If your business has a hard time keeping up with your competition, then it might be because they’ve mastered online community research. Using online community research software with the right team helps you learn what your target market wants from your business. You may be able to find more information at Recollective Inc..
To truly harness the power of online community research, your business needs to do the following 10 things:
1. Assemble a Multidiscplinary Group
While online community research software can do a lot of the work, you still need a talented team driving your project. At the least, consider a strategic director, community engagement manager, content producer, IT developer, and a project manager.
2. Be Positive With Community Engagements
Set a positive tone inside your online community and make sure everyone feels valued so they participate willingly.
3. Consider Fresh Research Ideas
Questionnaires are common tools in online research, but idea contests are quickly growing in popularity, if only to shake things up a bit.
4. Get the Right Technology
As much as you’d love the bragging rights that come with building an in-house platform from scratch, that might just be a waste of time. Online community research software is on the market that paves a lot of the way ahead for you already.
5. Have a Stopping Point
Online community research often runs about a month, because going longer than that makes your project something that nags everyone involved. Focus will be lost.
6. Invite the Right People
Internet questionnaires can be filled out fast, and even focus groups only last a few hours. Alternatively, online community research might take weeks, so seek out those open to such avenues and experiences.
7. Learn the Two Types of Dialogue
Online dialogue can be synchronous, such as real-time chat, or asynchronous, where people post whenever they want.
8. Remember the Whole Point
Don’t get submerged in the community you create. Remember that the whole point is learning about your target market.
9. Think of Innovative Motivators
Initially, intrinsic motivations of feeling valued and making contributions will drive customers and employees alike to register with your project. However, encouraging community engagement will be necessary to keep the spark alive.
10. Watch for the Leaders
In online community research, you usually see 10 percent of the people create content and everyone else just consume it. Get to know the contributors and reward them.
If your competition is already doing online community research, then you need to follow suit just to keep up with them. However, if you’re lucky, you can beat them to the punch and master your market before they do.
