Focus Insite

It’s probably fair to say that most of us are happy to see 2020 in the rear-view mirror. Not that Q1 of 2021 will be too different, but the light at the end of this long COVID-19 tunnel is at least visible.

No industry or nation was spared the devastation brought on by the pandemic. The market research industry was no exception and underwent a lot of changes in 2020. Rather than enjoy in-person focus groups and in-depth interviews, all modes of qualitative research switched to virtual platforms. While researchers can still gather lots of rich data from online focus groups, the word on the street is that nationwide qualitative research firms can’t wait to be able to conduct in-person focus groups and interviews again. A lot of nuance gets lost or obfuscated when conducting qualitative research remotely.

We anticipate that some of the changes to market research will remain with us into 2021 and beyond. Below are three trends that expect to see in 2021 as it relates to market research.

Trend #1: Virtual Qualitative Research is Here to Stay

Virtual market research platforms have been around for many years but they really got a boost in 2020. While researchers will tell you that if they have the option to conduct focus groups or in-depth interviews in-person, they’d prefer it, but they’ve adapted well and most market research firms will continue to design studies that incorporate virtual offerings. The upside to virtual studies is it allows recruiting firms to reach a much broader audience. Removing the barriers to having to meet in-person has made for better recruiting outcomes.

Trend #2: There Will be Increased Interest in Journey Mapping

With most consumer behaviour now happening online, companies are scrambling to ensure that their digital offerings can meet the demands of their customers. Only market research can inform companies of how their customers feel about their digital experiences. Researchers can design paid online surveys legit that reveal gaps and opportunities for companies. Journey mapping will provide much more useful data than click stats, KPI data, or even heat mapping. A well-designed journey mapping study will reveal much more detailed and informative data that will help companies improve their digital offerings.

Trend #3: Market Research Recruiting Will Expand

Companies that are nimble enough to pivot during times of disruption are the ones that have staying power. What separates long-term successful companies from those that flounder is having a good handle on what drives consumer behaviour. This doesn’t happen by looking into a crystal ball, but rather by conducting market research. Market research doesn’t happen without vetted participants. Because so many market research studies are now taking place online, research staffing agency are able to pull in qualified participants from a much broader geographic area. We’ve recently recruited study participants from around the world to participate in U.S.-led research because we weren’t limited by geography.

Request a Proposal Today and Get a Jumpstart on Your Next Market Research Study!

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At Focus Insite, we think about market research recruiting all day, every day. Sometimes we forget that those who don’t work in market research might not understand what market research is and who it helps.

In a nutshell, market research (sometimes called marketing research) is any set of techniques or methodologies used to collect information to gain insights and understanding about a company’s target market. Businesses hire market research recruiting firms to conduct studies to help them design better services or products; improve UX designs, position their brand within a competitive landscape, and craft marketing messages that resonate and increase conversion rates.

Why your organization should consider market research

You can’t really understand your users without conducting research. You may have a broad idea of your customers and what they need, but you can’t, and shouldn’t, take their loyalty for granted, or count on it always being there. Qualitative market research studies help your company understand how and why your customers think and behave the way they do with regards to their purchasing decisions. Qualitative studies are an assured way to learn about customers’ motivations, impressions and reasons why they’re drawn to certain brands.

Why does qualitative market research matter?

· Quantitative Research gives you the 30,000 foot view. Qualitative research gives you the close-up view. If you want to understand how many people within a sample population think or behave the way they do, you’d conduct a quantitative study. Dashboards, big data, and surveys are the right tools for telling you what users/customers do at scale, but if you’re wanting to know what they’re thinking and why they behave in certain ways, then a qualitative study is what you’ll need.

· Research always beats suppositions and trends. There are plenty of examples of product launches or new-business ideas that end up in dead-ends. Ideas that fail to gain traction are often the result of assumptions, guesswork, and emotional reasoning. When you spend time with your customers in focus groups or in-depth interviews, you’ll learn about what motivates and compels them and aren’t as likely to get pulled in the wrong direction.

· Market research prevents ‘corporate myopia’. Even ‘A’ teams are susceptible to mis-reading what their customers want. Insiders will never experience a product the way your customers do. It’s easy to become myopic to your service or product and have loads of built-in biases and misconceptions. Market insite research are great ways to learn more about how your customers really use or perceive your product. Features that seem clear to your team might be perplexing or irrelevant to your customer. When you don’t test your assumptions, you run the risk of wasting money, time, and effort. Making changes, or scraping an idea altogether, is way more costly than doing the research up front.

Every market research study requires the appropriate and best qualified participants. Focus Insite works closely with market research recruitment consultants around the world to help recruit the ideal study participants.

Wanting to fill a study? Contact Us Today.

Original Reference: https://bit.ly/3aWepcz

There are many ways to conduct market research and collect customer data. In this blog we’ll discuss three of the most commonly used market research methodologies: surveys, in-depth interviews, and focus groups.

