Custom Panels & Online Communities: Planning for Success

Over the past five years the survey research industry has seen significant growth in the use of custom panels and online communities, and for good reason. There are many strategic benefits of online panel communities in terms of insights, speed, cost, and flexibility; yet getting the very most out of these assets requires careful planning.

Some questions to consider upfront:

• Do I want to communicate only with my current customers or stakeholders? If so, Decipher can recruit from a customer list or database quickly and easily. If, however, you also want to reach out to prospective customers and competitors' customers, the recruit will likely need to include respondents drawn from a broad range of websites.
• Do I need to draw samples that are representative of my customers, census data, or other populations? Decipher will work with you to set up quotas within the panel recruitment to ensure an appropriate mix of panelists.
• Are there groups I want to survey more frequently than others? We'll make sure to recruit greater numbers of these highly-valued panelists.

Once your panel is in place, active management is critical. Decipher provides customizable participation reports to track usage and participation levels over time and by specific demographic groups, information you'll want at your fingertips in planning replenishment activities with Decipher.

Upfront planning & management will ensure that your panel community yields maximum research value for years to come; Decipher will be there with you every step of the way!