If you’re just starting out on your bid to build a stronger brand, you might not be quite at global player level before the year is through, but by the end of this blog, you’ll be in no doubt of just how crucial solid branding is for your business. 

Let’s get cracking, shall we?  

What is a strong brand?  

A strong brand refuses to relinquish pride of place in the minds of consumers. Stubbornly persistent, it crushes the competition as it goes: a perfectly placed ad here; a well-timed tweet there. 

From Mcdonalds’ to Mercedes, Starbucks to St. Tropez, Nike to Nespresso, strong brands have a special place in the hearts of their customers. Often recognisable by just a logo – or even the colours of that logo – a solid brand commands attention like nothing else.  

Take McDonald’s for instance: you can be driving down an innocent A-road, minding your own business, and then you see it: the golden arches. You weren’t even hungry; you’ve just been to your mum’s for dinner; the kids would kill you if they knew you’d been without them – but before any of those useless objections have time to process (honestly, the kids won’t even know), you’re cruising merrily through the drive-thru, seconds away from tucking into a Big Tasty.  

And that, my friends, is a strong brand. 

What are the benefits of a strong brand?  

We’re so glad you asked! Here’s why a strong brand is worth its weight in gold. 

1. Super happy staff Let’s start with your people. If they work for a strong brand, a brand that people know and respect, they’re going to feel proud. This, in turn, boosts employee engagement – which, as we all know, leads to greater productivity, higher profits, and much better retention. Working for a strong brand incentivises people to put their all in, because they – like loyal customers – are invested.  If you’re not sure how your employees feel about your brand, check out our employee experience survey software (it’ll bring you some priceless employee insights!). 
2. A VERY deep talent pool While we’re on the subject of happy workers and low attrition, another brilliant benefit of a strong brand is the number of people who want to work for you. People love the kudos of working for a majorly hyped brand. Look at it this way: when Google posts a job, how many applicants do you think they get? Things go CRAZY. HR needs a holiday within an hour of a role going live, because their brand is just so damn popular.  
3. Colossal customer recognition Did you know that 59% of customers prefer to buy from brands they already know about? Well, they do, and we get it. People take comfort in familiarity – particularly when their previous experiences have been positive and they feel a degree of trust. If you have a strong brand then, people will naturally gravitate towards you when it’s time to buy a product you sell, or invest in a service you provide, because you’ll feel familiar to them. 
4. The edge factor Once your recognition starts to rise, so does your share of the market. Brand awareness is big business for your, well, business (especially when you consider that 77% of consumers admit to making a buying decision based on brand name alone). Your brand is essentially what tells people what you do, how well you do it, and why they should choose you over your competitors. The better people know your brand, the more likely they are to understand what makes you different – and that’s the competitive edge that draws customers in. 
5. Easier expansion opportunities If you find yourself eager to branch out, a strong brand will do a lot of the heavy lifting. It’s much easier (and less risky) to introduce new products and services to an already receptive audience. Loyal customers are always keen to try out the latest from the brands they love. Just look at iPhones! People eagerly await the new release – not because they need a new phone, but because they’re totally bought into the brand. 
6. Repeat business (for life?) Every business dreams of a loyal customer base – because when you have them, they keep coming back. In fact, 77% of consumers have been loyal to at least one brand for 10 years or longer. So if you can translate your values and direction through your brand, and connect with customers through those values, you’ve secured yourself a long-term revenue stream. And don’t forget that your loyal customers are most likely to tell their friends and family about you, you lucky thing. 
7. Extra street cred For a brand to be credible, it needs to deliver on its promises, cough up the goods (think high quality, great service), and leave a trail of satisfied customers in its wake. And it’s well worth aiming for high-cred status, because you’ll find it far easier to bag customers if they find you credible. You’re probably realising now that all these things are related, and credibility will certainly serve to boost brand recognition, increase customer loyalty, and extend your market share. Boom! 
8. More effective ads It’s endlessly annoying when you plough money into an ad campaign and the results are lacklustre at best, but maybe you weren’t actually ready for all eyes on you? When you take the time to build a strong brand, your advertising efforts will carry far more clout because people will already be interested in what you have to say. They’ll better connect with your ads if they recognise your brand; it’s as simple as that.  

Examples of a strong brand  

Let’s take a moment to commend some of the companies who’ve got this brand thing down pat.  