1. Surveys

Surveys are the most commonly used methodology to collect customer data. Surveys can be quickly created and easily delivered as an on-screen questionnaire or by email. Surveys come in all different forms and sizes, from short and sweet online data-collection forms to multi-page, comprehensive research surveys.

Pro Tip:

Just because paid online surveys legit are easy and inexpensive to conduct does not mean all surveys are created equal! To get the best results, and easiest to categorize, focus on closed-ended questions. Simple Yes or No answers or multiple-choice answers are the best.

2. In-Depth Interviews

In-depth interviews are one-on-one conversations with recruited participants that make up your target market. In-depth interviews are typically conducted over the phone or video, and sometimes in-person (although during the Covid-19 pandemic, this isn’t an option for most).

In-depth interviews are great ways to learn more about your customer or user to better understand what drives their decision-making processes.

Pro Tip:

You’ll get the most from In-depth interviews if they are done in conjunction with focus groups, or after the user has been asked to test a product. Market research recruiting firms often gain many useful insights because they can more naturally probe different threads that come up during the interview.

3. Focus groups

Focus groups bring together a carefully recruited group of people who fit a company’s target market. An experienced moderator leads a conversation, lasting between 1.5 and 2 hours, about the user experience, product, and/or marketing message to gain deeper insights. Focus groups are ideally between 6-9 people.

Pro Tip:

Focus groups are best left to experienced moderators who know how to manage multiple people in a room and get the most from every participant. There are many pitfalls that can befall inexperienced moderators from dominance bias (when a forceful participant dominates and/or influences the group) to social desirability (when participants give answers they think are ‘right’ rather than providing unfavourable feedback).

It doesn’t matter which methodology you choose, recruiting the right participants is the common denominator. Insite research results won’t mean anything without the right people participating.

To Recruit the Best Participants for your Next Study, Contact us Today!

Original Reference: https://bit.ly/3rthOFB

Some exciting breakthroughs have emerged over the past few weeks with regards to COVID-19 vaccines. While many experts are cautiously optimistic about the early trial outcomes, some are voicing concern that the initial trials didn’t include enough people from different ethnic backgrounds. Because COVID-19 disproportionally affects people of color, many scientists are dismayed and raising the alarm about the lack of representation in the early trials.

The lack of representation in these early studies caught our attention because we’ve recruited for insite research and consulting over the years and have learned without accurate representation of a population within these studies, the data will be skewed. Nationwide recruiting agencies aren’t responsible for initially identifying who should be included in a study--that is up to the person or team designing the study. However, once recruiters have a screening guide to work from, it’s important that they try and recruit a diverse sampling to fill a study.

It doesn’t matter what the subject of the legitimate surveys for cash is, recruiting participants should always reflect the population at the heart of the study. This isn’t to say that there are times when a study is skewed toward a specific demographic or population. There are plenty of studies that have a very specific audience in mind. But even these studies will usually include a control group, so that the researcher can ‘compare and contrast’ between populations.

When it comes to medical and healthcare market research studies, diversity is key. The easiest and most effective way to improve medical market research outcomes is to make sure the study participants reflect the population at large. Now that many market research studies have shifted to virtual or online platforms, it is easier to ensure that recruits reflect the diverse make-up of the general population. When market research is carried out virtually, recruiters aren’t limited to recruiting from a geographic region, making it easier to recruit a more representative sample.

There are a number of nationwide recruitment agency to choose from, but when it comes to filling a medical study, you’ll want to partner with a firm that has a proven track record with recruiting for medical or healthcare studies. There are additional burdens associated with medical and healthcare recruitment, especially around privacy and HIPPA regulations, so it’s important to team up with a recruiting firm that can demonstrate experience with more specialized recruitment.

Looking to Fill A Medical Study? Contact Us Today!

Original Reference: https://bit.ly/38cpcMZ

As the Covid-19 pandemic rages on, there is a glimmer of hope: Pharmaceutical companies, such as Pfizer, are inching closer to viable vaccines. As medical research companies race to develop therapeutics that can lessen the severity of Covid-19, or even prevent it altogether, the pressure will be on to find populations to recruit for paid medical surveys to test the various remedies.

Recruiting patients and general populations to participate in medical studies is similar to recruiting for qualitative market research studies, but there’s a catch. Medical studies target more specialized populations, and there are additional privacy protocols that recruiters need to be aware of. Given these additional layers, there are limited numbers of participant recruitment agency that can effectively recruit for medical and healthcare studies.

While many people are familiar with the big companies that dominate medical research, there are hundreds of smaller biotech companies that also provide valuable research as it relates to Covid-19. In order to assess the efficaciousness of the therapeutics requires recruiting enough people into the study to allow for statistically significant results. As in most scientific studies, you need a control and a test group.

