How Do You Run a Focus Group?

What does a focus group do?

Before creating or releasing a new service, product, or even a company, it’s helpful to have a ballpark idea of how your target audience would react. This is usually accomplished by conducting thorough market research, which includes a focus group as an integral part of the study.

In this post, we will provide you with a definition of a focus group, provide you with a plan to stick to when running one, walk you through how to run a focus group step-by-step, and assist you in planning what to ask with a focus group survey.

What is the purpose of a focus group?

One way to acquire a feel for your product or service’s potential customers is to form a focus group and interview a subset of that demographic. To get the most accurate picture of your target audience, your focus group should include both existing and potential buyers. By the end of the focus group, we should have a better notion of how the topic would go over with a larger audience and what adjustments, if any, need to be made before the official launch.

You may be wondering at this point whether focus group data is truly useful. And is it an effective method of data collection?

Focus Group Methodology

Focus groups, which should be representative of your target demographic, can yield invaluable information for your company.

The information you glean from them is valuable because it can guide the development of effective plans by:

• Getting better feedback from consumers on their needs.
• Determining the significance of data collected from broader surveys.

You can use this data to inform your marketing decisions; for example, you can tailor your product’s features to address consumer complaints.

Now that we know how important focus groups are to your business, you need to have a plan for them before you invite people to join.

Agenda for the Focus Group

You should prepare an agenda in advance of your focus group meeting so that everyone stays on topic. When you make your own, remember these key points.

1. Greetings to the members of the focus group

To begin, introduce yourself and any other researchers who will be joining the focus group, and extend a warm welcome to the participants. Getting to know the group and earning their trust is a crucial first step.

2. Request that each person introduce themselves to the group

You don’t want to waste the next hour or more together pronouncing everyone’s names wrong, so this has a dual purpose: first, it reinforces the idea that everyone in the group gets along, and second, it makes sure that everyone knows how to pronounce everyone’s name.

3. Set the group’s expectations and guidelines

Make sure everyone is on the same page before you start asking questions. This is the perfect opportunity to address any questions or concerns you may have, including:

• Make your intentions clear and limit the scope of the conversation if you think a certain issue could spark controversy.
• Reassure those participating that their names and other identifying information will not be included in the results if you want to ask for sensitive information that would not often be disclosed in a group environment.
• Be sure to inform the focus group members of the process and expected time of receipt of any reimbursements or payments if your company is covering their costs.

After you’ve gotten their questions answered, including any ones they might have during this part of the session, you can move on to asking questions regarding your company, service, or product.

4. Be systematic in your questioning

This is when it gets exciting. In a focus group, you might have one overarching theme, but there are probably going to be multiple subtopics that require their own discussion. To ensure a logical progression of the discussion, frame your questions accordingly. Sorting them by topic, timeline, or present-to-future status of your company are all viable options.

5. Conclude with some closing remarks.

When the discussion has come to a close, make sure everyone has a chance to ask questions and share their thoughts. The meeting should conclude with a round of thanks for everyone’s time.

Now that you know how to lead the session, let’s start at the beginning and find out what it takes to operate a focus group successfully.

1. Come up with a subject to talk about

Before entering a focus group, you should have already decided on a small number of subjects to discuss. Remember that a single focus group session will not provide enough time to cover all of your desired topics.

This is why businesses often conduct focus groups on a variety of subjects in successive rounds. When introducing a new product to the market, for instance, you may divide your focus groups according to different aspects of the product: its marketing, its brand positioning, and its usability and functionality.

2. Decide on the questions or topics for discussion

After you’ve settled on a subject for your focus group, it’s time to start making notes of questions and ideas for topics of conversation.

Let’s go back to the product launch scenario we discussed earlier. The following are examples of questions you may ask when leading product marketing focus groups:

• Do you have any thoughts on the design of the packaging?
• In your opinion, how much would you pay for this kind of product?
• When you see a product like this, what other brands come to mind?

Focus groups regarding the product itself should inquire about its usefulness, user-friendliness, and overall impression.

Always use questions with room for the respondent to elaborate — “Do you enjoy the product?” And “What are your thoughts on the product?” appear to be a bit similar, however the second one will yield more specific results.

3. Get the questionnaire for your focus group ready

Gather all of your questions and ideas for discussion points, and then arrange them in a focus group questionnaire. Make sure there’s enough room on the survey for general observations, a rundown of typical answers, and a couple of comments that jumped out.

4. Designate someone to take information down

At least one member of your team should act as facilitator for the focus group discussion, and another should take notes.

Why? The role of the facilitator is to act as a guide for the group’s conversation and to encourage the generation of fresh ideas. If the facilitator has to halt the conversation to jot down participants’ strong reactions and major ideas, the project might easily go off the rails.

Before entering the focus group, choose someone to take notes. This person should be able to concentrate on recording the group’s overall consensus, interesting and noteworthy individual comments, and the most important takeaways for the company.

