---

Guest post by: Joe Gagliano Become an Author

Tweet

---

---

Companies that organize focus panels need broad outlines about the required participants, including demographics and other relevant criteria. The procedure for identifying and inviting the panel is then fairly routine. They might access commercial databases, people in your own mailing list, or a combination of both. The moderator also needs to be briefed, so that a meaningful set of goals can be agreed upon and a general conduct of the panel can be plotted. This planning works very well with products or services that have a substantial audience, but it can be less than straightforward with niche products or services, new technologies, OEM products. It also raises the question about the efficacy of focus panel when it comes to esoteric fields, such as encryption semiconductors or new computer operating systems. Why use a focus panel?

The use of a focus panel for niche products can be useful in a variety of ways:

1. To explore potential new uses for the same or similar product or service.

2. To explore the potential for enhancements to existing products.

3. To explore price sensitivity.

4. To compare standing with competitive products.

5. To test promotional avenues and approaches.

6. To explore the potential of new products for new markets (niche markets can become saturated and preclude continued growth).

There may well be any number of other reasons, but in any event the focus panel can be an enlightening process. It is not uncommon for a focus panel to deliver at least one eye-opener for the niche marketer, especially at the first such event.

Where to get the participants.

For the niche marketer, finding the appropriate participants may be the most challenging aspect of convening a focus panel.

1. Create a profile of the ideal participant.

2. Make sure you know what you hope to achieve, or at least that you have an outline of the panel proceedings.

3. The company organizing the event will make suggestions based on their own sources and available commercial databases, but with niche markets they will be depending on you to come up with alternatives or additions.

4. Refer to your own database, but don't hesitate to look for new sources by consulting your sales force, friends, customers, suppliers. Remember that in a focus panel discussion the product or service of the sponsoring company should remain anonymous. The actual invitations will be issued by the organization conducting the panel discussion, but in your search for potential participants you should not telegraph what you are doing.

5. A focus panel will be more meaningful if participants can be chosen from a large enough pool, so don't be tempted to stop looking when you think you have reached the required number of participants (of course, some will decline to participate, but not very often - participating can be fun, being invited is flattering, and the small honorarium is an added incentive).

Don't think that a focus group is the reserve of consumer companies. Having organized a number of panels for high-tech companies, I can attest to their value. In one case, a Unix support company discovered that there was virtually no price sensitivity (think about that!), and in another instance a product that was defined by its speed of operation against the competition was redefined with other attributes. A focus panel can be an ideal complement to the more common marketing forecasts based on numbers.

Related Articles

  Niche Marketing - Your Chance to Succeed in Internet Marketing Business
  How to Greatly Increase Your Odds of Business Success By Niche Marketing
  Niche Strategy Success - How to Make Sure You Have a Good Niche
  Need A Niche
  What's Your Niche? Make It Easier To Find People Who Want Your Product Or Services
  Profit from a Niche Market
  How To Become An Internet Marketer?
  4 Often Overlooked Niche Marketing Benefits
  Target Your Niche With Internet Marketing
  What Makes a Niche So Important. Overcome Obstacles, Market Your Business & Get More Clients.
  Target Your Market With Niche Affiliate Marketing
  To The Niche Market Unbeliever
  3 Popular Niche Marketing Misconceptions
  Writing and Publishing eBooks Made Easy #06 - Niche Markets
  How Viable is Your Market Niche?
  Niche Markets and Market Segmentation - Why Are They Important To Your Online Success?
  Niche Branding
  Finding a Niche Market
  Niche Marketing - 4 Most Important Niche Marketing Strategies You Need To Know To Succeed Online
  Web Marketing Tactics: Identify Your Niche Market

Related Forum Posts

Re: Focus groups
Re: Blog sells for up to $15 million
Re: Social media question
Re: Focus groups
Re: Blog sells for up to $15 million

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

** The Passion of the Resume**

Looking For Online Business Ideas That Do Work?

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.