Panellist newsletters are for the most part a collection of survey results, with a part of the polls being home-made, i.e. conducted among the same panellists that the newsletter is addressed to. These polls are normally con- ducted for the sake of entertainment, being placed as such on the same panellist website. Seldom (if at all) acquainted with the results of the sur- veys they normally take part in, this can encourage panellist curiosity in these matters. The panellist newsletter is an excellent tool for satisfying panellist curiosity about interpretations of statistical data.
Essentially, the newsletter is meant to be both entertaining and informa- tive, while at the same time demonstrative of the way the survey activity functions. Wherever possible, it should be used strategically to convey top line reports about the main findings of different research studies for which the panel was used, turning the newsletter itself into an important component of the incentivising policy of the company. Although the results of particular surveys they have taken part in are not available for public display, inter- preted results of small polls placed on the panellist website can make for a good low-scale demonstration of the research activity. These can be accom- panied by other statistical data considered entertaining or interesting.
Panellist newsletters are a communicative tool that is at the same time powerful and convenient for use by market research companies in their communication with the panellists. While at times even used to support the incentivising policy of the market research company, they are a result of the opportunities presented by online environments and should be used extensively to strengthen panel communication. News- letter subscription, however, is not mandatory for panel subscription and all newsletters should contain links for unsubscribing from news- letter membership.
x make the social identity of the market researcher salient.
x present market research as a unique opportunity.
x treat incentive matters as issues of secondary importance while at the same time not losing sight of panellists’ segmented preferences and their psychology of immediate compensation when speaking of re- wards.
Online Staging Letter
x are used in panel communication in order to reassure recent panel- lists of their panel membership, reinforce social identity parameters introduced by recruitment message and generally provide all the in- formation panellists might find of use about the functioning of the panel paradigm.
x anticipate and segment as much as possible the information to be provided to panellists in order to address as many areas of interest as possible.
x use to the full the transitivity of online environments (by use of hy- perlinks to websites or other information sources) in order to intro- duce as much information as necessary about the functioning of the panel paradigm.
Online Invitations to Surveys x be kept to a minimum.
x always provide both a participating and an unsubscribing link.
x be addressed with the name of the panellist and signed with the name of the project manager conducting the study.
Online Support Messages
x introduce the panellist to a standard formula.
x give feedback on all support emails sent by panellists, including messages announcing changes in recorded data, complaints which cannot be dealt with immediately, suggestions which are not practi- cable and enquiries which cannot be answered fully in view of the principles of market research.
x establish and respect a proper routine interval for answering support emails.
Panellist Websites
x be as informative as possible.
x be updated constantly, especially the Gift Area page.
x constantly update the FAQ section with questions received from the support area.
x make the DATA PROTECTION page a reference page, with possi- ble inclusion of hyperlinks.
x contain small polls, the results of which can be used as subjects for regular panellist newsletters to strengthen the communication be- tween the market research company and its panellists.
In order to further reinforce the logic of these recommendations, the mar- ket research company should explicitly assist the panellists in finding in- trinsic social motivations for their membership. The pragmatic analysis above shows that the online medium strongly supports this dimension, which, in its way, is typical of any market researcher’s communication with respondents in research studies.
More than incentives, curiosity (born of interest-raising topics or proce- dure) and entertainment, the sense of social involvement – coupled with the view of market research as an empowering opportunity whereby opin- ions can make a difference on a macro level – is a functioning warranty for an access panel. It guarantees efficient recruitment for the market re- searcher, the experience of real involvement by the panellist in the social role panel membership supposes and active participation by the panellist in surveys in the long run. The market researcher’s discourse is a fist proof that the online medium plays a significant role in stressing the social di- mension of communication practices in market research through access panels. This being the case, the recommendations given after investigating the influence of the online medium on each of the market researcher’s on- line messages to its panellists serve in effect to emphasise this influence more strongly and also stress the social nature of each panel encounter. As pointed out, the importance of the market researcher’s rhetoric is big enough to yield more involved panellists.
For market research companies with expertise in controlling the data yielded by their access panels (according to the standards exposed in chap- ter 1), conducting research with more involved panellists will increase the quality of research insofar as it guarantees better panel recruitment, main-
tenance and running. Similarly, better recruitment, higher quality mainte- nance and more efficient running will in turn lead to more professional use of the panel methodology.