Online Networks for Market Research Should Focus on Community

Today’s Wall Street Journal article about using online social networks as market research tools glossed over an important feature of these tools: community. The only mention of community:

Many of their efforts have fallen flat, because people typically join a social-networking venue not to talk about brands but to socialize with friends…The companies that set them up have to constantly add games and other features — as well as provide incentives such as coupons, giveaways and sneak peeks at new products — to keep members around.

Whatever happened to just creating a community? Yes, giveaways and incentives are all well and good. But the most authentic way to get your audience to stick around is by offering them real connections with one another.

The article cites Del Monte Foods, the makers of Snausages. They used their closed “I Love My Dog” network to figure out what the new flavor for their breakfast bites should be.

If you want to build a network of dog owners to bounce your product ideas off of, focus on connecting them with one another. How about mashing up Google’s Maps API with the locations of all the public off-leash areas nationwide? Let dog lovers connect with others who use their dog parks and arrange playdates for their pooches. You won’t have to work so hard with the giveaways if the users create their own connections and reasons for returning.

The cardinal rule: be useful.

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