For any medical or healthcare study you want to partner with a focus group recruitment agency that has a proven track record in recruiting for specialized medical studies. This becomes even more important when the race is on to find effective solutions to a current pandemic.

We’ve posted a number of blogs that focus on how to improve recruiting outcomes for medical studies. Given our deep experience recruiting for medical and healthcare studies, we can offer perspectives and advice that are tailored to specialized recruitment.

Looking to Fill a Medical Study? Contact Us Today!

Original Reference: https://bit.ly/39AEai7

For those of us who work in the market research industry, we sometimes forget that those on the outside of our industry don’t realize the many steps required to take a qualitative market research project from concept to finished product.

There are many steps involved in conducting market research, and we work with market research recruitment agencies AND DIY clients. For clients who are undertaking a market research project on their own, in order to be successful, it’s first important to understand the various facets of tackling a market research study.

No two studies are alike, but there is a basic framework that most market research studies are built upon.

1. Hypothesis: before you can design a market research study, you must first clarify the hypothesis, or essential question to be answered. This will vary widely depending on the subject matter, but generally a company wants to know ‘how’ and ‘why’ consumers make the decisions they do. Once the essential question has been determined, you can then decide which qualitative or quantitative methodologies to use in the study.
   
   
2. Screener: Once the hypothesis of the study has been determined, next up is deciding who should participate. Screeners help weed out participants who don’t qualify, either because they are in the wrong demographic or because they aren’t familiar with the product or concept being studied. Screening guides are an important tool for researchers, and can make or break a study. Ultimately, you want a representative sample of consumers who meet the criteria of the study.
   
   
3. Recruiting: Once a number of qualified people have been identified to participate in a study, next up is scheduling and managing the participants. Insite research and recruiting takes a lot of time and energy, and it’s a task that is best left to market research recruiting firms.
   
   
4. Focus Groups, and more: If the study is qualitative, rather than quantitative, then it’s likely that you’ll be conducting focus groups or in-depth interviews. While there are many methodologies for examining what governs consumer behavior, focus groups and in-depth interviews remain popular choices for market research.
   
   
5. Transcription: Once all the data has been collected from focus groups or interviews, next you’ll need to have all the conversations transcribed. This step is important, as it allows the researcher to read through the many transcripts and enter the data into coding spreadsheets.
   
   
6. Coding: There are many ways to code data, but a common way is to input the questions posed to the participants into a spreadsheet and then capture the various responses to each question. By doing this, the researcher can begin to identify patterns between responses. It’s not uncommon for many participants to have similar responses, albeit in their own words. Think of coding as a distillation process. You want to begin to consolidate all the data into a concise report that provides insights to what drives consumer behavior.
   
   
7. Report: With the tedious job of coding behind you, it’s now time to focus on the report. Write your report with a story arc in mind. Reports that have a beginning, middle, and end are easier to follow. Depending on who the report is going to (C-suite personnel, or strategic or marketing teams) will help you know what to emphasize in the report. Recommendations or call-outs are always appreciated.

With this framework in hand, you can think about conducting a market research study on your own. We recommend using professionals who are well-versed in market research, but sometimes budgets don’t allow for this. Consider that you can outsource various aspects of the above listed to professionals, which may ultimately save you money, not to mention a lot of time.

To learn more about how to get started on your next market research study, Request a Proposal today!

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Market researchers routinely mention that one of their biggest challenges is finding quality participants. There is no shortage of professionally embarrassing stories that researchers can share about inappropriate and unqualified research participants. It makes one wonder if there are fundamental flaws in the way market research recruitment is conducted. There is no simple yes or no answer to this question, but we can provide insight as to why this issue persists.

One reason we know that researchers are frustrated by some of the participants who show up (or don’t show up--a whole other issue) to participate in market research studies, is that many of these researchers have contacted us to manage recruitment for them, once they realize how challenging and time intensive recruiting can be. Without a dedicated team focused on recruiting, nationwide qualitative research firms know that outsourcing recruitment to a qualified, participant recruitment agency saves time, money, and headache!

Simply outsourcing recruitment to a nationwide recruitment agency isn’t a panacea for avoiding poor quality recruits. Before partnering with a market research recruiting firm, it’s important to understand how they go about finding participants. If the firm relies solely on an internal database, you might consider other firms. As market research studies become more niche and require very specific types of participants, you’ll want a recruiting firm that is experienced in various modes of outreach when soliciting participants.

Another reason to use a nationwide recruitment agency is they can better filter out “professional participants”. At first glance, this may not seem like a bad thing, but ask any qualitative research consultant, and they will tell you that you get very biased responses from “professional participants”. Such participants are savvy enough to know how to answer questions in ways they think the researcher wants to hear.

