🗞️ In The News

• 🥷 AI-Powered Job Scams Surge: Don’t Lose Your Shirt Looking For A Job (The DeepView)

• 🙃 It’s Expensive To Have Values: Havas Agencies Lose B Corp Status Over Controversial Shell Partnership (AdWeek)

• 🟦 ☠️ Everything You Need To Know About The Microsoft/ CrowdStrike Sh*tShow (Mashable)

• 🕶️ Meta Eyes Stake in EssilorLuxottica: Next-Gen Smart Glasses in the Works (WSJ)

• 🍔 Burger King Levels Up Loyalty Going All-In On Gamification (CX Dive)

🔗 Large On LinkedIn

• 😵 The Words That Kill a Strategy Stone Dead (link)

• 🤪 The Creative Process Is Completely Dysfunctional (link)

• 🤓 Why We Need More CTOs On Boards (link)

• 🗑️ This $1.6M McKinsey Report Confirms We Need Bins (link)

🧰 Slick Tools

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• 🔭 Loops - Analytics To Identify Your Biggest Product Opportunities

• 🚀 RayCast - A Collection of Powerful Productivity Tools All Within An Extendable Launcher

• 🙅 WebCEO - Get Rid of Toxic Backlinks And Ramp Your Search Performance

WHY DO I NEED TO BE HERE? 🤷 

Understanding your audience isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s a survival skill.

It's the difference between Dave's product flying off the shelves, paying off the mortgage in 24 months, or possibly a divorce.

Marital risk or pure job security, consumer insights are the holy grail for businesses—they guide product development, marketing strategies, and operational improvements. Without them, you're shooting in the dark, hoping to hit something valuable 🎯🙅

Currently, the qualitative marketing space is a mixed bag of high-budget extravaganzas and AI delusion.

I’m not saying synthetic data lacks opportunity. That’s another issue. But, nothing compares to watching your customers - mere metres away, 10 minutes into a heated discussion about your product and category

There’s something deeply human about the in-person focus group process - and it’s recorded in your gut, not just on a tape recorder.

Ignoring consumer insights, or worse failing to gather any, isn’t just risky—it’s a surefire way to waste time and hell of a lot of money. It’s like trying to bake a cake without knowing the ingredients. With the lights out. You might end up with something edible, but it's likely to be a hot mess and get yourself injured in the process.

However, there’s a misconception that real insights come only from hefty budgets and professional focus group setups.

The truth? Critical consumer feedback is accessible to anyone with a bit of creativity and the right tools.

LET’S GO GUERRILLA 🪖

Running focus groups on a budget isn't just about saving money; it's about getting closer to the action and seeing first hand what makes your ideal customers tick.

So let’s get this guerrilla focus group going already!

Step 1: Define Clear Objectives

Before diving into the logistics, get crystal clear on what you want to achieve. Are you testing a new product concept, gathering feedback on an existing service, or understanding customer pain points? Clear objectives help you stay focused and measure success.

If you aren’t clear on the objectives you cannot ensure you’re talking to the right people, and it kind all goes to sh*t from there.

Speaking of…

Step 2: Recruit Wisely

Recruitment can make or break your focus group. Instead of splurging on professional recruiters and expensive panels, tap into your existing networks. Social media, existing client email lists, and even personal contacts can be gold mines. Incentives don’t have to be lavish; a small gift card, discount on your product or even a donation to a local charity of choice can work wonders.

The most important thing here is to think carefully and deeply about qualifying your recruits.

Just because they raised their hand for a $100 gift card and a free bagel, doesn’t mean their opinions are useful to you.

Ensure your outreach includes qualifying questions about the person that they must answer before you proceed to book them in. This is critical.

Step 3: Choose the Right Venue

Forget swanky hotels and overpriced conference rooms. Community centres, libraries, or even a cozy corner in a café can serve as great venues. The key is comfort, quiet and convenience for your participants.

Booking a room at the local library for free is a smart move. It’s quiet, accessible, and has just the right ambiance for an honest discussion. A local WeWork or co-working space is often a nice option too and it shouldn’t cost you the earth.

