How to Run a Marketing Focus Group

Done correctly, focus groups can help you market and grow your business. Focus groups should be one of many research tactics you use to target your market. Focus groups are effective because you can get opinions in a short amount of time. They are generally not cheap though – you’ll need an incentive to get people to give up an hour or so of their time – and that usually means cold hard cash.

The Basics
Focus groups are usually made up of eight to 10 participants who are selected because of certain characteristics or demographics they possess. They could be home owners. Or maybe they earn $25,000 to $50,000 a year. Or they have toddlers at home. And so on. Group sessions usually run from one to two hours, so it’s a good idea to hold them in the evening so participants don’t have to worry about missing work. Many times you’ll need to hold a few rounds of focus-group sessions with the same people to track trends or themes in their feedback.

A facilitator or moderator usually leads the focus group by guiding the discussion, and drawing out issues, passions and prejudices without making judgments. As the client, you usually watch from an adjacent room with a one-way mirror. Or, you can videotape the group and watch it later. You must be sure to tell the participants about the recording.

Costs can vary, depending on if you hire a professional facilitator, the location and the participants you target. For multiple sessions, you should plan to spend anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000.

Here are some do's and don'ts for preparing your focus group sessions:

Do set goals and objectives. You need to know what kind of information you’re trying to glean from your customers. Write down your objectives and give them to the facilitator so that that person can do his job and keep people from getting off topic.

Work with your facilitator before the focus group session to discuss questions to ask to further commentary and to go over any follow-up points. You want to make sure that the facilitator knows exactly what topics you want feedback on. If you want feedback on your postcard marketing campaign or your brochure printing quality, be sure to give the facilitator samples to use during the focus group.

Do thoroughly recruit and screen participants. Make sure that people from your target market are who make up the majority of participants. The other participants can be people that you are considering adding to your target market. You need to allow enough time to recruit enough of your target market so that you get a worthy focus group. If you don’t have time to verify the people you’re bringing in actually have the characteristics of your target market, you’re wasting your time. If you target men aged 30-40, with incomes of $60,000-$75,000, you need to verify ages and income levels to get an accurate view of your customers.

Do pay the price for a quality facilitator. Trained focus-group facilitators are worth what they charge. They know how to draw answers out of people, and how to include shy people, among other things. The facilitator is the one running the show, and the success of the group depends on him or her.

Don't expect numbers in your data. The information you’ll get from focus groups is known as soft data, or qualitative research information. You’ll get anecdotes and opinions, but no numbers on how many people prefer postcard marketing to brochure printing tactics. The point of a focus group is to sample what your customers think and feel. You’ll get more emotional data than statistical data.

Do listen to the person that takes over the conversation. Although some people think the group dynamic of a “leader” who takes over the discussion is a bad thing, it can work in your favor. The person that influences the group most likely is the person that influences her friends, family and co-workers. You should take what the leader says seriously.