How to conduct a focus group for AEC marketers

Drew Burns
Oct 30
5 min read

Leading focus groups to actionable insight

Focus groups are an indispensable market research tool, offering direct insight into the perceptions, motivations and preferences of your target audience. For organizations in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sectors, this qualitative method provides the nuanced feedback necessary to refine messaging and strategic initiatives. Whether conducted in-person or digitally, a well-executed focus group can uncover why stakeholders engage, what barriers prevent them from doing so and how to communicate your value more effectively. By gathering these direct insights, you can optimize marketing strategies and build stronger connections with your community. The key to success is defining objectives for the project as well as outlining a framework and means to analyze results.

We will review why defining key objectives is critical, how to recruit the right people to participate and best practices for conducting in-person and digital focus groups. So, what are the main goals of a successful focus group? It all starts with defining the right purpose.

Before you book a room or send an invite, the first and most critical step is to clearly define what you aim to achieve with your focus group(s). Your objectives will guide every subsequent decision, from participant selection to the questions you ask. Vague goals lead to vague results.

For example, a recent initiative for the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Foundation aimed to understand donor motivations and barriers to contribution, while also understanding how their audience interacted with messaging and marketing activities. Their objectives were clear and actionable:

Understand donor motivations: Identify the emotional, professional and altruistic factors that drive members to contribute time or money.
Clarify barriers to contribution: Uncover why some members do not support the foundation, whether due to lack of awareness, unclear value or other factors.
Differentiate the brand: Gain insight into how members perceive the foundation’s unique role compared to its parent organization, ACI.
Test messaging strategies: Explore which messages, programs and engagement tactics resonate most with different audience segments.

By establishing these specific goals, the organization ensured the entire process was focused on gathering intelligence that could directly inform and enhance its marketing and development strategies.

Recruiting the right participants for a focus group

The quality of your insights depends entirely on the quality of your participants. Your recruitment strategy should be laser-focused on bringing together a representative sample of your target audience. Consider segmenting your audience to explore different perspectives. For instance, you might separate early-career professionals from established industry leaders, as their motivations and viewpoints often differ significantly. If you are looking for more tips on how to break out your audience segments, check out our other blog piece, Why audience building is the cornerstone of marketing success.

Considerations for recruitment:

Segmentation: Divide your audience into meaningful groups. An organization might host separate sessions for professionals under 40 and those over 40 to compare generational perspectives on philanthropy and career development.
Incentives: Value your participants' time. Offering an incentive, such as a gift card, demonstrates appreciation and can significantly boost sign-ups. It is a professional courtesy that acknowledges their valuable contribution.
Clear Communication: Your invitation should be compelling and transparent. Clearly state the purpose of the focus group, the time commitment, the location (or virtual platform) and the incentive. Ensure potential participants understand what is being asked of them.

What are the best practices for in-person and digital focus groups?

The logistical framework of your focus group can make or break the experience for participants and moderators alike. The choice between an in-person or digital format will largely depend on your audience's geographic distribution, your budget and your objectives.

In-person focus groups

The traditional in-person format excels at fostering natural, free-flowing conversation. The ability to read body language and build immediate rapport is a distinct advantage.

Venue and setup: Choose a comfortable, accessible location. A U-shaped seating arrangement is ideal, as it allows participants to see one another and encourages a collaborative, conversational atmosphere rather than a presentational one.
Essential equipment: A projector or screen is useful for displaying discussion prompts or testing visual materials like new branding concepts or website mockups. A whiteboard or flip chart is invaluable for capturing key ideas as they emerge.
Recording: Always obtain consent to record the session. Audio recording is standard for transcription and analysis. Video can provide additional context by capturing non-verbal cues.

Digital focus groups

Digital focus groups offer convenience and reach, allowing you to connect with a geographically diverse audience without the costs associated with travel and venue rental.

Platform selection: Choose a reliable video conferencing platform that all participants can easily access. Features like virtual whiteboards, polls and chat can enhance engagement.
Technical preparedness: Conduct a technical check with participants beforehand to ensure their camera and microphone are working. Have a plan for troubleshooting common technical issues.
Maintaining engagement: Keeping participants engaged in a virtual setting requires a proactive moderator. Call on participants by name, leverage interactive tools and encourage everyone to keep their cameras on to create a more personal connection.

Crafting effective questions when moderating a focus group

The moderator's role is to guide the conversation, not lead it. Your questions should be open-ended, neutral and designed to elicit detailed responses. Avoid questions that can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." Developing your discussion guide should include:

Start broad: Begin with general questions to warm up the group and establish context. For example, "What are your initial impressions of our organization's mission?"
Probe deeper: Use your key objectives to formulate specific questions. If you want to understand barriers, you might ask, "What, if anything, makes it a barrier to get involved?"
Test specifics: This is where doing background work ahead of time really pays off! If you are testing messaging, present the materials and ask for direct feedback. "When you read this headline, what is the main message you take away?" or "How does this imagery make you feel about our brand?" "When you see this platform to use, what comes to mind?"
Listen actively: A great moderator listens more than they talk. Pay attention to what is said—and what isn't. Use follow-up questions like, "Can you tell me more about that?" or "Why do you feel that way?" to encourage deeper exploration.

Whether in-person or online, it is crucial to ensure all voices are heard. Gently redirect dominant speakers and create openings for quieter participants to share their thoughts.

How to put focus group conversations into actionable insights

Once the sessions are complete, the real work begins. Your goal is to transform hours of conversation into a concise summary of key findings and actionable recommendations.

Transcribe and review: Start with a full transcript of the discussion. As you review it, highlight recurring themes, powerful quotes and points of consensus or disagreement.
Synthesize findings: Group the feedback according to your initial objectives. What did you learn about donor motivations? What were the most common barriers identified? How did participants react to your proposed messaging?
Develop recommendations: Your final report should not just summarize what was said; it should propose what to do next. If participants were confused by your value proposition, your recommendation might be to revise your website's homepage copy. If they expressed a desire for more networking opportunities, you could suggest a new event series.

By leveraging direct feedback from your target audience, your organization can move beyond assumptions and make data-informed decisions. Focus groups provide the "why" behind the numbers, empowering you to create proven marketing strategies, enhance brand positioning and ultimately drive measurable results.

If you want to learn more about how to conduct a focus group to help generate actionable insights for your marketing team, contact us here. Check out our other great resources for maximizing your marketing efforts on the AOE blog.