Market research studies wouldn’t exist without participants who are willing to share their insights, opinions, and values. Qualitative and quantitative studies require people, but not just any warm body will suffice! A successful study outcome is impossible without the participation of qualified participants who have been screened for their eligibility. As more organizations attempt DIY market research studies, the one area where it pays to outsource is with recruitment.
We have received many frantic calls over the years when it becomes apparent that attempting a DIY approach to recruiting eats up the budget and precious time. What’s worse is that even if you’ve managed to cobble together enough people to participate in your market research study, it’s likely that you didn’t end up with a group who could offer accurate, reliable, and actionable insights. The quality of your market study outcome can be jeopardized simply because you didn’t recruit the right people to participate!
There are numerous pitfalls with DIY recruiting, but the three most common are as follows:
1.) Recruiting customers, friends, or colleagues to participate in your study. While there are times when recruiting from you customer list is a good idea, there are other times when recruiting your own customers can bias your study results and leave you with focus group flops. As for recruiting friends or colleagues, this never works! Remember, you want unbiased opinions and insights, not people who tell you what you want to hear. There is no doubt that qualitative research can provide brutal feedback. While it may be hard to hear, without it you won’t make the changes necessary to keep people interested in your product or service.
2.) “Professional respondents” are another common pitfall that DIY recruiters don’t have the experience to identify. Especially now with inflation running high, people are desperate for easy and legit ways to earn extra income. People are savvy and know how to manipulate their answers so they get selected to participate in market research studies, especially if the incentives are good! Our recruiters have many tricks and tips up their sleeves to identify when someone is trying to get into a study without the right qualifications.
3.) No-shows are another headache that DIY recruiters aren’t prepared to manage. No-shows are not only inconvenient and frustrating for the moderator, they can also be costly to the study. Our recruiting teams always have a “Plan B” ready for managing no-shows.
The good news for DIY market researchers is that many recruiting pitfalls can be avoided by partnering with an experienced market research recruiting agency. We know how challenging market research studies can be, recruiting doesn’t need to be one of them!
Contact us today to see how we can help with recruiting for your next market research study!
