Panel Retention

So, you’ve got a panel filled with your target audience. That’s great. Now, how are you going to keep them interested in your panel?

The best thing you can do is treat them like people, not poked and probed respondents.

Incentives

Why did stars like Julia Roberts and George Clooney agree to take a salary cut to make the movie “Ocean’s Eleven”? They believed in the movie. Your panelists will appreciate a little cash now and then but monetary incentives aren’t the only motivator for people.

If they’ve joined your panel they could be motivated by wanting to help your business and see its progress. Give them some news or feedback every once in a while to let them know you value their insights. When you can, share how your business is using their suggestions.

Dinner in 10 minutes or less

In the time it makes to prepare dinner, panelists should be able to complete your survey. The best thing you can do for your panel retention is keep surveys short and sweet. And don’t worry, you’ll still get all the research you need. With Vision Critical’s panel management software you can send out surveys as often as you want without extra costs.  

Make it fun

Would you want to complete your own surveys? If you hesitate to answer this question, chances are you could be doing more to make your surveys fun. Throw in questions with audio or video clips or get the panelist to drag ‘n’ drop images. The appropriate mix of surveys is important to reduce respondent fatigue. 

Now, Panel+ Fall 2007 has the power to creat more engaging studies. Maximize the respondent experience with more question types and display options.  Display choice questions either vertically or horizontally.  Create time delayed follow-up studies. Show or hide response sets based on answers to previous questions.  Deploy studies in up to 16 languages.  Tally panelist points using our tracking system.

Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

Even the most valid question can get annoying if it is asked too frequently. We’ll work with you to make sure you find the healthy balance for your panel. On average, you could send between 12 and 24 studies per year, depending on your panel objectives. You want to send out just enough surveys so there is high engagement, but not so many that people feel over-burdened.