Apple 

We can’t talk about strong brands without touching on Apple, now can we? As the most successful brand in the world (quite the achievement, right?) Apple’s brand game is incomparably strong. Because of that, consumers will willingly pay over and above standard market rates to get their hands on the latest Apple products (in actual fact, 46% of consumers would willingly pay more to buy from a brand they feel they can trust). With a brand value of approximately US$214 billion, and an annual revenue of around US$230 billion, you’ll understand why we bang on about the importance of a strong brand as often as we do. Customer loyalty and market share in one. 

Amazon  

From online shopping to audio books, music to groceries, Amazon has its finger in so many pies it could open a bakery. In fact, that’ll probably be next on the list, but we digress. With Prime delivery speaking directly to the needs of today’s fast-focused consumers, and an online video library that would make Blockbuster blush, it’s no surprise that the brand behemoth has the largest number of customers in the world. With a world holding value of US$100.76 billion, it’s no surprise that Amazon’s customers are loyal to a fault. 

Coca-Cola 

When you head into a bar, you’ll ask for a coke without even stopping to check if they stock the Coca-Cola brand – that’s because the brand name has become synonymous with the beverage (this is known as a proprietary eponym, and it’s often the holy grail for a company). We don’t need to tell you that Coca-Cola is HUGE, because its fame is global – netting an annual profit of $6 billion, and a brand value of $66.34. Going strong since 1882, the longevity afforded by its loyal customers has been passed down through the generations. And their marketing efforts are on-point: once you’ve seen the Coca-Cola ad at Christmas, you know holidays are coming…  

You may not quite be in Apple, Amazon or Coca-Cola territory just yet, but if you want to grow your footprint, help is at hand.  

How can Forsta help?  

If you’ve got your sights set on strengthening your brand, you really need to get a handle on where you’re at. With our brand experience software, Forsta can help you get to the bottom of what your customers really think: why they choose you, whether they like you, why they ditch you, and who for. Forsta can help you understand the full human experience.

It might not always make for easy reading (who wants to hear that their competitor is doing something better?), but feedback that carries real, actionable insight will ultimately help you to make your brand stronger.  

It pays to listen, because this sort of savvy software can tell you what you’re doing well and where you’re going wrong, how you can make your customers happier, and even how your ads are landing (along with ways to make them better). 

Ready to get the (incredibly professional) goss? Your demo is waiting 

Convinced? We knew you would be.  

Building a strong brand is a no-brainer: you get employees who are proud to work for you, applicants banging down your door, profitable recognition in the marketplace, an edge on the competition, a much easier ride when it comes to expansion, loyal customers for life, a serious amount of credibility in your industry, and marketing that brings home the bacon. 

As more and more brands spring up to inundate your customer base with rival messaging, it’s up to you to leave them in no doubt over who to choose.  Make your brand strong, and success will surely follow. 

That doesn’t really matter though, does it? Your market research isn’t meant to be entertaining, right? 

Perhaps not, but it does need to capture the attention of your reader – otherwise, what’s the point? You can have the most insightful findings in the world (go you!), but if people are skipping over them to get to the good bit (that never comes), your data is going nowhere. 

So, what do you do about it?  

Tell a story, of course. 

Market research in the modern world  

Ah, the modern world. A place of digitally-driven wonder and neuroscience-inspired marketing; of waning attention-spans and perpetual short-form distractions. In all, a troubled terrain where vying for even a glimmer of that attention calls for far more effort than it used to.  

The insights brought about by neuroscience have confirmed what we always suspected: that storytelling lies at the very centre of human connection, understanding, and interpretation. In fact, Neuroscientist Paul Zak, Ph.D. – a straight-up pioneer in neuroscience and storytelling – found that stories literally make our brains “light up” with the release of oxytocin. 

Why does that matter? Well, this release is a natural indicator that the story you’re telling has had an emotional impact on your avid reader, with their ‘story-friendly’ human brain; it also means they’re far more likely to remember what you’re telling them. 

As market research evolves to value quality insights over quantity, and organisations become ever more customer-centric, the need for researchers to understand customer behaviour – and weave that understanding into a relatable narrative – is growing. It’s about understanding the human experience.   

We can see that it’s no longer enough to gather dry data and present it with apathetic indifference. Nope. Because in the modern world of market research, you’ve got to bring that data to life. You have to tell the human experience story. 

