Giving an
opinion is second nature to us. Many times a day we offer up our
thoughts and feelings on the goods and services we use and
receive. We use a new beauty product and we evaluate its
effectiveness. We see a film and discuss its merits. We try a
different brand of cereal and form an opinion on the taste.
Opinions make up the bulk of our discourse and comprise the
majority of our thoughts.
Because of how
natural our opinions are to us, it's hard to imagine that there
are people willing to pay us money just to hear what we think. To
understand why our opinions are such valuable commodities and why
companies are willing to pay big bucks to hear what people have to
say, it's important to understand a little bit about market
research, what it is, and how it works.
In today's
competitive business environment small and large companies alike
are faced with the challenge of continually seeking out growth
opportunities. Companies may look to grow in a number of ways.
Some of the most common growth opportunities are: developing a new
product or service, expanding an existing product or service line
or identifying new markets.
Product and
service market development is costly and high-risk. Branching out
from the status quo presents a new and potentially dicey challenge
to companies. Plunging into new product terrain without the proper
knowledge and information can be a death sentence for a company or
corporation. That is why it is crucial that companies fully
evaluate the feasibility of their product and service
opportunities by undertaking proactive market research before
committing resources to new product or service development.
Market research
is a cost-effective way of finding out what people believe, think,
want, need or are looking for. It is information that cannot be
obtained from any other source. It takes unbiased consumer views
to really test the potential profitability of a good. Industry,
commerce and governments use research to help them produce goods,
services and policies that accurately and efficiently match up to
consumer needs and wants.
Market research
is learning all about your prospective market before you try to
enter that market. The most important role of market research is
to minimize risk by researching a product or service before
delivery. All companies realize that it is quicker and cheaper to
research a new concept and get that concept right rather than
rolling out a product only to find out it doesn't match the needs
of buyers.
The marketing
plan for a new product relies heavily on market research. It is
essential to pick your market carefully. Companies have to know
just whom their product appeals to and why. Each market is
uniquely different. Not only are there differences in gender,
geography, and profession, there are also language and culture
differences as well.
...
What Are Focus Groups
And How Do I Join Them?
Focus Groups,
Surveys, & Other Market Research
Opportunities Demystified
Businesses and other organizations use
focus groups to research consumer and public opinion concerning
a variety of issues. Corporations look to focus groups for
general help in selling their products to the world at large
instead of any type of direct marketing efforts.
Focus groups
are usually conducted by Market Research companies. Market
research companies are hired by the big corporations such as
Coca-Cola and Nestle. The reason they do this is because the
market research companies have the experience and expertise to
make sure the focus groups are accurate and unbiased. If the
corporations did this themselves they may not get impartial
information and could make mistakes costing them millions of
dollars (not to mention their jobs!)
So from here
on out, when I talk about companies that conduct focus groups, I
am referring to market research companies. These will be the
companies whom you will contact, register with, and get paid
from. This is VERY important for you to remember.
OK, so what
kinds of focus groups exist? Well, generally there are two
types: Offline and Online.
Offline
These are small, roundtable discussion
groups on topics ranging from the latest features on
internetworking hardware to new flavors of ice cream. They
usually involve about 10 participants plus the group leader or
moderator. Each session usually lasts about 2 hours and the
discussion is "focused" on a particular topic, about
which group members share their opinions. An honorarium of
$40-$80 for time and effort is very common. It is not unusual
for observers from the client corporation to watch the group in
action.
In focus
groups, unlike telephone surveys, people can be shown products
or ads and can be given an opportunity to express how they feel
and what they think in a normal, conversational setting. As a
research method, the use of focus groups is less about
statistics and numbers and more about qualitative matters such
as whether people find an ad humorous, and why they find it
humorous, or if people believe a product is appealing and why
they think so.
Online
Online focus groups are a cost effective
alternative to conventional "face-to-face" focus
groups. Online focus groups generally invite 8 to 10 people to
join for a specified period of time (90 minutes to two hours) in
a specialized chat room. This controlled environment allows
participants to view text, graphics, sounds/jingles, video or
multimedia for evaluation and testing. It is not uncommon for
observers from the client corporation to watch the group in
action and send private messages to the co-moderators as the
group is progressing.
