How to conduct a focus group

A focus group is necessary when, as part of a marketing research, it is required to answer the questions posed or to find out the attitude of the target audience to certain qualities of the product being put on the market. Obtaining objective data requires at least 3-4 focus groups.

You will need

room with a conference table, video camera, tripod, participants, moderator

Instruction manual

1

Determine the range of questions that you would like to receive answers to during the focus group. You must clearly understand what you will do with them, how to use them in your business strategy. It often happens that the questions put up for discussion are not the same as the outcome - the result of the study remains on paper, not finding embodiment. When compiling questions, try to take into account the interests of all departments of the company, and not just your marketing department.

2

Decide who will be the moderator, that is, the lead focus group. This should be a sociable person who knows how to ask questions, if the need arises - to move the channel of conversation in the right direction, to encourage participants to detailed answers. The moderator should not record the answers of invited guests during the study. Such functionality should be assigned to psychologists-observers located on the other side of the mirror wall.

3

Consider the availability of video recording equipment. In advance, outline the shooting point where you put the camcorder on a tripod. Test whether everyone at the table will get into the frame. Adjust the sound, light, color balance. Also, while preparing for the focus group, provide soft drinks, pens and notebooks for participants, a flip chart for the moderator.

4

Invite participants. Consider how to stimulate their consent. Once again, make sure that they are all your potential buyers, and not just unemployed, who participate in such studies in large numbers and with regular frequency for a small fee. It’s better to make your own sampling without relying on external marketers.

5

Ask a new question to the focus group participants only after thoroughly discussing the previous one. This study does not allow a return to the topics, as this violates the process of adequate perception of the goods. If the topic under discussion concerns a material subject (not a service), be sure to prepare samples. Having them in hand, it will be much easier for participants in the focus group to answer questions from the moderator.

6

Watch the video. Compare your feelings with the opinions of observing psychologists. Record all responses from invited participants. To analyze the results, create a pivot table in which the repeated answers are highlighted with markers of the same color. In order for the answers to the questions posed to be objective, 3-4 meetings should be collected for each product, each of which can attend up to 10 people.

note

When inviting focus group participants, carefully select the invitees. Deviation from sampling can lead to data corruption.

Useful advice

Focus group is best done in a room with a mirror wall. Invited psychologists will be able to monitor non-verbal reactions of participants.