Picture this. Twelve participants funnel into a stark, fluorescent-lit room. Armed with notepads and pencils, they are instructed to answer carefully pre-determined questions, have discussions, share their opinion and then just as quickly funnel back out of the room and on with their day. This is how traditional focus groups function. They take time and effort to gather people together, they can be costly, and sometimes produce inaccurate results. After all, people in traditional focus groups can be easily swayed by popular opinion or by what they think they should say. Now, switch gears to Facebook as a focus group. You have hundreds, maybe thousands, of people already assembled. They’re offering truthful feedback, not constrained to a list of pre-determined questions. They’re showing us in their actions (and words) what they want and need from a brand rather than telling us what they think we want to hear. It’s real, it’s unscripted and it’s extremely valuable. It’s valuable to help better understand your customers, to improve your products, and to guide your content strategy – ensuring you are giving them the information they want, when and where they need it.