Importance of storytelling in market research 

Much like Victor Frankenstein on that fateful, stormy night, you’re now tasked with injecting sustainable life into something that’s disparate and dull on the surface, but full of promise far beneath – with the right approach, of course. 

So, why does storytelling matter so much? 

Market research is all about understanding your customers, but if you want to elicit insight from your data, you need to really listen to them and get to the bottom of what drives their behaviour. Once you have this insight, you can start to craft a story.  

Sharing powerful, data-driven customer stories with your stakeholders allows you to grab their attention, illustrate key findings, and contribute to customer-centric decisions. 

Without stories to bring statistics to life, fact-fatigue sets in. People are not machines, and not many of us can handle an onslaught of figures without switching off. It’s difficult to draw conclusions from data – or find meaningful takeaways – if the narrative is lacking. Our statistics, facts, figures and data need to leave readers in no doubt of what you’ve found, and why it’s important.  

A study from McMaster University  found that our brains relate best to character, which means – regardless of narrative format – your content will have more of an impact if you construct characters. In the case of market research, your protagonist should be your subject – because if your stakeholders can see their customers in the story, they’ll connect with the message.  

How you can use storytelling in your market research 

1. Deal in visuals: Did you know that our brains can process an image in as little as 13 milliseconds? Whether it’s through words or visuals, the best stories ‘show’, rather than ‘tell’. That’s because when stories set a rich scene, we find it far easier to process them, and we tend to become more engaged. Using visuals then will help to bring your story to life and make your narrative stronger. Ultimately, you want to take steps to ensure your research report is easy to understand, and effortless to recall.  
2. Get your graph on: If we’re dealing in visuals, then diagrams, graphs, charts and images should form the centrepiece of your report. We’ve already established that people have a shorter attention span these days, and busy readers are likely to flick through your report looking for visuals – meaning that they must convey a clear message. You might have a full-blown story in your text, but if your visuals don’t carry the same narrative, your conclusions are likely to get lost. Graphics are great for structuring your story, with charts as their evidence-based backbone.  
3. Cut the waffle: If you want to tell a great story, your editing game has got to be strong. You’re trying to engage your reader here, so you need to cut anything that acts as an attention blackhole. If it’s distracting and adds no real value? Cut it out. To support your readers’ ability to recall key info, be ruthless with repetition, unfeeling with unnecessary text, and nonchalant with non-results. In other words, get them gone!  
4. Focus on insights over info: If your research isn’t helping stakeholders to understand something better than they did before, what’s the point? The narrative contained in your study should be primarily focused on providing insights and presenting solutions rather than problems. It’s about giving your reader that moment of comprehension, when something finally clicks into place.  
5. Make the story accessible: You can only tell a great story if people can give you the insight you need, and in our modern world of market research, you need to work hard to make that easy. The customer story needs to be accessible: MRCOs (market research online communities) and mobile ethnography (studying real people in real life, but without the haunting presence of a researcher in your house) helps you to gather the most important components of your story, straight from your characters’ mouths.  
6. Engage your stakeholders: Data collection might be front and centre of market research, but you’re setting out to solve a problem, answer a question, and make change possible. You therefore need to tell your story in a way that makes stakeholders sit up and take notice, without having to decipher reams of digits to get to the point. Mobile ethnography is great here, because having a video to watch from a real-life customer brings insight to life in a way that old-fashioned reporting never can. 

Rules for implementing storytelling in your market research  

If you’re going to embrace the art of storytelling in your market research, there are a few things you ought to keep in mind before getting started.  

1. Create your context: Before any research study can get underway, it’s absolutely imperative to have a clear understanding of everything that feeds into, affects, or hinges on that study – from the current status quo, pain points and stakeholder interests, to overarching business objectives, and the use to which your research will be put. You cannot hope to plan and design a powerful study, or engender a clear narrative, if you haven’t first gathered all available information on a business and its needs. 
2. Consider the end: The reason it’s so important to get your head around business objectives before getting to work, is because you should always design your study with the end in mind. So rather than work from beginning to end, flip that whole approach on its head and work backwards. You need to consider the business objectives, then design your study in a way that will deliver everything you need to meet those objectives – including survey instrument and sampling frame. 
3. Uncover your story: Your study is compete and you’ve got your hands on loads of rich data. Now the fun can really start it’s time to review the data, and uncover the story concealed within. The discovery phase is the most crucial when it comes to storytelling in market research: instead of offering up an endless list of facts and figures, question after question, you’re going to find the story that speaks to the business objectives; creating a coherent story that captures your readers’ attention and answers their most pressing questions. 
4. Communicate your narrative: Your story will live or die on the strength of how you choose to communicate it. That’s why the techniques outlined above (using visuals, cutting the waffle, and making the story accessible) are so important. Unless you bring your story to life, it ain’t ever gonna be a best-seller (in other words, you could completely bypass the business objectives you’re working towards). 

