Advantages of Panel Research      December 07, 2009 Author: Tom Eiland | Comments (0) Related Lines of Business: Public Opinion & Market Research  State & Local Public Affairs

POST A COMMENT (0)      Print       Send to a Friend      Digg       Del.icio.us       Facebook

The ubiquitous use of the Web has made panel research possible and, in many cases, preferable to traditional research techniques.

Assembling research panels from one or more databases – including databases of customers maintained by organizations – is fairly easy and inexpensive. The size of panels can be relatively large compared to telephone surveys and, therefore, confidence levels in the findings can be nearly equivalent.

One of the greatest advantages of Web-based research is the ability to talk to the same survey participants more than once, so you don't just get a snapshot in time viewpoint. For example, you can link panel research with customer engagement efforts, using the survey as a launch pad for a continuing conversation. You also may use an initial survey to explore a product idea or issue, then go back to the same panel to get reaction to what you have developed.

Panel research participants will give you more mind-share than people who submit to a telephone. It is hard these days to keep anyone on the phone longer than 10 minutes. And, if you've caught someone in the middle of a football game or trying to put children to bed, you don't have their full attention anyway. Panel members have the luxury of answering survey questions on their timetable and at their own pace. As a consequence, you can ask more questions and do more probing than is possible on a telephone survey.

Another feature of panel research is the ability to slice and dice participants into smaller groups.

They can be converted into online focus groups or recruited to serve as a virtual sounding board. You can fuse panel research with teleforums to achieve even greater interactivity with participants.

Telephone surveys, in-person focus groups and one-on-one interviews are still useful and can be the right choice for a particular inquiry. But don't overlook the surprising power of panel research when considering how to get the information you need to shape a product, create a marketing plan, learn how a customer talks or persuade someone to support an issue.

The digital age has rewritten the rules of marketing. It also has remade the market itself. Customers demand genuine engagement. They want to help you be a success. Panel research can be a tool that lets them.

Links:

Learn more about CFM Research

Tom Eiland bio

BE THE FIRST TO POST A COMMENT: Screen name Email address We will not post your email address or share it with anyone. Comment: Notify me when mine and other comments are posted. Enter the above text to validate.

MANAGING ISSUES    Raising Your Voice, Part 4 Kerry Tymchuk | Comments (0) 7/26/10    A Teachable Green-Energy Moment Comments (0) 7/19/10   View entire list   CONSUMER TRENDS    Speaking With Consistent, Integrated Voices Gary Conkling | Comments (0) 9/07/10    Engaging Mommy Bloggers Ashley Sherrick | Comments (0) 8/30/10   View entire list   MEASURING MINDS    Economy, Pessimism and the General Election Tom Eiland | Comments (0) 8/23/10    Perception Analysis Key to Managing Reputation Comments (0) 8/02/10   View entire list   WORD OF MOUTH MARKETING What is Word-of-Mouth Marketing?< Tom Eiland | Comments (0) 9/06/05   View entire list