5. Find groups to participate and set up their schedules

Attendance is crucial to the success of any focus group, but it can be difficult to recruit participants. Once you have decided on a time and location, the next step is to invite people.

A few methods to identify them are as follows:

Get in touch with your current clientele

When conducting market research for an established business, it is best to communicate with clients via account managers or an email list. Now is the time to test the waters with your existing clientele before the formal launch, since they will most likely be the ones to use the product or service in question first.

Offering free or reduced services is one option, while customer advocacy programs like Influitive can provide rewards for loyal customers.

Make use of social media to advertise

Need to talk to some older men or women in the Ann Arbor region? Sure thing! To reach your target market, you can take use of the powerful targeting capabilities offered by social media advertising.

Another thing to consider is the websites frequented by the target audience for your focus group. If you want to poll working people in their mid-thirties, LinkedIn is probably a better bet than TikTok.

Explore the possibility of location-based advertising

You can enhance your recruitment efforts by running ads that will only be seen to people in your hyper-targeted location. Here are a couple of examples:

• Personalized social media advertisements that are based on a user’s physical location
• Mobile Ads on Public Transportation Vehicles (Buses, Trains, and Taxis)
• Local Newspapers and Publications Ads
• Supermarket Ads

You should be ready to give incentives. Almost no one does anything for free anymore. Make sure to emphasize the reward you’re willing to provide in your ads and promotional materials. This incentive could be in the form of a discount, a gift card, or cash.

If you’re short on funds, you might want to think about holding a giveaway or raffle. With this approach, you can save $100 by offering a $100 gift card as an incentive for participating in a focus group with eight individuals instead of a guaranteed $25 per participant.

6. Get consent and begin the conversation

Distribute consent forms and briefly go over the group’s goals with participants before you begin the focus group discussion. Reiterating the event’s goals, outlining participants’ rights, revealing compensation, providing facilitator contact information, and asking for participants’ signatures are all essential components of a valid consent form.

Once everyone has signed off, the focus group can begin.

7. Shake hands and introduce yourself to each person

Beginning a conversation with an introduction, both to yourself and to the other participants, is a great way to break the ice and get people chatting.

You may find out even more information about your target audience here. Get to know your participants on a more personal level by asking them to reveal more than just their names. Ask them about their career or hobbies to gain a better sense of how your product, service, or business could fit into their daily lives.

8. Go through your list of questions

Do not mistake this for an interview. You need to make sure that you have a list of five to ten questions ready before the actual focus group begins.

However, while it’s tempting to remain rigidly attached to your prepared questions or themes of discussion, doing so will stifle the flow and effectiveness of your talks. Do not be hesitant to let the talk stray from its intended path if doing so appears to be beneficial, especially if the group’s direction is slightly different from what you had anticipated.

Focus groups are useful for more than just verifying your assumptions; they can also help you learn new things. Instead of using an agenda as a checklist of things to cover, let the conversation flow naturally and don’t be afraid to veer off subject a bit.

Furthermore, the conversational trajectory will dictate whether or not you ask each question on your list. Instead of making it just a question-and-answer session, prioritize asking relevant questions and then expanding on specific issues raised to keep the conversation going.

9. Aim for proportional group representation

Everyone in your session is contributing in some way, therefore it’s imperative that you pay close attention to everyone’s thoughts and opinions. It may sound simple, but it’s easy for a focus group to devolve into an interview with the most outspoken participants.

When this occurs, be prepared to intervene when someone stays silent for too long by expressing gratitude to the most vocal members of the group for their contributions and then re-opening the floor to everyone else. “Angelica, what are your thoughts on this?” is a good way to go. Or “Rahul, what are your thoughts about what Angelica said?” This ensures that everyone gets an equal say.

10. Conclude the meeting within an acceptable timeframe

Remember to factor in exhaustion and the law of diminishing returns when you plan the duration of your focus group.

Define the duration of the focus group session before it begins, in any relevant marketing, and/or on the consent form. The onus is on you to keep the conversation on track and under the allotted time. Now, it’s understandable if the focus group ends up being longer than expected; after all, you did say it would be an hour. On the other hand, your attendees may feel angry and less inclined to provide useful feedback if the session exceeds the 45-minute limit.

At the end of the meeting, express your gratitude to everyone who participated and, if relevant, hand over the promised reward. Furthermore, make sure they remember how to reach you in case they choose to offer additional comments or criticism.

11. Review comments and make adjustments as needed

Assuming all went well, your focus group should have given you a plethora of comments, fresh perspectives, and practical suggestions to further your company’s success. Once you’ve held all of your focus groups, it’s important to gather and analyze the ideas that were shared. You should also consider whether any adjustments to the service, product, or company are needed.

In summary

The results of your focus group will be more useful and informative if you follow this systematic approach.