Beyond finding qualified, and/or hard to reach participants for studies, working with recruiting firms provides additional value by managing the recruits and handling incentive payments. Finding eligible participants is just one facet of market research recruitment.

Recruiting during the COVID-19 pandemic poses additional challenges. While it may seem that finding participants would be easier now, since more people are not working, or are working from home, it will require more scrutiny and strong screeners to filter out those who want to participate in market research studies to make some extra money. Making extra money by participating in paid medical surveys isn’t a conflict, nor a bad thing, but people may feel a bit more desperate to make extra money however they can, and may try and get selected for studies that they aren’t qualified for. Experienced recruiters will have the tools to filter out these respondents and ultimately provide the researcher with a group of vetted participants.

Ready to get help recruiting for your next market research study? Request a Proposal Today

Original Reference: https://bit.ly/3dbFTZK

We have little doubt that we will see more COVID-19 related qualitative market research projects for the remainder of 2020. We anticipate that many businesses will be looking to see how the outbreak is affecting and shifting business objectives. Additionally, there will be demand for COVID-19 related medical studies. It may be challenging for market research recruiting firms to recruit participants with physical distancing measures in place, but there are many methodologies that researchers can use to ensure participant safety. From in-depth interviews to online focus group recruitment agency, there are many ways that studies can be conducted while maintaining physical distancing.

COVID-19 has disrupted lives and patterns, and healthcare professionals and medical scientists are scrambling to create a vaccine and learn more about how remedies that might offer protection from this virus, and future ones. The science of understanding this virus can’t proceed without conducting medical research studies. Recruiting for such studies should be conducted only by nationwide recruitment agency, as there are stringent privacy protocols that must be followed.

Many participant recruitment agency have areas of expertise when it comes to recruitment. Before hiring a recruiting firm for your next medical research study, consider the following three categories:

1. Experience with medical studies recruitment – Before partnering with a recruitment firm, find out what other health or medical studies they’ve recruited for. Ask if their recruiters are trained with the additional privacy protocols that are often associated with medical study recruitment. Recruiting for medical or healthcare studies is usually more challenging, and you’ll want a recruiting partner that has experience and knowledge of medical studies.
2. Healthcare/medical nomenclature– Does your recruiter know the how a Nurse and Nurse Practitioner differ? What about the difference between in-patient and out-patient? Healthcare and medical studies often involve nuance between the many different categories. The differences between categories can be tricky when it comes to recruiting. Make sure your recruiting partner has the expertise and experience to know the differences.
3. Regulations/privacy matters– Recruiting for medical and healthcare studies can be challenging as there are additional government regulations and privacy protocols that must be adhered to. Recruiting for such studies can be complex in order to get qualified respondents.

If you are designing a market research study that is looking at the impacts of COVID-19 on your organization, or a medical or healthcare study, it’s important to team up with an experienced recruiting firm that can quickly target qualified participants.

To learn more about recruiting for your next specialized study, contact us here.

Original Reference: https://bit.ly/2RtpFTo

Nationwide recruitment agency have a number of methods for recruiting that extend beyond databases. As qualitative market research studies become increasingly targeted and niche, so do the requirements for recruiting.

Some nationwide qualitative research firms have internal recruiting departments, while others build partnerships with market research recruitment agencies. It doesn’t matter if recruitment is handled internally or outsourced to a recruiting firm, as the same strategies apply. The simple fact is that without qualified and vetted research participants, it’s impossible to conduct quality market research.

Seasoned recruiters get creative when it comes to finding participants for studies, especially when needing to meet very specific requirements of eligibility. Here are five ‘outside the box’ ways that recruiters work to connect with potential recruits.

1. Expand the network: Since most market research recruiting firms keep databases, the first and easiest way to expand the network is to get referrals from existing database members to other qualified people. Recruiters will sometimes craft an email aimed at recruiting and send to their personal contact list asking them to forward their contacts. These two ideas are easy ways to amplify networking and outreach.

2. Influencers: Knowing who the influencers are for the community you are looking to reach is an important ‘recruiting trick.’ Going to specific people who command the attention of certain audiences and asking them to broadcast the study opportunity can be extremely effective. Keep in mind that it’s always good to pay these influences a small ‘finders fee’ if you end up getting a lot of leads from them.

3. Social Media: One of the first places recruiters turn to when putting out the call for a study is social media. Social Media is more than Facebook. Think about posting on LinkedIn, Instagram, and B2B groups. There are many communities formed around specific topics on various social media platforms, and getting your study in front of these audiences often yields good results.

4. Direct Mail: Thinking about direct mail may seem ‘old school’, but it’s still highly effective. You can easily purchase mail lists to targeted zip codes. It doesn’t cost too much to create a mailing piece and have it delivered. Direct mail is a great option when targeting specific regions. Responses that pour in from direct mail solicitations are also great ways to build up your database with names for future market research studies.

