Market research recruitment does not always run smoothly on every single project. Even though our team of experienced Project Managers and Coordinators can foresee many issues, unexpected events happen which can slow down the recruitment process. Delay in fieldwork can cause a domino effect, postponing all other segments of the research.

As a recruiter, you need to be on the constant look out while in field. Train and prepare your team to tackle any challenge that comes along the way.

There are many mistakes fieldwork agencies could be making while seeking for market research participants. However, we decided to point out the 3 that are most frequent in this industry.

Recruiting Participants from One Source

Most recruitment agencies have their own responsive panels, and that is a fantastic avenue. However, there are many projects that cannot be completed using only internal database. Sometimes, one is required to expand on their views. If you need participants who are diagnosed with a certain condition, you can try reaching out to specialists treating this condition to ask for referrals, or charity/support groups focused on helping these patients overcome their struggles.

There are many avenues you can take while recruiting for any kind of project. You could turn to social media, including joining various groups to promote your studies. Recruiting from multiple avenues has numerous benefits and a huge potential. Even if you do not recruit people who are fit for the research, you could be getting some new, fresh panellists who will be ideal for the next study you are commissioned to do.

Not Having Established Procedures

Processes and systems – however dull they might seem, exist to improve your business. Additionally, by following the procedure you can always be sure that you did not skip a step or forget to do something.

You can create repeatable procedures within recruitment on multiple levels. One of them is the reminder procedure. It is not enough to screen a respondent, schedule them, and send them an email to notify them they have been confirmed to take part in the study. Everyone is on a busy schedule, and it is normal that someone could forget they should attend a focus group. This is why you should create a procedure where every recruiter knows who to contact and when. The procedure could include follow up emails, phone calls, text messages, whatever works best for your team and your respondents.

Not Understanding Why People Participate in Research

Respondents take part in research for various reasons. Some of them, especially in the healthcare sector, are really determined to help the community and to improve certain messages, regulations or processes. Others see market research experiences as something fun, a way to meet more people and make new friends, but also earn extra cash.

When approaching potential respondents, you need to send an appropriate message. Just like creating marketing messages: they need to appeal to your target audience. Before you start recruiting take a deeper look into the screener, what is it exactly that the client is looking for? If the target is ladies 25-40 who use expensive skincare products, you would not be approaching them the same way you would someone who is 20-25 and uses drugstore brands. Spend time crafting your research invites in a way that would appeal to your audience, it is time well spent as it will surely bring you a better response rate.

In Conclusion

Market research recruitment takes skills and expertise. It takes time to craft processes which are bringing the best results. Additionally, there is a lot of patience involved in the process and, at the end of the day, it is important to take a step back from time to time and look at the situation objectively. Are you doing the best you can? What are the areas you could improve on? Think about these points and start acting today.