Focus groups can be a fantastic way for your business to
better understand your market and make key business decisions for your estate
agency.
While surveys can help you to get data at scale, the benefit
of a focus group is that you can really dig deep and find out more about what
really matters to your target audience. Focus groups are designed to be a
friendly, collaborative discussions, where you can ask open ended questions of
your audience and learn more about what they want from your business.
To get the most out of your focus group, it’s important that
you have some key aspects in place. With that in mind, we look at what makes a
good focus group.
Getting the right participants
Before you start to recruit participants for your focus
group, spend some time mapping out who is relevant to you and the objectives of
your research. Consider whether there are specific things that your audience
must have done before that will make them your ideal profile – for example, do
you want to ensure that you are speaking to people who have sold a home before?
Or perhaps a landlord with a specific number of properties in their portfolio?
It can also be beneficial to create a list of who you would
like to exclude from a group based on their demographics or behaviours. This
will help you to ensure that you are working with the right group who can
provide you with the feedback you need.
A comfortable space
Your participants should feel at ease throughout the entire
process, so it’s important that you create a space that is comfortable
physically, and an atmosphere that is welcoming.
If you’re using recording equipment, ensure that it does not
feel intrusive. While your group will have to provide consent for recording,
making microphones or cameras very “in your face” can make your participants
feels nervous.
Wherever possible, it’s a good idea to undertake a light ice
breaker exercise. This is designed to ensure that your group feel comfortable
speaking in front of each other and gets the room “warmed up” prior to asking
your questions.
A great moderator
Your moderator is the lynch pin of your focus group, so
choose someone who can maintain control of the room, while still asking the
questions that get to the heart of what you are looking to find out.
When a diverse group of people come together, it’s easy for
the quieter members of the group to be overlooked, so it’s vital that the
moderator is able to tease out more from those who are less “chatty” but also
to ensure that more dominant characters are reigned in where necessary.
Ideally, it’s a good idea to have at least two moderators in
the room – one to lead the group and someone else to take notes and ask further
questions where necessary.
Whether you’re looking to hone your offering, research more
about your target market, or simply want to get a better understanding of your
local audience, Know Your Market can help you with informed and customer
focused research.