5. Face-to-Face: Making personal connections with people, whether through service organizations or conferences is another option for recruiters to build their networks. Make sure you have a stack of business cards at the ready to pass out.

There are lots of other creative ways that recruiters can connect with potential study participants, all it takes is imagination and not being timid.

To learn more about how we can help your recruiting efforts, contact us here

Original Reference: https://bit.ly/2wAGtk6

We’ve been asked by companies who have market research studies in the pipeline if they should continue their studies given the concerns of the COVID-19 virus, especially if focus groups were planned. While we applaud companies being concerned with the spread of this virus, there is no reason to postpone or cancel market research projects. There are a number of steps or alternative methodologies companies can take that help protect study participants and qualitative research consultant.

Online Focus Groups

If the study was originally designed to include focus groups, it is easy to convert from an in-person group, to an online focus group. Moderators can easily host a virtual focus group using Zoom, Skype, or other video platforms. While you won’t get the same type of feedback or interplay between participants, a good moderator can still keep the focus group on track. More skill is required to gain deeper insights from a virtual platform, but it isn’t impossible. Most nationwide qualitative research firms are experienced in hosting online focus groups and won’t have any trouble shifting from an in-person meeting to a virtual one.

In-Dept Interviews

If, for whatever reason, it isn’t possible to host a virtual focus group, another effective qualitative methodology is conducting in-depth interviews (IDIs). In-depth interviews are great ways to dive deeper into the ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind consumer decision making. Experienced interviewers will work from a discussion guide that gives them a framework of what needs to be explored, but allows flexibility so that they can really probe on those areas that may illuminate why a person chooses one product over another, or where gaps exist when making purchasing decisions.

Mobile Ethnographies

More market researchers are incorporating mobile ethnographies into their studies, especially if ‘in the moment’ feedback is required. Humans are notoriously bad at accurate recall, and capturing real-time feedback is beneficial when wanting to understand various points along the customer journey.

If a study is focused on younger audiences, or tech natives, mobile ethnographies are an easier way to connect with this cohort. Gen Z and millennials are accustomed to managing their life on smart phones, and any market study that wants to capture feedback from this group should consider using this methodology. For starters, you’re much more likely to get a higher response rate, and secondly, there is little ‘training’ required when asking this group to interact with a mobile ethnography platform.

Finally, because so many people are familiar with sharing feedback through smart phone apps, conducting market research through mobile ethnography platforms is an unobtrusive way to capture insights.

Whichever qualitative methodology is decided upon, researchers have a number of options to continue with market research studies that don’t require face-to-face interaction. While the concerns regarding the spread of COVID-19 are legitimate, there is no reason that market research studies can’t be modified and stay on track.

Recruiting for market research studies remains the same. Working with a nationwide recruitment agency is your best bet for ensuring your project stays on time and on budget.

Request a Proposal Today to learn more about recruiting for your next market study.

Original Reference: http://bit.ly/2W4L74i

When companies decide to conduct market research, they sometimes forego hiring a nationwide qualitative research firms, and instead try and manage the study internally. On numerous occasions, we’ve been asked how many additional participants should be recruited for a study. While each study is different, depending on the research methodology used, there is a commonality that all market research shares: you will always need a buffer when it comes to recruiting.We’ve had some pushback to this advice, as it can increase the costs of the project, but it’s rare to have a study where all the recruits required are able to see his/her commitment through. It’s much easier to replace a few study participants if you have a few extras ‘waiting in the wings.’

How many Extra Recruits do I need for Focus Groups?

Most focus group recruitment agency is small to begin with. The ideal number for focus groups is between 6-7 participants. If fewer than this number show up for the focus group, the group dynamics change and the moderator has a more challenging time soliciting the best information from each participant.

It’s best to be prepared and have up to two additional people recruited for the study.

Pro tip: if all the original recruits show up for the focus group, you still want to compensate the extras by paying them half the amount you’ll pay the original group. When people make the time and effort to show up, even if they aren’t needed when the time comes, it’s courteous to provide some compensation.

How many Extra Recruits do I need for In-Depth Interviews?

Managing in-depth interviews is different than focus groups, in that they are usually scheduled over the course of one to two weeks. If your study only requires 10 in-depth interviews, we still recommend making contact with at least two different recruits who are willing and available to participate during the study window. If these identified participants aren’t needed to complete the study, usually no compensation is provided, as the moderator hasn’t taken up his/her time beyond identifying his/her availability for the study.

How many Extra Recruits do I need for Surveys?

Surveys are similar to in-depth interviews in that you aren’t requiring a participant to show up to a designated place at a specific time. You can manage recruitment for surveys (a more common quantitative methodology) the same as you would for in-depth interviews, the main difference being that surveys are usually administered to a much larger audience, and it’s likely you’ll need to identify up to 5% more people than required for the survey.