Step 4: Develop a Discussion Guide

Your discussion guide is your roadmap. Start with general questions to break the ice, then move into specific topics. Keep it flexible to allow for organic conversation, but structured enough to cover all your key points.

It’s good to structure the conversation a little like you might think about your funnel for example for a shampoo you might go with a structure like:

• Hair hygiene and grooming habits ⤵️

• Using hair hygiene products ⤵️

• Choosing and shopping for hair hygiene products ⤵️

• Other hair hygiene brands ⤵️

• Your hair hygiene brand ⤵️

• Your hair hygiene products and communications ⤵️

• Your newly developed product ⤵️

Step 5: Moderate Like a Pro

You don’t need an expensive moderator, but you do need someone who can facilitate effectively and ensure you’re moving through the discussion guide. This person should be neutral, attentive, and able to keep the conversation flowing.

Yes, you can and should consider moderating the session yourself, keeping a friendly yet focused approach. But there’s a real (and practically guaranteed) risk that participants will soften their feedback, or alter their discussion in some way if they know it’s your product.

Although you might consider this a white lie - I would suggest you inform your participants that although you’re from the company that makes the product, you don’t have anything to do with how it’s made, advertised or supported and are just here to get their genuine and unfiltered thoughts.

I swear I’m a good person otherwise 🤭

Finally, it’s critical you encourage participants to speak freely and ensure everyone gets a chance to voice their opinions. You might need to delicately move the discussion around the table and away from Mr Chatty over there.

Step 6: Record and Analyze

Recording the session is crucial for capturing details you might miss. It’ll also run more smoothly if you’re not busy scribbling notes like a madman. You can use the recorder app on your smartphone, just make sure it’s positioned correctly in the middle of the discussion.

For transcription and analysis I would strongly recommend you use a tool called www.fireflies.ai - which also does the recording for you with it’s mobile app.

Furthermore it has incredible AI tools to analyse and develop the key takeaways revealing recurring themes, topic clusters, positive and negative issues and experiences, ideas for product development and more. Worth checking out.

Step 7: Follow Up

Don’t be that guy who never texts back. Send a thank-you note to your participants. Share a summary of the findings and let them know how their feedback will be used. This not only shows appreciation but also keeps the door open for future research.

Sending a personalised email to each participant, summarising the insights and offering a discount on your next product, helps build affinity and maybe even win over a few hearts.

LET’S GET REAL FOR A MINUTE 💪

While professional moderators bring experience, they don’t necessarily know anything about your product or category - a well-prepared internal team member can facilitate effectively with the right training and a good discussion guide.

Second, although high-end venues might impress, they don’t guarantee better insights. In fact, a relaxed, familiar environment can lead to more genuine and candid discussions.

Finally, critical feedback doesn’t require a fancy setup. It requires the right questions and an attentive ear. Digital tools can enhance your analysis, making up for any perceived lack of polish - and saving thousands of dollars and days of work.

Understanding your audience isn't just a luxury for those with deep pockets; it's a necessity for any business who wants to win.

We’ve covered how to set clear objectives, recruit wisely, choose an affordable venue, develop a discussion guide, moderate effectively, record and analyse the session, and follow up with participants.

These guerrilla steps can transform focus groups from a costly, stuffy and slow corporate affair into an accessible, powerful and enlightening tool for businesses of any size.

Remember, it's not the size of your budget that counts—it's the depth of your understanding.

Ready to get started on your own guerrilla focus group? Your future self (and your bank account) will thank you.

If you enjoyed this edition, please forward it to a friend who’s looking to level-up their marketing and user research game - they’ll love you for it (and I will too) ⏭️ 💌

PS. When you’re ready here’s how I can help you:

1. Fractional CXO services: Need a top strategic product, marketing and digital transformation mind to grow your brand, but don’t want the hefty price tag? Fractional CXO services allow you to start growing revenue, before your grow your people costs. Limited slots available.

2. Events and Conference Host: Don’t get the guy who last week was MC’ing a carpet industry conference. If you’re in marketing, CX or digital I can help make your conference a memorable delight for your attendees.

Troy Muir | The Ladder