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Marketing to Your Customers

Marketing to Your Customers
Learning About Your Customers (Citizens)
Focus Groups

Carolyn Browne*
Principal
Carolyn Browne Associates

What do citizens think about the public agency services they receive, and what are their opinions about how public money should be spent? Many cities and other government agencies rely upon direct feedback through letters or phone calls, or they hold public meetings to hear what citizens have to say. These self-selected methods generally draw input from people who have strong feelings - usually negative - about a topic or who represent a special interest group.

There are two major marketing research tools that can supply reliable information for making planning and budgeting decisions: focus group discussions with representative groups of citizens; and random sample surveys of the population. I sometimes explain that where a survey provides the "what" data (what proportion of people have a particular opinion), a focus group discussion provides the "why" data (helps understand why people have particular opinions). Next month, we'll talk about surveys, but first, let's talk about focus groups.

A focus group discussion is the most effective tool I know of for gathering subjective information about what people think and want. Basically, 10 to 12 citizens participate in a 90-minute discussion about a specific topic. A professional moderator leads the conversation, following a prepared outline ("Discussion Guide"). The ground rules - all opinions and responses are valid, and only one person speaks at a time - empower people to feel safe about contributing their own ideas.

The results can surprise because those running an agency often are unaware of how little citizens know and understand about certain issues. Recently, I conducted a focus group discussion with some city residents to learn their opinions about a variable, verses a fixed, rate for trash collection. In the responses to my first question, I learned that citizens did not realize how much they were paying for their trash collection service, let alone whether it was a fixed or variable rate (these concepts had to be explained later).

Focus group participants should be representative of the total population from which they are drawn. For example, a focus group with residents of a city would include men and women, from young adult to senior citizen, living in different neighborhoods in the city. It is a wise investment to hire a professional data collection firm to do the recruiting for you. You can also ask the recruiter to use other criteria (called "screeners"), such as a specific proportion with children in the household, or a proportion living in multi-family, as well as single family, homes.

A focus group can be conducted in a comfortable conference room with a rectangular or oval table that seats 12 comfortably. However, if possible, I recommend using a professional focus group facility because it enables others to view the discussion without concerns about being intrusive.

Usually, 12 people are recruited for a discussion, and 10 or 11 will be there. It is vital to provide participant incentives, usually $50 to $75 per person. The citizens should perceive that the money comes from the research firm, not from the agency. It is my belief that the incentive acts as a contract in the mind of the participant. If you tell them they will be paid for their time, they are far more likely to feel they have made a commitment to be there.

The discussion is recorded, and a copy of the recording is provided to the client. The research firm summarizes the responses and provides a written report. Most focus group facilities can provide a video recording, but in my experience, since it is done with a stationary camera, I don't think it is very useful.

The most important requirement for gathering useful information from a focus group is the development of the Discussion Guide. The moderator should meet with those who will be using the information to get a clear picture of what issues need to be discussed and what issues should be avoided (in other words, where there is little that can be done to alter a situation). A good Discussion Guide is like a good story. Simple, general information is gathered at the beginning leading up to the tougher questions where there may be strong opinions or fresh ideas. A good moderator will attempt to encourage all participants to share and will discretely steer the discussion away from someone who begins to dominate.

The result of a good focus group discussion is a surprising wealth of information that can be utilized for gathering new ideas and fresh perspectives, making planning decisions and/or developing an effective survey questionnaire for a random sample survey.

Next month, we'll talk about how a focus group discussion can provide a basis for designing a survey questionnaire.

Read previous articles in this series:

*Carolyn Browne is principal of Carolyn Browne Associates, a successful community involvement and marketing research firm in the Seattle area since 1977. Carolyn's firm has handled numerous community involvement projects, marketing research surveys, focus groups, public workshops and strategic planning meetings for a broad range of large and small municipalities and for several state agencies. She is an associate member of Association of Washington Cities and is a frequent presenter and workshop leader at their conferences. Carolyn can be contacted at: chbrowne@earthlink.net.