As we explore market research topics this month we want to highlight one very important tool in your market research toolbox—the FOCUS GROUP. Generally speaking, many marketers consider the focus group as something out-of-their-league, unless you work for a larger corporation.
But the focus group is a valuable vehicle for any size organization, allowing you to:
And, if carefully planned and executed, an affordable tool as well. Follow these 10 steps for your next focus group effort:
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Start with ONE key objective to the meeting.
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Develop up to 6 questions.
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Plan an agenda that can be executed in 1 to 1-1/2 hours (over lunch seems to be the best time). A good agenda to start with includes: welcome, introductions, agenda review, questions and answers, and conclusion/award hand-out.
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Invite your attendees. Make sure your invitation (send both email and print) includes the proposed agenda, the type of questions that will be asked, and how you plan to “thank” them for their participation (i.e. a gift, coupon, and/or copy of the final report). Each focus group session should have at least 6 attendees (no more than 10) that do not know each other,
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Schedule your venue. Make sure the room has adequate air/heat and lighting and set up seating so that everyone faces each other. Consider name tags so you can record reactions more easily. Be sure to provide appropriate refreshments. It’s best to record the session, so find a location that can accommodate the space/equipment needed. If you can’t record the session, delegate a colleague to take notes.
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Remind your attendees by phone and email 3 days before the session.
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On the day of the session, STRICTLY carry out the agenda.
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Carefully articulate each question and give a few minutes for each attendee to consider the question and record their response. For each question, designate a couple of minutes of discussion after attendees have recorded their response in writing. Consider going around the table to ensure you get a verbal response from everyone at the table and that one or two people don’t dominate the discussion.
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Conclude the meeting with a thank you. Thank your attendees for the time they’ve given you and hand out the thank you gifts you’ve planned.
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Compile the responses. Compile your findings into a report—by session and in total. Share this report with each of the attendees, your internal planning team, and incorporate the findings into your marketing roadmap!
As you can see, a focus group can be conducted for little more than the cost of refreshments and an invitation mailing, yet the type of information you can gather is priceless! And, if location is an obstacle, conduct your focus group as a web survey. When you begin the process of planning next year’s Marketing Roadmap, don’t forget the focus group—you won’t be sorry.
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Over 60 sales and marketing templates (DOC, XLS, PPT, and PDFs)
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Loads of "how-to" articles and examples
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8 Training sessions (MP3 audio files) for your computer or iPod
