Take your Market Research to a Higher Level by Partnering with a Nationwide Recruiting Firm

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.

https://focusinsite.com/

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.


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

Popular posts from this blog

Recruiting External Participants for Market Research Studies

Image
In last week’s blog we discussed when it’s appropriate to recruit market research participants from your organization’s customer database. This week we’ll turn our attention to recruiting external participants for your market research study. Market research studies aren’t a “one-and-done” undertaking. Whether your company is a start-up or an established brand, market research can help with everything from product-market fit to UX design. As with any qualitative study, market research recruitment of appropriate participants can make or break the final outcome. When to Recruit External Participants for Market Research Studies The following list will give you some idea as to when it’s more appropriate to recruit from external sources, rather than internal: • When developing a new product or service • Testing with new user or customer groups • Gaining insight into competitors’ customers • Usability testing for novice users Recruiting external participants for your market r
Read more

Improving Recruiting for Focus Groups and In-Depth Interviews

Image
Qualitative market research includes tried-and-true methodologies such as focus groups and in-depth interviews. In between the topic to be explored in the market study and the study itself is recruiting. Finding qualified participants who can take part in the study is the beating heart of any study. Recruiting for market research studies can be tedious and time-consuming and, which is why qualitative research consultants often rely on market research recruitment agencies .     Why you should work with a market research recruiting agency Market researchers and moderators partner with professional recruiting firms because of the efficiency and focus recruiters can give to all aspects of recruiting—from finding the right candidates through incentive payments. Working with a nationwide recruitment agency allows researchers more time to devote to study design, screening guides, moderator or discussion guides, moderating, transcribing and analyzing results, and delivering a fi
Read more

How Shifting Gender Norms Impacts Market Research Recruiting

Image
It requires minimal awareness to realize that there has been a cultural shift in gender norms. We no longer live in a binary world of he/her, man/woman, mom/dad, etc. While some companies are resistant to adopting more neutral or inclusive terms, others are realizing that inclusivity and awareness are not only good for employee morale, but also the bottom line. When it comes to market research recruiting agencies , it is important to include individuals who don’t conform to binary restrictions. We are starting to get requests from clients to recruit clients who identify as non-binary, trans, or prefer gender-neutral pronouns. Such requests aren’t limited to consumer studies, but to medical surveys for cash as well. Recruiting a diversity of participants for market research studies goes beyond typical demographic and psychographic groupings. Including insights from gender non-conforming individuals ensures that your study includes the opinions, insights, frustrations, and
Read more