One of the most important ways we learn is by observing and listening to the people around us. The problem is, most days we’re surrounded by the same people, return to the same news sources, and listen to the same podcasts. In short, we’re comfortable within our own tribe.
And yet, our success in life, business, and service to others is utterly dependent on our ability to build relationships with groups of people – tribes – who are very different from us.
- Different childhoods.
- Different education.
- Different jobs.
- Different life experiences.
- Different world views.
At its core, that’s why market research exists. We may call them segments rather than tribes. Yet, understanding group behavior and motivation is essential to success in just about any field imaginable.
That gets us to the first reason you may need focus group research.
1. You have quantitative survey research results, but you don’t understand the “why.”
Quantifiable market research surveys can use math – statistics – to help us identify clusters or segments.
Yet, I’m often asked the “why” question as I present market research data. Why do they do that? Why do they think that? Focus group research allows you to learn directly from segment members through structured conversation.
And that brings us to the second reason you may need focus group research.
2. When answers to your open-ended survey questions leave you scratching your head.
Adding an open-ended question to your survey can be especially helpful in understanding a response.
Let’s say you sell cookies online with delivery around the country. Once the treats are delivered, you send customers a satisfaction survey. The survey asks how you rate your online shopping experience, with five choices ranging from very good to very bad. A satisfaction score is helpful, but a follow-up written response question – “Why did you answer that way” – can be useful.
Yet, I’ve experienced many times when opened-ended answers offer little help, with responses like “because” or “that’s just what I think.”
Even with well-written responses, you may have follow-up questions. That’s what focus groups allow you to do. They’ll give you the richness of dialogue that cannot come from surveys.
Focus groups are not always prescribed as a follow-up to survey research. Sometimes there is good reason to put them first. And that leads to the third reason you may need focus group research.
3. To develop a hypothesis or question for quantitative research.
Sometimes an organizational challenge – the pain – is apparent, and the target audience seems well defined. But the research question to be answered is as unclear as driving at night in a rainstorm.
Research done for similar organizations with similar problems can give us a good guess of the problem with your organization. We call this secondary research. We can use this research to give you an idea of what questions to ask in a survey.
But sometimes, your pain may be particularly unique. That’s when a good, focus group conversation with key stakeholders – such as your customers or plan participants – can give you some insights to test later with survey research.
What a focus group does well
The greatest strength of a focus group is the group dynamics and synergy sparked by a skilled moderator. It becomes an engaging experience that can have participants sitting on the edge of their seats with energy. The result can be a deep and rich understanding that adds power to your relationship-building work.
What a focus group does not do
The strength of a focus group is rich insights. They can give you an understanding of survey data or provide a question or hypothesis to test. But, you cannot project the opinions of a dozen or so participants onto a population of hundreds or thousands. That’s what quantitative research with the power of many responses and statistics does well. Like survey research, misused focus groups can add significant risk to your marketing or relationship-building efforts.
In the age of COVID-19, is it safe to do focus groups?
There is no “yes” or “no” answer to that question. Much depends on the status of the pandemic in your area at the time you’re doing research. You’ll want to be aware of local regulations, and the comfort level potential participants have in gathering together.
I’ve done face-to-face, computer-aided focus groups for most of my career. While I’ve had technology in the mix, I’ve relied on moderation skills to keep it a personal and synergistic experience.
I remained highly skeptical of online focus groups until I tried them. In short, I was surprised to find them highly effective. Better yet, participation is not necessarily limited to a particular time or place. In the past, a significant challenge to focus groups was recruiting folks to attend at a specific location on a set date a time.
I found that online focus groups ease the recruiting challenge. And, the pandemic encouraged many more people to become comfortable with simple online dialogue.
Sum it up
So. Let’s sum up the three reasons focus groups may be a good idea for you:
- You have quantitative survey research results, but you don’t understand the why.
- Answers to your open-ended survey questions leave you scratching your head.
- You need to develop a hypothesis or question for quantitative research.
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