How can Forsta help?  

Market research shouldn’t be mystifying. If you need a little help in mapping your market and uncovering your story, our Market Research Survey Software lifts the lid on the whole process, asks the big questions, and gets to the heart of the answers you’re after. 

We help you to walk in your customers’ shoes, and capture consumer insights in a way that will make your narrative easy to articulate.  

Starting with planning, we can work with you to fathom out what you want to investigate and plan a market insight project to match. And because we know the value of gathering stories first-hand, we’ll employ everything from video surveys and social media monitoring, to on-the-ground investigations and deep-dive desk research – before analysing the data to create crystal clear stories and helping you to turn that insight into action. 

Ready to unmask your market and get to the beating heart of its tale? Request a demo (You won’t be disappointed!) 

It’s storytelling time! 

By now, you should have a pretty good grasp of why storytelling in market research is so very important. Whether you pass the time with weighty tomes or lose yourself in the sea of social media newsfeeds, you’re drawn by narratives. We all are.  

So, stop weighing your readers down with dreary data and stale stats, and bring all of that meaty messaging to life through the power of stories. 

But because for decades, focus groups have proved invaluable for understanding people’s views and experiences, as well as the decisions and actions they take – their motivations, feelings and mindsets. This insight is a core part of qualitative market research. And it’s a crucial part of understanding the human experience – getting a deeper, more complete understanding of the people you’re speaking to. 

A super-effective way to test products, features or concepts, to get more understanding of a new target audience – or to show whether there’s a market for an idea and get the inside scoop on how much customers are willing to pay for it… the list goes on. 

Picture the familiar set up. There’s a group of 6-10 people gathered around a table while a moderator guides them in a discussion on specific topics. These respondents will generally share something. They’ll be part of a specific demographic or have the same usability requirements or needs. 

So far, so usual. But when the pandemic hit, many sectors needed to make urgent pivots – and the research industry was no different.  Thanks to mobile technology, focus groups were already starting to move online. Then Covid restrictions really supercharged their shift from the real world to the digital. And what started off as a necessity has evolved into what’s often now the default preference for gathering qualitative data and in-depth insights. 

Big benefits of online focus groups  

When it comes to sheer convenience, there’s no arguing that online focus groups win hands down for everyone: respondents, researchers and clients. 

People generally feel more at ease taking part in the comfort of their own home via a laptop or mobile device, rather than in a room full of strangers. And the fact they needn’t travel anywhere is something else to cheer about. 

With zero travel expenses to reimburse and no facilities to hire, there are definite cost and time savings for market research agencies (MRAs) and MRDs, too.  

One of the strongest points is that in the world of online focus groups, geographic boundaries simply melt away. Being able to recruit from a much larger pool of respondents who are geographically diverse, rather than those who live nearby the in-person focus group is being held? It’s a game changer. 

After all, with at least 93% of American adults using the internet and 97% of them owning a smartphone there are no barriers to recruiting people.  

Digital focus group flaws 

Online focus groups have definite advantages over in-person gatherings. But there are still serious sticking points when it comes to getting powerful insight, seamlessly.  Let’s look at some of the drawbacks to running online focus groups through generic web conferencing platforms – as well as how platforms that are purpose-built for researchers can eliminate these problems.  

If you have the right tools on your side, what happens? Your research team will be able to go far beyond traditional expectations of virtual focus groups (and even beyond what you hope to be able to get face to face). 

Technology checklists 

Scheduling respondents, uploading materials, marking stimuli and polling. Tech headache yet? 

The fact is most digital focus group applications carry with them a hefty list of back-office requirements and logistics prep. These are all sorts of chores to take care of before you can get to the good stuff of digging into participants’ motivations, viewpoints and opinions.  

That might not be a problem for certain members of your team, but these tasks add on extra time and resources to what ideally should be a smooth process. Facing regular tech barriers is a sure-fire route to staff demotivation, too.  

