Every day, market research strategies evolve and improve, but so do consumer mindsets and attention spans. With these innovative strides come better insights, leading to stronger marketing strategies for your organization.

That said, it’s more important than ever for market researchers to know how best to reach their audience to gather the most useful information efficiently and effectively. That’s why so many businesses are turning toward digital qualitative research methods to connect with potential customers.

In this article, we’ll talk about digital bulletin boards and how they can help you gather crucial information about your target audience.

Online discussion boards essentially allow you to gather all the same helpful information you get from a traditional focus group with the convenience of an online platform and more flexibility in terms of time constraints and participation levels.

This combination of the success of in-depth qualitative research and the convenience of reaching your intended audience virtually leaves you with a better way to learn about your potential customers. You can formulate more intuitive strategies based on all the new data you collect in real time.

So, before you create new research strategies for your own business, let’s briefly go through everything you need to know about this type of digital qualitative research. We will cover:

• How to use online bulletin boards in market research
• Top benefits of using online bulletin boards
• How Sago can help

Uses for Online Bulletin Boards in Market Research

Online bulletin boards function as a forum allowing users to interact with each other and your organization. These boards are versatile and can be used through any phase of your research plan, making king them an invaluable asset for your research plans.

Digital bulletin boards help you:

• Test early design concepts
• Compare different ad/website mockups
• Gather information through quick polls
• Review final designs

…or anything in between! 

For example, our team here at Sago worked with a phone company to improve their website user experience (UX) through a redesign driven by digital qualitative research. Through our platform, QualBoard®, the company could engage its audience, test its websites’ mockups, and develop an improved website design presented to a refined research panel.

Much like a typical focus group, you leverage a moderator to guide conversations down the right paths and interject when needed. This helps you get to the most useful information as quickly as possible.

Top Benefits of Using Bulletin Boards

There are countless advantages to including online discussion boards in your qualitative research plan. One of the great parts about using these boards is you can gather important information from people in an efficient manner.

Moreover, you’re more likely to have a larger sample of users since they won’t have to go anywhere or plan their day around participating in your research.

In fact, one of the most significant benefits of using online bulletin boards vs. online focus groups is users are not required to all be present at the same time, which gives them even more freedom, translating into more honest answers from willing participants.

This convenient format allows participants to share all types of content, including texts, photos, videos, audio messages, and more. Plus, boards like QualBoard® are fully customizable, so you can best meet your goals for any given project.

Leverage the Knowledge of Digital Marketing Professionals You Can Trust

At Sago, we utilize intuitive tools such as QualBoard® and QualMeeting® to help businesses connect with their target audiences. Our goal is to make your market research projects as simple and straightforward as possible, so you can create and execute a solid plan that consistently grows your business.