Infographic: How Market Research Supports Audience Building for the Arts

Focus groups can guide decision-making at three critical junctures in audience-building initiatives:

• The development phase, to understand how audiences perceive an art form and an institution
• Pre-launch, to gauge reactions to new program ideas
• Post-launch, to get feedback that can identify areas in need of improvement.

If you have visitors coming and going at a new event, don’t wait until it’s over to survey them. Conduct the survey throughout the occasion to capture a wide range of people and opinions.

Remember, you’ll need parental permission to recruit minors for a focus group.