4 Tips For Optimising Your Online Insights Community

While there’s plenty of different ways to conduct research, none create a better ongoing dialogue between brands and their consumers than an online insights community. An online insights community provides the ability to act fast, be agile, and speak to your consumer via an ongoing, holistic connection.

Market research conducted online can be more effective than research conducted in more “traditional” manners. Focus groups don’t provide the ability to focus on individuals and one-on-one, depth interviews are timely, making it difficult to ensure representation within tight timelines. 

Our experience with online insights communities over the last 10 years has shown time and time again that participants provide an enormous amount of detail in an online environment. However, simply accessing community members isn’t enough. It’s how you use the platform and engage with your customers that generates value. Below are our top four tips to getting the most out of your online research community:

Work with a Community Manager

The work required to maintain a thriving community culture – one that yields insights and opportunities – requires community management. A community manager or management team acts as the voice, tone, and moderator. It means your community has metrics set and conversations are monitored, all of which help a successful community grow.

Invest in the right technology

The use of online insights communities is growing, largely due to improvements in the technology used. Ensuring that your community platform allows members to talk freely and express themselves during research is the key. 

Proactively engage

Don’t just dip into your community when you have research to conduct. Proactively and regularly engage your community with competitions, blogs, and forum discussions. Encourage your members to ask questions and share their stories. A safe space where members feel welcome and wanted will only benefit your research. 

Invite the right participants

Community participants need to have ideas, enjoy expressing themselves and love debating and sharing their opinions with other people. We work with Stable Research, experts in recruitment, to ensure the right people, with the right interests are in our communities. 

When you choose an online research community with Bastion Insights, you’re choosing an engaged panel that is monitored and managed by a dedicated community team. Would a short or long term online community benefit your company? Get in touch to learn more.