In addition to using social media for distributing advertising, marketers have long recognized that social media is a valuable tool for research — and now a number of companies are building online services which allow marketers to plan and execute targeted research campaigns via social media. Towards that end GutCheck unveiled “Instant Research Communities,” enabling marketers to leverage fans and followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for research purposes.
The GutCheck service instantly recruits (and qualifies) respondents from among their social media communities for research panels, with an automated recruitment process which can be completed in a few hours, according to GutCheck. The service also gives marketers access to GutCheck’s own panel of six million consumers, which allows marketers to compare sentiment between their fans and the general population.
GutCheck emphasizes the security and privacy of its platform, which means brands can ask questions relating to sensitive issues including sentiment and product usage out of the public eye. Marketers can also discover new market segments and conduct testing for advertising, package design and web concepts.
Last week I wrote about two research panels which leverage social media to reach Hispanic consumers. The First, Tu Cuentas (which translates as “You Count,” but also “You Tell”), includes user-generated product reviews, moderated discussion forums and community polls of registered members, as well as Web cam interviews with individual members, allowing advertisers to uncover information about shopping behavior, brand preference, advertising likeability and product attributes.
Another online community, VozLatinum, has already attracted more than 80 corporate clients, including The Clorox Company, ConAgra Foods, Hallmark, and Nestle USA. Companies can conduct custom and targeted research activities in English and Spanish, including discussion forums, ad testing for both video and print, package testing, and attitudinal and behavioral research. VozLatinum includes both English- and Spanish-speaking consumers, ranging across all levels of acculturation, geography, and demographic makeup.