You will save your organization a lot of time and money by hiring a nationwide recruitment agency to help manage recruiting. A lot of management is involved with recruiting, no matter what the size of the study!

To Get Help with Recruiting for your next Market Research Study, Request a Proposal Today!

Original Reference: http://bit.ly/38iYBLX

Qualitative research consultants rely on a number of methodologies when conducting Insite research. Each study differs in subject and scope, but researchers are always seeking to engage with participants who can offer deeper insights. Research consultants often design studies that employ a variety of methodologies, from in-depth interviews to paid medical surveys. When choosing to include focus groups in a study, not only is it imperative to recruit the most appropriate and qualified participants, but also the right amount.

Focus group moderators seek the optimum number of participants to ensure that there is enough time for each participant to contribute. Ideally, a focus group should be between six or seven people. Any more than this and conversations become redundant, or there isn’t ample time for each participant to speak up. Any less than six, and participants become more self-conscious and are less likely to speak as openly. As with most market research studies, recruiting is often turned over to a focus group recruitment agency to find and vet qualified participants.

Anytime you bring a group of people together, there will be group dynamics at play. Moderators are attentive to group sizes to ensure that there will be opportunity to gain deeper insights into the topic being covered.

What about Dyads or Triads?

Don’t confuse dyads and triads with a sparsely populated focus group. Dyads and triads are different qualitative methodologies that are selected for specific purposes.

Dyads involve two participants. There are two common features for recruiting for dyads. One is recruiting known-pairs (spouses; child/parent; friends; co-workers, etc.), and the other is recruiting conflict-pairs (recruits who may have different brand loyalties.) Known-pair dyads are good options if a moderator wants to see power dynamics between two people with regards to purchasing decisions. Conflict-pair dyads are optimal if wanting to discover the emotional underpinnings of brand loyalties.

Triads are groups of three participants who may or may not know the other participants. Triads are excellent options for moderators to explore more deeply into a subject or topic. Triads are also good formats for moderators to monitor how triangulation can sway opinions and answers.

It’s easy to know the optimal number for recruiting for dyads or triads, but when it comes to focus groups, it’s important to be attentive to the overall number. Keeping focus groups between six and seven participants is a safe bet.

Looking to Recruit for your next Focus Group? Request a Proposal Today.

Original Reference: http://bit.ly/3bXGuyt

When companies are in the process of launching a new service or product, they often hire nationwide qualitative research firms to conduct research to examine the perceptions, thinking, and decision-making processes of participants. There are many types of methodologies used in qualitative research, from focus group recruitment agency to in-depth interviews, and online bulletin board to mobile tracking. Qualitative research consultants often rely on an assortment of methodologies when exploring “why” and “how” a consumer thinks or behaves a particular way.

Whichever methodology is used for qualitative research, the most important factor is the quality of study participants recruited. Most market research firms know that recruiting is time-intensive and a costly component of the project, and frequently outsource this crucial task to a market research recruitment agencies.

Experienced market research recruitment firms keep well-organized databases from which to choose recruits. Nationwide recruitment agencies don’t just find the right people, they also manage them, ensuring they follow through and participate in the study. Managing recruits eats up a lot of time and resources, which is why research companies often outsource this task to the professionals.

Here are four steps that participant recruitment agencies may take when soliciting participants for studies.

Step 1: Finding Recruits

One of the early questions recruiters ask is, what is the best way to reach potential participants?”Experienced recruiters know that if a targeted respondent base prefers to be reached by phone, then they’ll make a phone call rather than send an email. The opposite also holds true.


Beyond emails and phone calls, recruiting firms spend a lot of time on social media platforms.

Successful recruiting agencies often employ a multitude of tactics to reach qualified participants.

Step 2: Screening Guides

Once potential recruits are identified and contacted to gauge interest, the following step is to screen the recruits to ensure their interests, backgrounds, or professions align with the subject matter being studied.

For example, let’s say the research is focused on understanding the online gaming habits of men between the ages of 21-35. A recruiter may have a large pool of men in this age bracket, but it doesn’t mean they are qualified candidates. Recruitersrely on robust screening guides to ensure participants meet the specifications of the study.

Screening guides are also helpful when considering geographic areas. If a company is looking to focus on a specific region, then screening potential recruits to make sure they work or live within the designated area is crucial. It doesn’tdo any good to recruit a person who lives in Mississippi if the study is intended for Californians.

Step 3: Confirmation

After a recruiter has screened the best qualified recruits, next is extending an invitation to participate. This can be a frustrating process. It isn’t unusual for schedules to not align, or obligations to creep up that prohibit recruits from committing to participate. For every five qualified potential participants, perhaps only one will commit. Getting recruits from “interested to “confirmed” can be the most aggravating part of recruitment. This is one reason why recruiting firms are consistently updating their databases. The larger the pool to draw from, the more likely it is to get qualified people to participate.

