Online research has come a long way in the last few years. In its infancy it was limited to quantitative studies. Response rates and panel composition governed what was feasible and the scope of the research that could be undertaken. In my 5 short years in research, I have been able to witness the technological changes which have advanced us more in that time, than in the 5 decades previous.

With the advance of online research, so the scope of the possible online research has changed. More and more people are moving away from traditional recruitment methods and turning to online recruitment for online focus groups.

In some ways this is a good thing. There are many issues with changing methodologies mid-study. What I mean by this is inviting someone by telephone to do a survey online, or using an online survey to invite someone to a face-to-face focus group. The drop out or non-attendance rate can be quite high and is quite often unpredictable. This is primarily because, people are flaky. They don’t mean to be when they agree – but if you contact them in an online survey, it takes a lot for them to make the transition and turn up at a place in person.

You might then, think that recruiting from an online survey to an online focus group would be the answer, and in some ways it is. With face to face recruitment, you still gather more people together than you need (recruit 8 to get 6 to show up). It is easier to drop out when you have no person to be accountable to, we usually over recruit by 50% when doing online recruitment. However, there are some simple guidelines to help ensure you get the most from your recruited sample.

Firstly, provide as much information on the group as you would have to a recruiter who has to actually talk to someone. Telling someone “it’s about your gas supplier” is not enough to make them want to come and talk to you for 90 minutes. Be honest. Be open.

Secondly, follow up with them. Give yourself a voice and a name. Let them know who they are turning up for and what you expect of them. Remind them of the reward on offer. If you would offer £45* for a 90 minute face to face, I do not believe people should not be expected to do 90 minutes online focus group for free!

One of the most common complaints from focus group participants is missing links and technical issues. Make sure there is someone on hand to help and that participants know who to contact for help. While people may be tech savvy enough to take an online survey, this does not mean they understand the terminology such as links, log-ins, online bulletin boards and all the industry jargon we have created to go alongside our new technology.

Lastly, remember that respondents are people too. Yes, they are flaky at times, but they need to have their time respected online in the same way you would at a focus group. You can’t give beer and sandwiches so what can you give….?

*£45 equivalent of $144 dollars