How to Use Focus Groups in Research

Select focus group participants that reflect your customer base.

Marketing research is used to create products or services that match the needs, wants and preferences of consumers. Research activities can include surveys, customer interviews and focus groups. Each market research tool offers a different perspective and depth of analysis. Focus groups, or group interviews, use a small selection of individuals to dissect, discuss and explore a company's offers. Skilled moderators promote conversation between participants that can provide insight about the strengths and weaknesses of products, services, marketing efforts or business objectives.

Instructions

1. Define the focus group participant requirements. Generally, you want your focus group to reflect the demographics of your customer base. If you are looking to break into a new market, or want to attract a new demographic, modify the focus group accordingly. Include sufficient diversity in your requirements to encourage strong discussions.

2. Develop questions to use during the focus group sessions. Create several ice-breaker questions to get the discussion flowing, then focus the questions on the exact opinions or information you want to extract from the group. The questions should be fairly open-ended to allow participants to express their opinions freely. Most focus groups last for one to two hours, so five to eight questions are usually sufficient to cover the time period.

3. Schedule a session and invite participants. Ensure your meeting location is free from distractions and provides a comfortable location for discussions. You may use a research company to help identify participants, select participants from your current customer roster or solicit participants through phone calls, social media sites or a notification on a website, local newspaper or other media source.

4. Prepare for the session. Create name tags for all participants and select refreshments for the group. You will also need to create an agenda and a script to avoid getting off schedule or off topic. Include a welcome message, general introductions and instructions on participation. Select a facilitator and a co-facilitator who are familiar with the goals of the research project and can make the sessions productive and beneficial. You will also need to set up a way to record and take comprehensive notes during the focus group.

5. Analyze the results. Take summaries of the session and review them for important discoveries and observations. Create a formal or informal report that discusses the findings and potential applications or implications of the focus group. When possible, tie the results to follow-up steps or action items. For example, if participants note they are not happy with the visual appearance of a product, list expanding or modifying product appearance as an area for further review.

Tips & Warnings

• Request input on the focus group questions from other marketing personnel and department heads.

• Avoid asking questions that are not developed in advance to avoid swaying the discussion or skewing the results.

References

• University of Surrey; Focus Groups; Anita Gibbs; 1997
• Lehigh University: Conducting a Focus Group
• University of Bolton: Focus Groups
• United Nations University; A Manual for the Use of Focus Groups; Susan Dawson, et. al; 1993