Job Description of Focus Group Moderators
The field of marketing seeks to help companies sell more. Marketers work with those who produce products and sell them. A marketer uses many tools to help him achieve his aims. One such tool is known as a focus group. A focus group can help the marketer determine if customers are interested in buying his product or using his services. Someone who helps run the focus group is known as a focus group moderator.
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Definition of Focus Group
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A focus group is a gathering of people at a specific time and place. Many focus groups take place in a specially designed room. The room allows other observers to watch the focus group participants and listen to them without being seen by the group members. A focus group moderator may come back to this room to consult with members of the marketing group during the group to find out if additional questions need to be asked of group members or additional subjects should be addressed.
Client Work
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As part of their work for the client, a focus group moderator will help the client design the focus group. The moderator will work with the client to determine their target demographic as well as help them design an ad campaign to help reach this group of people. A focus group moderator may also help a client formulate a new product and learn ways to better communicate the attributes of an existing product or product lines to the public.
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Interviewing
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Before the focus group begins, the moderator will help the client pick people to interview. A moderator may work with a group of people who are already in the marketer's database. The moderator will narrow down the candidate pool to find a group that mirrors the target audience. The moderator may also create an entirely new database of names for the client to work with. The focus group moderator will create a series of questions designed to help decide who to invite to the focus group. Questions may focus on the interviewees' hobbies as well as their educational background and their familiarity with the product.
During the Focus Group
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A focus group moderator may conduct one or more focus groups during the course of a day or week. During the focus group, the moderator will work with participants to find out their reactions to the product or advertising campaign in question. The moderator may ask questions of individual participants, introduce them to new products and find out what they like and dislike about an existing product.
Analyzing the Results
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After the focus group has been concluded, the moderator will help the client analyze the results. The moderator may work with the client to review the groups on tapes and gauge the reactions. A moderator may also write up a report for the client summarizing what was learned about the product or service being tested.
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References
- Photo Credit Group of business people working together in the office.. image by Andrey Kiselev from Fotolia.com
