One of the most productive things you can do for your organization is to develop your own, opted-in group of volunteers to participate in ongoing research and discussions. Your proprietary research panel (or “Insiders” or “Advisory Panel” or whatever you want to call it) can serve a variety of valuable roles:
- They can reduce the cost of reaching respondents for your future research efforts. When you have a highly engaged and invested group of respondents, you can easily and inexpensively source respondents for focus groups, or for creative or web testing, or whatever.
- They can provide a powerful customer perspective on new initiatives, content, creative, etc. While they may or may not include prospects (depending on how you build your panel), being able to quickly gain feedback from a large group of customers is an incredibly valuable resource.
- They can be a word of mouth engine for your brand. When customers feel heard, feel consulted, and can see the impact they’re having on your organization’s decisions, they are much more likely to share your news and their support of your organization.
- They are a valuable asset — literally. Having an opted-in group of engaged research participants increases the value of your organization for future buyers, investors, etc.
Watch the video to see how to go about building your own research panel!
