Virtual Focus Groups a Great Starting Point for Valuable Market Insight
“Using regional focus groups and online surveys helps association gain important feedback on product certification program.”
PROBLEM
A national manufacturing association wanted to explore design professionals’ awareness of their product certification program. In addition, they also needed to understand how important the product certification was to a designer’s decision to select or recommend a particular brand of product with such certification. While the association had been offering the product certification program for years, they had little or no knowledge of how familiar the design market was with the program and what influence, if any, it had on selecting a certified product over others on the market.
Product certification in this industry was a proof that the product passed specific performance and quality assurance tests for specific aspects of the product such as finish, structure and functionality. A product certification creates confidence and trust that a product not only functions correctly put can with stand a certain level of daily use.
While some in the association believed all designers and architects were aware of their certification program, others on the team were not convinced that the designers had any awareness and how familiar they were with the actual value of the certification program.
Often organizations are too close to their own products and services to accurately gauge the target audience’s level of awareness and product knowledge used to make informed product decisions. This is true especially with mature products or services that have been in the market for several years. Companies often make the mistake believing “most” influencers or buyers know everything about their product/service, and therefore don’t continue to deploy an aggressive marketing program.
Conducting primary research is an important tool for organizations that want to evaluate the market’s awareness, use, preference or familiarity with a particular company product or service. Measuring and understanding a brand’s position in the market provides companies with key insight needed to develop a targeted and more effective marketing program.
SOLUTION
To help the client evaluate the awareness of their organization’s role in the product certification process and evaluate the level of awareness and importance of certification in the product selection, AIM suggested a two- step research project—qualitative focus groups followed by a quantitative email survey.
To talk directly with the professionals that are involved in product selection and specification, AIM first conducted three “virtual” regional online focus groups with six to eight designers and architects per group. Participants in the focus group were screened and interviewed to confirm their level of involvement in product selection or specification for the consumer market. To ensure unbiased feedback, the client’s identity was not revealed until the end of the discussion. AIM managed the entire focus group from beginning to end including participant recruitment, preparation of the discussion guide, group moderator, preparation of reports, incentive fulfillment and audio/video files.
Conducting virtual focus groups at the beginning of a research project is an effective method for getting first-hand information on the market. Not only does it allow the client to gain a clear perspective of how the market evaluates and selects products, but it allows them to dig deeper to get more specific feedback on complex products or market issues. Hearing the target audiences’ opinions and needs directly can help organizations develop more targeted marketing and sales programs.
By conducting separate “regional” focus groups and including a variety of building professionals, the research was able to get some consensus on national trends and identify if there were regional differences or variance by type of professional on how the audience selected, specified or purchased specific brands.
Once the qualitative research was complete, AIM designed and implemented an email survey to interior designers, architects and builders to solidify the key findings from the focus groups. The survey was designed to evaluate the importance of various factors the professional uses to evaluate the brand of product they specify or purchase. In addition, the research measured the audiences’ familiarity with the association and their product certification on of quality. The research would also identify how important the product certification would be to their product decisions.
Complex Market or Product Situations Often Require a Combination of Research Techniques
Today, information is available everywhere and markets are changing rapidly. With the increase of digital communications, social media and artificial intelligence, it is becoming even more important for companies to conduct their own primary research to stay “connected” to their audience. They need to know specifically what the target audience needs and wants and stay informed on how their buying behavior is shifting or communications preferences are changing.
Employing a combination of various research methods provides a more comprehensive understanding of customer needs, preferences, and perceptions. By talking directly with influencers or buyers of a product or service via either a phone interview or a virtual focus group, may reveal different information than what an online survey produces. It may uncover a key point of differentiation that might be missed with quantitative research.
By utilizing multiple research methods AIM has been successful in merging findings from different sources to validate and strengthen the credibility of their conclusions. This is so important because marketing products or services can be complicated and very expensive for a company. The misinterpretation of the market can lead a company to go totally off course. It is important to talk to the market either on the phone or in person to pick up the “details” you may miss in an online survey.
While many marketers are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) for market information, it may never replace doing primary research with a company’s current or potential customer. In a recent blog titled What to do About ChatGPT for Planning Business Strategy, by our sister company Interline Creative Group, AI lacks understanding and creativity. While AI may be able to search and collect market data or statistics, it may not be the most current and may not relate specifically to your target audience whose preferences and product needs are rapidly changing.
RESULT
By conducting separate “regional” focus groups with a variety of building professionals, the research was able to get consensus on national trends and identify if there were regional differences or variance by type of professional on how the audience selected, specified or purchased specific brands. Using the findings from the qualitative focus groups, AIM was able to design a quantitative survey instrument that addressed the key issues that surfaced in the focus groups.
The quantitative research revealed that the design market was not very familiar with the association and was also not aware of the quality certification the association provided. However, the research revealed the market had a high degree of interest in quality certification and provided detailed feedback on the aspects of quality that were most important to design professionals. The research also provided a preference on the sources the market uses for gaining knowledge and information they need to make better product choices.
By using a combination of research techniques, the association came to the realization that they needed a specific certification branding campaign to keep the target audience informed on the importance and benefits of the product certification.
Marketing today is complex! Interline’s blog What are the Problems Marketers Face These Days points out there are many issues marketers struggle with today. Finding effective communications, juggling limited resources, evaluating mountains of information are only a few of the problems plaguing marketers. To be successful, marketers need to focus on the basics. Finding a point of differentiation and offering value are key.
The B2B marketing environment is constantly moving and changing rapidly. There are many research methods companies can use to stay informed and at the “top” of their market. AIM encourages marketers to explore a variety of methods to gain a clear and accurate reading on their market. For assistance in analyzing your market position and preferences as well as the multiple research methods available today, email patty@a-i-m.com or call 847-358-8558.