In marketing, data is invaluable. However, with numerous data collection methods available, deciding on the most suitable one for your organization can be challenging. Therefore, conducting thorough research on any market research technique you plan to utilize is essential.
In this article, we will take a better look at one unique market research method, and that is the use of a focus group. There are plenty of details to keep in mind when using a research group to collect valuable data and we will highlight the most important of them. We will also define what is a focus group, and help you understand why focus groups are so important for specific businesses.
What Is a Focus Group?
A focus group is a type of market research by which a group of individuals is questioned about their views, opinions, and emotions toward a certain product, service, concept, or advertisement.
In addition to being asked a list of carefully designed questions, a discussion between the participants is encouraged to collect additional data from the group dynamics.
A focus group is a method of market research, which uses a real discussion to reach the opinions and beliefs that a hand-picked set of individuals has on a product or service. In this type of analysis, body language, intonation, and other factors are observed.
The number of people in a focus group is rarely precisely determined. However, for the sake of productive discussion and letting everyone have a chance to speak, focus groups are usually limited to 5-10 participants.
Key Takeaways
A focus group is an effective qualitative research method and technique in market study, which enables researchers to improve the marketing efforts and other aspects of a business;
Focus groups may provide insights that could not be obtained otherwise, thanks to the great number of details and data this type of research provides;
A dueling-moderator focus group is a type of focus group with multiple moderators who offer different points of view to consider an issue from multiple angles.
How to Define a Focus Group?
A focus group is a deliberately crafted conversation facilitated by a moderator to gather opinions on a predetermined subject. Focus groups are a great tool for achieving various research goals, but they should only be used when necessary.
The focus group method of collecting data from a group of individuals is a qualitative method of research. This means that it focuses on answering specific questions, such as how and why focus group participants came to certain conclusions. As far as it is a qualitative research method, it offers a more subjective point of view compared to the quantitative research methods that deal with hard facts and numbers.
A focus group is a good research method if you need to test marketing materials on a specific target audience. However, it may not be an appropriate method if you are trying to make a generalization about a larger population. Since the sample size of a focus group is very small, the data does not apply to a broader population.
Why Are Focus Groups Important?
Focus groups are highly useful when coming up with an explanation for a certain phenomenon. Using such a method also offers a way to acquire this information at a reasonable cost, when compared to some other methods of data collection.
1. Focus groups provide insights
In terms of marketing, what you say is less significant than what your audience interprets your message to be and how they react to it.
Putting yourself in the shoes of your potential customers can be challenging, but doing so will help you gain a better understanding of your target audience.
2. Uncovering unforeseen insights
Focus groups offer a unique opportunity to dig deeper into a topic and uncover unexpected insights. By facilitating open discussions among participants, focus groups can reveal underlying attitudes, perceptions, and motivations that may not have been apparent through other research methods.
These unexpected insights can provide valuable guidance for refining strategies, addressing challenges, and innovating products or services.
3. Enhancing customer understanding
Understanding your target audience is essential for effective marketing and business decision-making.
Focus groups allow you to put yourself in the shoes of your potential customers and gain a deeper understanding of their needs, preferences, and behaviors. By directly engaging with participants and observing their reactions, you can gain valuable insights into how they interpret your messages, products, or services.
This enhanced understanding enables you to tailor your marketing strategies more effectively and develop products or services that better meet customer needs.
What Are the Best Focus Group Types and Strategies?
There are plenty of focus group strategies to incorporate into your research. Of course, you may benefit from using the correct type for the questions you are looking to answer. In gathering valuable qualitative data, one of the following types of focus groups can prove to be helpful.
1. Two-way focus group
This approach involves running two focus groups concurrently, each with a moderator. The first group investigates a certain subject, and the second group watches them and offers feedback on their interactions. This enables the group doing the observation to get their own opinions regarding the first group’s arguments and conclusions.
2. Dual-moderator focus group
With this approach, two moderators are in charge of the focus group. One moderator may ensure that everyone who is in attendance participates. The second moderator concentrates on ensuring that all of the subjects have been covered in the conversation.
3. Dueling-moderator focus group
In the dueling-moderator focus group, each moderator voluntarily adopts different perspectives and attitudes on the current issue. Focus group participants have the opportunity to move around and converse with one another while taking into account various points of view in this way.
Here, the goal is to question participants’ reasoning and challenge their beliefs to reach more in-depth findings.
4. Expressive arts focus groups
In expressive arts focus groups, participants engage in creative activities such as drawing, painting, or collage-making to express their thoughts and feelings.
This non-verbal approach allows for the exploration of complex emotions and subconscious perceptions, offering unique insights that may not surface through traditional discussions alone.
5. Sequential focus groups
Sequential focus groups involve conducting multiple sessions with different groups of participants, with each subsequent group building upon the insights gained from the previous one.
This iterative approach allows for the exploration of evolving perspectives and a deeper understanding of complex issues over time, leading to richer and more nuanced findings.
Additional Tips & Tricks
- The duty of a moderator is not only to make sure that all of the questions have been answered but also to draw out multiple points of view by encouraging each participant to offer their opinions;
- Each question that is presented to the focus group should have qualitative research in mind and provide a specific answer to the issues an organization is looking to resolve;
- While it can be useful to facilitate person-to-person conversations in a focus group, it is important that a moderator ensures no one is dominating the conversation by talking over the other participant.
The Bottom Line
A focus group is a type of market research and data collection that brings together carefully selected individuals into the same room to discuss a specific set of issues and questions. This allows a moderator, or moderators, to draw conclusions from the participants’ answers, and use the qualitative data to improve future marketing efforts.
You’ve learned what a focus group is, why this method is important, and the best strategies for focus group opinion collection. With all this knowledge and information, it’s up to you now to determine if a focus group is the type of research you need to conduct for your company or organization.
Focus Group FAQs
The duty of a moderator in a focus group is manifold. There are specific types of focus groups with multiple moderators that share responsibilities. If only one moderator is present, it will be their duty to ensure that all of the topics have been covered, that each participant has offered valuable input and that the answers which have been given can be effectively used as a part of the qualitative research.
While a focus group may have the form of an interview at its core, not all focus groups are interviews. On the contrary, a focus group can include discussions between each participant and between a participant and a moderator, which does not resemble traditional interviews.
The nature of what the researchers are looking for will determine the main question set for a focus group. If the researchers are interested in the performance of a product, there will likely be more than one question about the feelings and thoughts of each participant towards that precut. In general, open-ended questions are the key questions that are commonly asked.
A focus group study is highly useful because it offers the exchange of perceptions through group discussion which is not something that can be done through online surveys. It enables researchers to conduct a group interview and observe the group interaction to gain better insight into the different opinions of each respondent.