Step 4: Follow Through

Once the participants have been identified, screened, and confirmed, the next step is making sure each recruitis given all the details of the study. Sending confirmation emails, explaining the responsibilities of participation, and coordinating with the researcher are the next steps recruiters take. There are often a lot of frequently asked questions participants want answered, which is why hiring a nationwide recruitment agency can save researchers time and money.

Want to learn more about recruiting for your next study? Contact us here.

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Last week’s blog covered the basics of expert networks. This week we’ll focus on how expert networks can enhance qualitative research. It will come to no surprise to qualitative research consultants that market research is becoming more demanding, especially if the scope of the study requires executive-level or expert-level participation. Recruiting for such studies is much more challenging and often nationwide qualitative research firms will work with market research recruiting firms to help connect to hard-to-reach participants. Because of the challenge of getting a group of experts in a room for a focus group recruitment agency, some researchers design their studies to rely more on in-depth interviews, which can more easily accommodate demanding schedules. If it is so much trouble to get experts or executives to agree to participate in market research, you may wonder why bother. The short answer is including experts in certain market research studies can greatly enhance the outcomes of the study.

Not every study requires all the participants to be experts or executives, but many researchers are coming to realize that including a few experts in a study can offer deeper insights and help shape strategies and trajectories of a project or product. Let’s explore some examples of where a market research study might benefit from including an expert.

Healthcare

There are a lot of different types of companies that service the medical profession and healthcare. From insurance companies to pharmaceutical companies, there are hundreds, if not more, niche industries that center around healthcare. Let’s say a health-exchange company hired a market research firm to conduct a study that seeks to understand why certain exchanges were favored over others by individuals. Given that the focus of the study is to work with individuals who are making decisions about which health exchange to choose, a researcher will likely design to study to include a variety of individuals who can speak to the topic. The researcher may choose to recruit a medical professional from an expert network when designing the study guide to ensure there isn’t a blind-spot when framing questions, or an expert network may be tapped to provide insight to barriers that may otherwise not be considered. In this example, the overall study didn’t require a whole panel of medical experts, but including one or two voices from this cohort could improve the outcomes of the study by helping shape the study guide OR provide insight to a barrier that may not have been considered otherwise.

Start-ups

Start-ups, while sometimes working with limited budgets, are wise to conduct qualitative research prior to launching a new product or service. A common reason that many start-ups fail is they don’t have an understanding into the ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind consumer decision making. A start-up may correctly identify a gap that could be served by its product or service, but if it doesn’t consider what truly compels and drives consumers to make purchases or switch services, it’s very possible that the start-up fails to launch because it misses the fundamentals of consumer behavior. Start-ups are more likely to be successful if proper market research and consultation with professionals from an expert network is done in the earliest stages of development.

There are many more examples of how market research can benefit from tapping into the knowledge base of seasoned professionals, no matter the industry.

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Original Reference: http://bit.ly/2S4cibU

As the calendar flips to a new year, it isn’t unusual for people to wonder how they’re going to pay for all their holiday spending. The good news is the side-hustle economy is well enough established that with some extra effort, people can look for ways to earn some extra cash. Participating in Focus Groups or market research studies is one such way to earn extra income with minimal commitment.

Participant recruitment agency abound, but choosing legit studies is not always a given. So how to know if a study is legit? Here are three considerations before signing up to participate in a market research study.

1.) What is the reputation of the focus group recruitment agency doing the recruiting? Does the nationwide recruitment agency abide by the Respondent Bill of Rights? If the answer is no, then you’ll want to seek out a different recruitment agency.

2.) Privacy. Does the participant recruitment agency have a written privacy policy statement? You’d be surprised at the number of recruiting firms that don’t make it clear to the study participants how their personal information is managed. Look for firms that put privacy front and center.

3.) Honesty is always the best policy. Companies hire nationwide qualitative research firms to conduct research on their behalf and qualitative research consultants are very selective about the types of participants they’ll recruit. Screening tools are becoming more sophisticated to sniff out unqualified participants who sometimes slip through. In nearly every study a participant will be asked to leave before the study’s conclusion because it’s discovered that the participant wasn’t honest in how s/he answered the questions to determine eligibility. If a participant is asked to leave a study early s/he will not be paid. Don’t waste your time by trying to become selected for a study if you don’t qualify. Selecting the best available participants for market research isn’t random. A lot of thought and work goes into identifying the most suitable candidates and when recruits aren’t honest in their answers, they delay the study and cost a lot of time and energy.

If you’d like to be considered for participating in a market research company you have a few options. The first option is to get into a database at a recruiting agency. Another option is to pay attention to social media ads. Many recruitment firms will put ads on social media sites explaining the types of studies they are recruiting for and you can click on these ads to learn more.

