Research is a huge part of the advertising and marketing industry, as well as PR. We have been learning for a while about the different types of secondary research, one of which was focus groups. A focus group is a form of qualitative research, which usually aids to your research. I recently read an article about how focus groups can help small businesses.
This article made a lot of great points to small businesses; it started off saying that you don’t need to be a big corporation to conduct your own focus group. This is a great way to try and help small businesses get the feedback that they need, and will allow them to be confident in doing so. The article then goes on to explain in detail how to prepare for your focus group. This can be done by determining your objective carefully, and write down what you want to learn. Then the following has to be done to make your focus group successful: write your script, have a way of recording this focus group, and find a moderator who will lead the discussion and ask follow up questions. You also need to find a comfortable location, and have food and beverages there to keep the participants happy. For the timeframe of the focus group, they suggest about two and a half hours with a short break.
When the focus group is completed you must be able to chart your responses, review the questions, and try to be objective. It is important that the person reviewing the tapes does not try to force the answers, but instead to find them.
Focus groups are the best way to collect data. I believe that if you have the funds and the means to conduct a focus group, no matter how big or small your company may be, you should do it. Focus groups are there to help you company prosper, and thrive in this ever changing economy.
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