Another type
of online focus groups is surveys. Surveys can take anywhere
from 1 minute or up to 10 minutes. Once you provide a market
research company with your profile, you will be notified about
surveys that match your demographic information. The more sites
you sign-up with, the more surveys you can fill out, and the
more incentives you can earn. Participation in paid surveys is
fun, interesting, and financially rewarding.
Incentives
Market research companies can pay you in
different ways. These are called Incentives. Incentives depend
on how much time and effort is spent participating in the focus
group and/or the kind of market research company (offline or
online) that is conducting the activity.
The main 3
ways you can get paid are:
- Cash -
Usually for face-to-face roundtable groups, although some
online companies pay in cash as well.
- Merchandise
(depending on the retail value of the product, you may
keep the product afterward)
- Prizes
- Entries into Sweepstakes/Drawings
for filling out quick surveys…do NOT disregard these
types of sites. It's a quick way to win lots of cool
products and even cash.
...
How Do I Get Started?
What
Do I Need to Get Started?
Participating in focus groups is easy but
requires you to be punctual and flexible with your schedule,
have good organizational skills, proficiency with Internet
technologies such as chat rooms, instant messenger, etc, some
basic computer equipment and a decent Internet connection (trust
me…you don't want to get dropped in the middle of a focus
group).
Here is a basic
list of the things you will need.
- New
Email Address: I
highly recommend that you open a different email address for
your focus group responses. You will be filling out a LOT of
online forms and you will be getting a lot of email in
return. Make sure you check any junk mail filters.
- Updated
Operating System and Browser: Make
sure you're running a relatively updated version of Windows
(or Mac OS) and an Internet browser that won't crash if it
tries to run a Java Applet (this is the technology that is
sometimes used for chat rooms for online focus groups). This
shouldn't be a problem for most people with what they
already own, but you'd be surprised at some of the ancient
computers some of my friends still use.
- Keep
Good Records: Whether
you use a yellow pad or you're an Excel spreadsheet monster,
make sure you keep tabs of every website you've signed-up
for, how often they invite you to participate in focus
groups and surveys, the quality of the incentives, and how
responsive they are. You will find that with time you will
gravitate to a few really good companies that you favor.
- Voicemail
and/or Pager: Sounds
obvious but make sure you have either a voicemail that you
check frequently or a pager. A lot of times, market research
companies will call you on the same day or evening for a
face-to-face focus group and you do not want to miss out.
These are usually the companies that pay the MOST cash, and
if they see that you're reliable and flexible about showing
up on short-notice, they will call you more often. I know
people that make a nice living wage getting calls from just
a few market research companies. It pays to be available!!!!
- Decent
Internet Connection: While
you don't have to have broadband access to participate in
most online focus groups, you should have at the very least
a reliable Internet connection so you don't get dropped off
in the middle of an activity. Any of the major services
should be fine.
How
Do I Join a Focus Group?
Market research companies determine
someone's suitability for a study by using a screening
questionnaire, a written series of questions which potential
participants must answer in a particular way in order to be
invited. Screening questions enable these companies to provide a
good cross-section of study participants, since they can keep
track of how many participants are a certain age, have a certain
kind of occupation, etc.
What
Kind of Information Do They Collect or Look for?
It really depends on the company.
Sometimes an application can take just a few minutes to fill out
because they just want some basic demographic information.
Sometimes the market research company will collect some 250 data
points on each panelist to maintain in-depth information on
their employment, automobile ownership, ailments, media and
entertainment preferences, technology savvy and demographics.
This information allows them to target based upon the individual
client and project needs. They may also need your address, phone
and e-mail in order to get in touch with you for prize and
incentive distribution.
I have
provided an extensive resource of links to market research
companies where you can fill out an application and submit your
demographic profile.
The most
effortless method is to submit a questionnaire located at these
Web sites for inclusion into each company's database. When they
see a match between a person and a focus group of possible
interest, the company will then proceed to contact that person.
This is why you should check your email often.
