Online focus groups involve respondents gathering online and reacting to a particular topic. Respondents can be sourced from all over the world and react in real time, arguably being freer with their responses since they can be anonymous in an electronic environment.
Online focus groups are ideal for having frank, detailed conversations with people who have an interest in your brand – this means they result in primary, qualitative data. This information can then be used to create quantitative research questions.
Online focus groups can be conducted by using a range of technologies. The simplest is to use a text-based messaging program or online forum – there are many options available. More sophisticated tools allow for voice or video conferencing, and can make it easier for the researcher to pick up clues form the respondent’s voice and facial expressions. Some tools allow the researcher to share their desktop screen with respondents in order to illustrate a concept or question.
Good options for conducting online focus groups include:
• Google Hangouts: www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts
• Skype: www.skype.com/en
• GoToMeeting: www.gotomeeting.com/fec
Focus groups are less formal than surveys: the researcher will have specific questions to ask, but the conversation usually grows and develops organically as participants discuss their impressions. Usually running for between one and two hours, focus groups are used to get consumer views on:
• New products or marketing campaigns
• Existing products and campaigns, and how they can be improved
• Sentiment around the brand
• Views on a brand’s new direction or visual style
• Ideas for how the brand could improve its position or branding.
Online focus groups are excellent for collecting a lot of qualitative data quickly. When setting up the group, try to include enough participants to keep the conversation alive, but not too many so that some get drowned out by others – eight to ten is a good range. Also consider that you may run into technical troubles if people are connecting from different locations and Internet connections – be
prepared to do some basic troubleshooting if this happens.
There are a number of different ways that you can recruit participants for an online focus group. This could include inviting people from your existing customer database, going through a traditional market research recruiting agent, or putting a call out on your website or social media communities. It is common practice to offer a small incentive to people who participate in a focus group, as it is a fairly time-intensive activity.