There are many types of methodologies of qualitative market research: surveys, focus groups, and in-depth interviews are but a few. Pay attention to the details of what will be required of you should you be selected to participate in a study. Sometimes travel is required, so be aware of what your obligations to the study are should you be selected, and make sure you can fulfill them before committing.

Qualitative market research is impossible to conduct without people. Participating in studies is not only a great way to earn some extra cash, but also provides valuable insights to researchers. It can be a win-win and, even better, its fun.

Want to learn more about Recruiting for your next Qualitative Market Study? Contact us here.

Original Source: https://bit.ly/2MR9xZk

Qualitative research consultants rely on a number of proven methodologies when conducting market research. Focus groups are well-known and well-loved because they consistently provide researchers with reams of valuable insights. While focus groups may seem ‘analog’ in a ‘digital’ age, this methodology remains popular because they are tried and true. This doesn’t mean, however, that they are easy to pull together. A lot of behind-the-scenes planning is required in order to conduct a successful focus group. The ‘secret sauce’ to effective focus group outcomes is recruiting the best participants, which is why a participant recruitment agency is often employed.

Companies with dedicated product and marketing teams often outsource market research to nationwide qualitative research firms. The best outcomes are usually achieved when qualitative market research is done by a professional, neutral research company. For small companies or start-ups, it isn’t always possible to outsource market research to the professionals. The following three steps will outline what companies can do if they attempt to conduct focus groups on their own.

Step #1: Neutral territory

If your market research objective is to solicit input regarding your brand/product and you are considering hosting a focus group at your office, think again! This is a textbook example of bias creep. You’ll unwittingly bias the results of your study if participants know that the entity hosting and conducting the focus group is also the subject of the study. Participants need to speak openly and honestly and they’re more likely to self-censor if they know the host is also the subject.

Focus groups should always be held in a neutral setting. Hotel conference rooms and co-working spaces are good options for neutral places to host a focus group. Be sure to avoid wearing company logos and, if possible, make sure all communication with participants is conducted using a non-company email. Hiring a focus group recruitment agency will save your company money and time. Professional recruiters manage screening, scheduling, and remuneration. A word of caution: recruiting is time and energy intensive. Outsourcing this vital component of market research will save a lot of headaches!

Step #2: Don’t overlook the importance of a discussion guide

You would be hard pressed to mind a professional focus group moderator who is extemporaneous when conducting focus groups. Qualitative research consultants spend a lot of time developing discussion guides. These aren’t rigid scripts, the operative word is ‘guide’. Conversations often take unexpected turns, and the moderator relies on the guide to help give structure to the conversations.

Writing a discussion guide is a collaborative effort. Your team needs to first clearly outline the goals and objectives of your market research study. What are you hoping to discover? Where might the opportunities and gaps present themselves? With these questions in mind, your team can begin to develop the discussion guide.

Successful focus groups are held to no more than two hours. You can expect to cover three or four sections in this time frame, depending on the complexity of the topic. The arc of your questions should go from general to specific and always be open-ended. Allow time for follow-up questions, as a lot can be discovered during these conversations. After the discussion guide is completed, the moderator should memorize it and be familiar with the flow. Focus groups aren’t a stage-play and participants will bring up topics that may be addressed later in the discussion guide. The flow of conversation will be severely curtailed if the moderator jumps all around rather than follow the lead of the conversations. Think of moderating as being a director. You want to make sure all the points are covered, but conversations need to be led and directed so a coherent pattern can be discovered.

Step #3: Record your sessions for later analysis

Step three is important. Make sure you capture, either by video or audio, your focus group session. Focus groups generate copious amounts of information and it’s impossible to capture this by note-taking. Video recording focus group sessions is the preferred choice, as the qualitative research consultant can look for visual cues in body language and expressions. To properly synthesize all the data, it’s best to transcribe each focus group session. It isn’t uncommon for each transcribed focus group to be 50+ pages in length. Multiply this by a few different focus group sessions, and you’re talking hundreds of pages. Analyzing the data is time consuming, and we recommend budgeting a few weeks to properly comb through the transcripts and identify the patterns and insights.

Certainly, it’s possible to conduct focus groups without hiring a nationwide recruitment agency or research firm. If trying to conduct focus groups using internal teams, make sure to appoint two to three senior-level employees to the team. Another area to pay close attention to if managing focus groups internally, beware of inadvertently leading participants to answer questions the way you want to hear them. Employees have experience with the product, brand, or processes in a way that outsiders don’t. When crafting the discussion guide, be aware of how questions are phrased so as to not bias the answers.

While it’s always best to hire a market research recruiting firm to help manage focus groups, we realize this isn’t always possible. Follow these three steps and you’ll likely have better outcomes with internally led focus groups.

Want to learn more about recruiting for focus groups? Contact us here.

Original Reference: https://bit.ly/36SkwcV