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Services: PR/Marketing | Sales Training/Strategy | Focus Group Moderator
Crisis Management | Competitive & Industry Analysis
Focus Group Moderators
Maximizing value from your focus groups starts with the preparation you put into it.
Our focus group moderators add value beyond facilitating your research sessions. As
one of the leading market research firms worldwide, we analyze which messages work
and which ones come up short in meeting the expectations of your customers.
SymAction delivers on all aspects of sound focus group research -- from recruiting an
accurate sample of your prospective customers to drafting a thorough moderator's guide
to preparing creative session materials to moderating each session with every strategic
objective being accomplished to delivering comprehensive analyses of our strategic
findings and recommendations. Learn more about our focus group moderation services
(below) and contact us today.
Advantages of Conducting Focus Groups:
Focus groups offer companies a tremendous opportunity to uncover the candid
reactions of their customers, employees, and other stakeholders. With the right focus
group moderator, there is no limit to the value of the qualitative information at your
disposal. Unravelling the mystery behind what a customer or employee thinks and
why they think in such a way can transform a company's communication, as well as its
bottom line.
That’s why focus groups can play a pivotal role as you position your company in
ways that not even your biggest competitors will consider. Industry leaders are most
successful when they tailor their products and services to the precise needs of their
customers. Look no further than Google.
Costs of Focus Groups:
Focus group moderating costs can vary on multiple factors -- including, but not limited
to, the degree of ease/difficulty in recruiting a representative sample size of
customers/clients, whether we are recruiting from your own list or a broader list using
specific demographics, the amount of the incentive fee (necessary to pay the
participants for their time), the target market, the degree of involvement from us
(moderating only or conducting the entire research project), and whether you prefer a
traditional focus group or a larger group with instant response technology.
Size of Focus Groups:
If you're seeking a traditional focus group, six to eight participants will be the norm. If
you're seeking a wider range of qualitative feedback, then you can realistically recruit 10
to 12 participants. Remember, however many you recruit, your focus group moderator
needs ample time to enlist every participant's opinions. Regular focus groups will last
about two hours without any major breaks.
If you're seeking a more advanced focus group, perhaps one that involves Instant
Response Technology (perhaps to measure customer response to TV ads), then you'll
want to schedule a three-hour session involving up to 25 to 30 participants. Instant
Response Technology (IRT) is more quantitative than typical focus groups. As focus
group participants react in real-time (to video/audio materials), you will know exactly
which messages resonate most strongly or poorly with them.
Location of Focus Groups:
Your target market will greatly influence the location of the research facility selected.
Unless we expect some difficulty in the recruiting process (easily determined in
advanced), we usually recommend that focus group participants have no more than a
15-minute commute to the research facility. We recruit enough participants to account
for a few possible last-minute cancellations or no-shows.
Materials to Test in Focus Groups:
SymAction focus group moderators can test any creative materials (written, visual,
audio) that will be used to communicate with your stakeholders -- whether they are
customers (prospective or existing), employees, shareholders, the media and others.
We can determine which messages work and which ones come up short in meeting their
expectations. Our moderators can also incorporate written exercises for your
participants, in order to provide more a quantitative base for any opinions they may
share.
SymAction's Focus Group Moderators:
As seasoned focus group moderators, we will probe every product or service offering,
every customer experience, and every message that can make your services more
attractive to prospective and existing customers. We will not only extract their honest
reactions, but we will also uncover the reasons behind them.
We are meticulous in our methodologies when moderating these focus groups. We
understand how to get the very best feedback out of those who are capable of
unleashing a wealth of information – all of which will strengthen your core services (and
any new programs you’re hoping to launch) and how they are promoted.
We have moderated focus groups for many Fortune 100 companies and leading
industry associations in recent years. Our responsibilities have ranged from simply
facilitating a focus group to handling the entire strategic planning and execution of a
focus group (drafting moderator's guides, developing additional materials for testing,
writing analyses of the research findings, executing strategic plans).
Please contact us for more details on the types of focus group projects we undertake,
as well as the costs associated with them.
Market Research