Let’s not forget the potential tech limitations of the people taking part, either. Most platforms market researchers use for focus groups are intuitive but there are always hiccups – particularly for people who don’t see themselves as tech-savvy.  

Think last-minute panics about a mobile device not being compatible, an app needing to be upgraded, or not having enough space on a device…. Help! 

 Web conferencing platforms that have become household names through the pandemic have their place (for simple business meetings and family quizzes), but the next generation of specialist digital focus group software can solve irksome tech headache issues. If you’re a professional – you need professional tools. 

At Forsta, we’ve relaunched our powerful online focus groups tool, InterVu, specifically for the research professional. The result? You can focus on the research and not have to grapple with any of the tech.   

All projects are staffed by a dedicated project management team, who handles your respondents’ scheduling and logistics. Every meeting has a live technician online and on hand in case you need rapid expert support. 

InterVu works off all the big browsers so there’s no need to download and install any apps or plugins – you can get online faster, wherever your participants are. This slashes your MR team’s admin to-do list to precisely zero.  

Plus, as long as your participants have the main browsers on their laptop or mobile device, they’re good to go – no IT panic needed. 

Compliance and security issues 

One non-negotiable for your digital focus group toolkit is to protect participants’ personal information (PII). Misusing consumer data has serious consequences and can result in hefty fines. 

Taking care of PII is the legal thing to do. Clearly, it’s the ethical thing to do too. In the digital age, many people are already concerned about how secure their online personal data stays.  

 Data privacy is also firmly on respondents’ radar. If they agree to take part in market research, they quite reasonably expect their input to remain anonymous. 

And if participants lose faith that their data is safe, they’re less likely to carry on giving opinions freely – and the value of the insight will ultimately be diluted. So, it turns out there’s also a huge business and reputational case for protecting PII. 

With generic video platforms, it’s not always clear how to protect PII and stay fully compliant – not just to maintain trust but also to avoid receiving fines for breach of compliance. 

When it comes to consumer information, a far safer option – and one that’s less likely to lead to headaches – is a platform that’s specifically designed for research.  

Purpose-built tools like InterVu have data protection baked into a secure, compliant environment. So you can rest easy when it comes to security and privacy.  

Participants relaxed enough to talk 

One of the keys to generating rich insights from focus groups is participants feeling free to express honest opinions about the topic being discussed. 

Ask yourself: can that really happen if they know clients are sitting in and listening to what they’re saying?  

Using a generic web-conferencing platform for your focus group means clients join the call then quickly put themselves on mute.  But focus group attendees may never really be able to shake off the feeling that somehow, they’re being observed. It’s hardly conducive to relaxed, authentic and free-flowing discussion.  

Choosing a purpose-built tool for your digital focus group toolkit eliminates the need for clients or researchers to lurk on mute, pretending they’re not really there. 

InterVu, for example, has a virtual backroom where you can discreetly observe participants and watch conversations play out naturally. This also means a private line to the person running the session to give live feedback and ask extra probing questions. 

So, you get to fully observe the focus group, just not in a way that’s going to hinder the valuable insights at stake. 

Goodbye to moderator bias 

Focus groups are nothing without moderators. These skilled people guide the discussion with questions and topics, facilitate the group dynamic and keep participants engaged and focused throughout. No mean feat, right? 

But whether it’s intentional or unintentional, what’s known as ‘moderator bias’ can creep in. This might be giving positive reinforcement to certain responses or comments that participants make. Or it could mean letting slip subtle non-verbal cues that can influence how people respond to questions. 

Stripping back every trace of objectivity is impossible for even the most expert moderator in the business, but it’s easy to influence the direction of a focus group without even realizing.  

It’s savvy to look for specialist focus group software that includes moderator training at standard. The price tag of moderator bias can be high, ultimately diluting the value of the insight from the session. 

Finding human collaboration online 

Sure, in-person focus groups can be a hassle to set up and run. But the high levels of collaboration between researchers and the people taking part have traditionally made the results worth the work. 

When most focus groups headed online because of the pandemic, one question dominated: could online focus groups really produce the same depth of insight as gathering people together in-person? 

We’re happy to say that the answer’s a resounding ‘Yes’.  

There’s not much that moderators can’t reproduce online that they’d have off-line. From sharing and marking stimuli to storytelling and polling, the remote alternatives to in-person groups have a host of killer features. 