If the person
meets the needs of the market researcher's corporate client and
is able to attend, they will offer an invitation and fill-in the
details. They may also contact you a couple days before the
focus group to confirm your ability to attend. A lot of offline
market research companies will also post information regarding
upcoming focus groups on their Web site. You may then look for
focus groups of interest, and contact them by e-mail or phone
regarding a particular group. These companies do not like it if
you contact them just to ask "if there's anything I could
join today." Follow these simple guidelines and you will
use your time more effectively and productively.
My advice is
to fill out applications to as many online market research firms
as possible so you can drastically increase your chances of
being invited to participate and earn cash and prizes. For
online surveys, the company may send out invitations to members
who they believe MAY qualify for that study. The e-mail will
contain a link to the survey and a login code. The first part of
the survey traditionally contains several screening questions.
If you pass the screening process, as determined by the client,
you will then continue on with the survey and be paid.
For offline
market research companies, I recommend that you find some in
your city or geographic area so you can attend the roundtable
groups. Remember, these are the ones that pay the big bucks so
it obviously doesn't make sense to register with a company in
Dayton, Ohio when you live in San Diego, California. In addition
to the links I have provided you, you can look in your local
yellow pages for Marketing Research companies.
Reputable
market research companies always try and present you with an
incentive which matches the value of your time involved.
Sometimes, depending on the retail value of the product, you
simply get to keep the product. Other times, there may also be a
cash or coupon exchange offered. Quite often they also offer
bonus prizes to randomly selected participants.
...
Tips
What
if I can't attend a focus group that I agreed to attend?
While it's best to avoid such situations
as much as possible, sometimes this is nonetheless unavoidable.
If there is any doubt regarding attendance, the company will
need to know this information during the initial interview (it
will not necessarily bar anyone from the group.) Market research
companies also appreciate notification of cancellation as soon
as possible, and information on a friend or colleague who might
be able to fill in.
On the other
side of the coin, they might enter into a situation where they
cannot maintain an invitation to a focus group. The reasons for
this are usually logistical, ie. they are unable to find enough
people to join in the focus group, the client decides to cancel
the group or move the focus group to a different region of the
country, etc. While companies make every effort to avoid these
situations, they will contact those invited as soon as possible
if there are any changes to a focus group.
How
to speed up the registration process for online market research
firms.
Download a program like Marketscore
(for free) to increase your internet connection |
speed up to 100%. You'll be able to fill out forms and
surveys faster.
Download RoboForm
(for free). It automatically fills in web forms and remembers
all of your user names and passwords - with no ads and no
spying.
What are the companies looking
for? How can I get the best surveys?
It is crucial that you know what the research companies are
looking for before you begin filling out your applications.
These suggestions will give you a great start and help you
receive more invitations to participate in research projects.
- Be honest. The people who review your
applications are trained to spot misleading or dishonest
answers. They will reject your application if they sense any
dishonesty and you will never know about it.
- Answer all the questions on the
application. Most times there will be screening questions
included in the application that categorize you into
different demographic groups. These questions may include
personal information such as your age, race, political
affiliation. You are usually not disqualified for NOT
providing this information however if you don't answer a
particular question and they need this information for a
particular research project you may not qualify for that
particular project. The best course of action is to answer
all questions.
- Complete all the demographic sections
of the application. Many times there will be sections that
ask you to indicate your hobbies and interests or ask you to
indicate which products you own or plan to buy. Be sure to
complete these sections completely as they will be used to
screen your qualifications for different research projects.
For example, if you indicate that you own or plan to buy a
cell phone you may qualify for a project that asks you to
rate various cell phone promotional offers.
- Most of the demographic sections
allow multiple answers. Be sure to indicate all that apply
to you. However, don't over do it. You may be tempted to
check all the items in each section to improve your chances
of being selected. Don't do this. The reviewers are trained
to disqualified applicants who are obviously embellishing
their application. The best course of action is to be honest
and only select the items that apply to you.
- Double check that your name, mailing
address and email address are filled out correctly on the
application. If you provide the wrong email address a
company will not be able to contact you to participate. The
mailing address you provide on your application will be used
to mail your payment check.
