When conducting research for your business’s new product, or for another reason entirely, there is a lot you need to take care of. Of course, you need a quality Survey Maker to prepare the questions that you want the answers to. You may also need a venue, if you’re doing it in-person.
If not, you need to organize the group virtually, which can be challenging as well. However, you can’t forget the participants themselves. The people in your focus group are the most important and crucial to your success when it comes to product research. You need to take the proper steps to ensure you can get the right participants for the best results. There are a number of ways you can do this.
For example, checking out a Focus Group Review or two can help you learn what other companies or platforms are doing to get the right candidates for their surveys or focus groups or how they work.
While this is a smart tactic, it isn’t the only option you have. This article is going to cover a couple other helpful tips for reaching and getting the right candidates for your next focus group.
Start With The Overall Purpose of the Group
Before you can even begin to think about the candidates, you need to begin with the overall purpose of the focus group. Every focus group should have an overall goal for the discussion. It could be to evaluate the quality of a new product, see how people feel about a political candidate, or what features they would like to see in a further iteration of a current product.
Once you know the purpose, you can decide the type of person you want for the group. For example, let’s say you have a company that sells tools and you are coming out with a new hammer. In general, your focus group should be made up of construction workers, DIY craftsmen, and others who may be in the market for those products.
Your focus groups should always include people who are interested in the product, who have used similar products or are likely to purchase the product. This way, you can get crucial information and valuable insight on what is good about the product, or what could use some work, from your actual target market.
Offer an Incentive With Value
While it would be lovely if your target market was lining up to participate in your focus group to improve your products, this isn’t often the case. Many people simply won’t want to spend the time and effort to volunteer to join a focus group.
As a result, you need to provide them with an incentive. People respond very well to incentives, and it can help people be more likely to help you out. Of course, the incentive has to have some value and people need to want it. This could be cash, could be a gift card or you could even let them be first in line to buy a discounted version of the product they are helping you with.
There are several choices, and it is up to you to choose one that you feel your candidates will find valuable. Of course, it is a good idea to base the incentive on the amount of time that the focus group will take. A short and brief one would likely need a lesser incentive than one that keeps participants all day.
Discover How to Reach Your Preferred Candidates
Once you know the sort of people you want to reach and have an incentive figured out, it is time to go out and get them. Again, these potential participants aren’t going to flock to your website and sign-up sheet, you need to make the first move.
With around 4 billion people using it, social media is a logical place to start when it comes to recruitment. There are people from all backgrounds and with all different types of interests on social media.You could reach out directly, or participate in conversations that your target is often a part of, as well.
Also, don’t hesitate to advertise on social media, as well. While it comes with a cost, it can often be a small price to pay to gain access to candidates who can help you fine-tune your product and ensure it is perfect for launch.
Screen People Who Are Interested
Of course, not everyone who responds with interest will be right for your focus group. Some might just be bored, while others might only want to do it for the reward or incentive. As a result, it is important to screen individuals to ensure they meet your requirements and criteria.
The criteria you choose will depend on the overall topic and goal of the focus group. For example, a brewery might have criteria such as participants being over 21, and may ask questions like how often they drink alcohol and what their preferences are. The last thing a brewery would want out of a focus group are a bunch of people who don’t like their type of product.
Without this screening process and ensuring everyone meets the criteria, you could end up with a less-than-effective focus group.
Select Your Participants and Confirm Their Attendance
Once you have screened your potential candidates and have a decent list of options who would help, you need to select your final participants and send them invites. However, just because they had interest and availability at the start of the screening stage, that doesn’t always carry over.
As a result, you need to follow up with them and confirm their interest and attendance. While there is still a chance some people might not show up, by checking in more frequently leading up to the focus group, you can keep participation rates as high as possible. It also isn’t a bad idea to have a list of backups in case some people end up not showing up.
In conclusion, we hope that this blog post has been able to help you ensure you can get the right candidates for your next focus group.