Of course, it helps that specialist focus group tools like InterVu have seamless connectivity, even in low bandwidth modes. And enhanced audio and video comes from the latest Adobe Connect 12 technology to help you focus on the research. 

Pinpointing non-verbal language 

Most of what we convey through interacting with others is non-verbal, and we’re not even aware of it. 

From body movements and posture, to eye contact, facial expressions, hand gestures and tone of voice, these all build up a picture to how we communicate with – and understand – each other. 

When people are sitting together in a group, body language and other non-verbal language can prove to be a goldmine. 

Seeing people’s reactions to questions and watching their interaction with others can be as powerful as listening to what they say. 

Certainly, online focus groups capture verbal insights through the microphones built into every modern mobile device and laptop. But can we say the same about the valuable non-verbal insights? 

Can you get the same clues in a virtual focus group or in-depth video interview environment when someone’s peering at a screen with only their head and shoulders on display? 

Here’s where we’re at: the truth is that online focus group software must work even harder to get the same insight from what’s happening non-verbally. 

Enter purpose-built tools that can capture emotions in real time. Forsta’s InterVu uses Adobe Connect 12 to power the audio and video for its browser-based solution. This means you can capture emotions at speed in awesome high definition (full definition in 1080p, to be exact, and even in low bandwidth mode). 

So, if you want an in-depth look at facial expressions and body language – not to mention direct and immediate feedback on a question or an issue – it’s all within your grasp. 

Just like all full-service solutions, there’s the option to bookmark important moments live – whether those are individual or group views – then create presentation-ready clips.  

Those magic moments when participants have given authentic reactions to a question or a comment that you know everyone in your team will want to know about? It’s easy to make them count. 

Conclusion: Smartest digital tools for the richest insights  Human insight helps us connect the dots between what consumers think, feel, say and do. And savvy leaders and decision-makers want to use the voice of the consumer to inform their businesses’ future strategies – there’s nothing new in that. 

But now focus groups have evolved into the digital age, it’s crucial to hold tight to the interactions that help you pinpoint how customers are experiencing your brand. 

Making the right emotional connection with customers relies on being able to deeply understand and empathize with them. Frankly, it’s a stretch to get this level of rich insight using a generic web-conferencing platform.  

Human motivations, needs, behaviors and intents are complex, and call for whip-smart solutions that can do justice to the vast and vivid spectrum of your audience. Get the right tools on your team and human insight will truly transform your business. 

How Forsta can help

You can use Forsta’s InterVu as a standalone product for online focus groups, or alongside Forsta’s wider offerings of market research solutions. Get in touch and we’ll run you through the powerful benefits. 

Those four words are the reason focus groups still reign supreme in research. When it comes to delivering useful truths that have the power to shape business decisions, they just deliver. 

Sure, the pandemic kicked qualitative research quickly into the digital fast lane. 

But this go-to research methodology is still evolving, even in the online sphere. And researchers, clients, and participants themselves can benefit from the changes.

What are focus groups? 

So, what are focus groups, exactly? Part of the qualitative research toolbox, focus groups start with a small group of people.  

With a handful of people in the room, you can get up close and personal to really understand how people think and feel. You can delve into their human experience, and you’ll get a deeper, more complete insight into each person.  

Of course, choosing the right people can make or break your research. It’s no good asking dog owners about cat food, or pensioners about primary school uniform, for example!   

Focus groups have been around since the early days of market research. sociologist Robert K. Merton at the Bureau of Applied Social Research in the USA created the first ones, but marketing industry grandee Ernest Dichter is widely viewed as the founder of focus groups. 

Some focus groups have changed the world; from World War II propaganda to winning elections. The power of the focus group is here to stay.  

Let’s look at the difference between the two. No prizes for guessing that face-to-face qualitative research is conducted in person. That includes focus groups but could also be one-to-one interviews. 

Online qualitative research? Those focus groups or one-to-ones are all online, with the participants joining via their laptop, cell phone or tablet device (and MR teams also on the call). 

So as online and offline research jostle for position, let’s examine how, compared to on-site focus groups, the digital alternative can lead to even more powerful nuggets of qualitative insights that help brands bring their A game. 

And how can you meet some of the challenges that taking things digital can present? 

Emotional dynamic  

Getting the most out of the people who have given up their time to take part has to be top of the focus group wish list. 

But not everyone is full of confidence when it comes to talking in front of other people. Certain personalities find the group dynamic a tad off putting, even.  

