
But what are your options when you need qualitative reactions from a larger group of people? Or if you’re not exactly sure what your focus should be? What if you don’t even know what issues you need to address? How do you reach your target audience and get them talking freely about what ...
July 17, 2009
Wikipedia, an online community itself, defines online communities this way: “A virtual community, e-community or online community is a group of people that primarily interact via communication media such as…email, internet social network service or instant messages rather than face to face, for social, professional, educational or other purposes.” For our market research purposes, online communities are private online areas designed for customers and other invited participants, which are used to explore specific ideas or questions on behalf of the client.
July 5, 2009
Market research continues to change at an unprecedented rate. What is driving this change? Simply put: the intersection of new technologies and new customer behaviors.
The technology drivers include Internet communications, custom panel tools, community platforms, and new survey methods. In turn, customers are rapidly adopting new methods of communicating with each other and the companies they trust for goods and services.