However non-threatening and welcoming an in-person research facility, if there are stronger personalities in the group these can make the less confident less willing to speak up – particularly about sensitive or personal topics. 

So, here’s where digital magic comes in. Taking part in a focus group via a screen gives respondents more distance. Yes, we’re talking geographical distance. But we also mean emotional distance where people enjoy some perceived anonymity. 

And away from the social constructs of an in-person encounter, many will feel less inhibited when it comes to giving honest responses. As the moderator’s goal is to hear from everyone, and to elicit as many different opinions as possible, that leads to a more even spread of inputs. 

One other obvious point? Online participants get to stay at home, sitting at their kitchen counter on their laptop or on their couch with a mobile device. There’s an argument that a safe, familiar and comfortable environment encourages people to speak more freely and openly. 

Of course, there can also definitely be more distractions at home. Kids can still need urgent attention. Dogs can still bark loudly. Delivery drivers can keep ringing the doorbell, interrupting a respondent’s train of thought and seeing them dart away from their screen for a moment. 

Groupthink effect 

Let’s return to those stronger personalities for a moment. 

Say a particularly vocal respondent expresses an opinion in a face-to-face focus group. Because of social acceptance norms the rest of the group may well nod along, taking it on as their view too. 

It’s human nature to be influenced (or even intimidated) by more forceful personalities. 

That’s groupthink, and the danger is that it can yield biased results and skewed data during an on-site focus group setting. 

Sure, face-to-face moderators are expert at managing stronger personalities. They also make sure all respondents feel confident enough to speak up, using empathy, encouragement and some serious deep listening skills. 

That doesn’t take the groupthink effect away completely. Although it’s something far less prominent during an online focus group – we have physical distance between respondents to thank for that. 

At-home tech issues  

Relying on home-based participants to have proper internet connectivity, compatible devices and tech that doesn’t need to be upgraded ready for their digital focus group? It can be a tall order. 

Even the best prepared research team will need to reach for their IT helpdesk caps now and then. Yes, even if they made sure to run tech checks with everyone before the session started.  

Clearly, on-site focus groups don’t have those potential tech headaches. Everyone’s in the same space, after all. 

Using generic web conferencing platforms for digital focus groups can involve plenty of logistics prep, not to mention back-office to-dos. 

Which is why it’s smarter to choose a professional digital focus group software specifically designed to meet researcher needs. 

At Forsta, we’re happy to say that our revamped online focus groups tool – InterVu – is designed specifically for the research professional. And that means it’s also designed specifically for the respondent, too. 

One reason? It’s 100% browser based. There’s nothing to download, and no apps or plugins to install – and it frees you up to focus on making the most of each session. 

Internet instability is a thing when it comes to people taking part in digital focus groups. Buffering, lag times and crashing aren’t exactly conducive to fluent, fluid discussions as people won’t be able to help speaking over one another. 

Even in low bandwidth modes, InterVu boasts seamless connectivity. So, when it comes to melting away your MR team’s hassle or respondents’ tech problems, it’s all golden. 

And even if there are issues, you still won’t need to break a sweat. A live online technician waits in the wings for the duration of every meeting to help if you need quick expert support. 

Ease of recruiting  

Need to conduct marketing research for a niche product or service?  

If criteria for selection is living within traveling distance of the actual facility, this can be a tough gig.  

But online focus groups have allowed researchers to rethink the geographic boundaries. With Forsta InterVu there are none. 

Whether you’re recruiting based on people’s demographic, purchase history or behavior, it’s now far easier to find participants who match your criteria for a digital focus group than if you’re recruiting to gather them in-person. 

 That includes hard-to-reach participants, too. Ease of access for remote research boosts your chances of getting people on board who’d been previously hard to sign up. This could be ‘normal’ folks on their couches at home, through to business decision-makers, industry experts and thought leaders who’d long been on your Wishlist. 

The fact that there are few barriers to access means that in percentage terms, more people tend to show up for online groups than they would in-person. The result is an even broader potential range of your sample – and deeper insight all round. 

Immediate shareables 

The on-site session has come to an end and you’re keen to discuss how it went with fellow stakeholders. Good job you took extensive contemporaneous notes, right? The thing is, anything more substantial may take minutes or even hours to produce.  

However, you’ll generally see the goods far quicker with an online focus group.  

Unlike in person groups, specialist tools like InterVu show accurate (and editable) transcripts immediately after the moderator has clicked ‘end’ on the session – perfect for sharing important nuggets of feedback with those who count. 

That’s even if the session was in another language – InterVu offers real-time simultaneous translation capabilities, in many languages. 

Those unmissable moments? You’ll be able to timestamp or bookmark them live during the actual group session, then easily transform them into clips ready for a full debrief or presentation. 

Organic discussion 

Here’s the thing: online focus groups can quite easily feel a little ‘flat’.  

Moderators are research superheroes who work hard to make groups feel as dynamic as possible. 

They’re expert at gathering in-person responses, posing follow-up questions and probing for specific insights. 

But they sometimes need an extra hand. A specialist tool like InterVu gives moderators more in their armory to help them create an organic and dynamic discussion.  

Think storytelling, polling, sharing and marking stimuli with online whiteboarding to keep people feeling 100% engaged throughout the session. 

And the InterVu product also includes moderator training as standard. We know this means a higher chance of being able to gather deeper insights through individual narratives. 

Non-verbal insight 

What are people really feeling, and what are they really trying to say? 

Put aside words for a moment. Research suggests that body language could play its part in up to 65% of all communication. 

Gather a group of people in the same place and the non-verbal cues prove to be a rich data source. Involuntary facial expressions that last just a fraction of a second (AKA micro expressions) can’t hide someone’s true emotions. They might even be a more accurate way of showing someone’s attitude and emotional state. 

Eye contact, body posture clues and speed-of-light hand gestures all pack a powerful punch, too. 

It’s a no brainer: face-to-face focus groups have traditionally been the best at giving a nuanced read on how people respond to questions asked – and answers others give. Context counts, too, with the signals a group gives off being a powerful indicator as well as those from an individual. 

This means the digital alternative must seriously up its game to be able to capture the visual clues of in-person research: those non-verbal, non-conscious emotional responses. 

Generic web conferencing platforms may not enable you to zoom in on individual speakers to capture the body language clues your research team needs. 

But with a powerful tool like InterVu, you get to capture the richness and nuances of people gathered in the same space – and their individual responses.  

There’s enhanced audio and video, as it uses the latest Adobe Connect 12 technology. The result is in-depth looks at facial expressions and body language for immediate reactions and direct feedback. 

Cost of hosting 

One of the most frequently asked questions in market research is ‘How can we make the most impact with the budget we have?’ 

So how do remote focus groups beat face-to-face on budget and resource terms? Here are some top plus points to sing about: 

• No in-person research facility to hire 
• No hotel rooms to book  

• No travel or subsistence costs to reimburse for participants 
• No lost time traveling for researchers or clients (and no transport delays or missed connections) 
• Less cost to recruit respondents 

Sure, there are fees for using online qualitative software tools. But it’s clear the benefits of doing so far outweigh the costs. 

Team involvement 

Yes, colleagues and clients can travel to an in-person research facility and watch the session play out in a viewing room there. 

But with remote alternatives, do they really want or need to? 

 Purpose-built online focus group platforms allow client viewers to sign on and sit in from their desk or home.  

They can do this completely unobserved and far more discreetly than generic web conferencing platforms that they’d need to join and lurk on mute for. 

Gone are the days of being limited by seating numbers at an in-person facility and now far more team members can get involved. This could be their first chance to see or hear the voice of their customer for themselves. 

A virtual back room also gives time and space to chat about issues being raised.  

And Forsta’s InterVu has a private line to the moderator in case you need to give feedback or ask for extra follow-up questions. 

Achieving actionable insights 

In a future-thinking industry like market research, it’s worth asking whether face-to-face or online is better for you.  

Whether the goal of a focus group is to get feedback on a product or service or gather views on how a brand stands out compared to competitors, answer the question on a project-by-project basis. 

You want to understand your audience – their buying behavior, purchase intent or what they think about a product or service – and achieve actionable insight. Our advice is to be strategic in how you make your choice. 

It’s clear that online focus groups are well and truly evolving. Can these next-gen research-specific platforms provide all the benefits of a face-to-face focus group, but with extra engagement and deeper insights than you might get from the traditional alternative? 

We’ve dived into the minds of the customers, and the signs look good. 

How Forsta can help 

Get in touch with us to see the full range of powerful features Forsta’s InterVu can bring to your online focus groups – creating more actionable insight than you thought possible.