Different Types of Market Research for PR
Whether it’s a quirky consumer survey with headline-grabbing stats or a whitepaper conveying industry-shaping insights for a B2B audience, using different types of market research for PR can be a powerfully persuasive – and newsworthy – way of making your campaign memorable.
There are many different types of market research that have a role to play in crafting PR campaigns. From using audience research to learn more about the people you’re targeting, to undertaking competitor research to help identify gaps in the conversation where you can step in to own the space, you can use research to shape themes and fine-tune messaging.
But, in this blog, we’ll focus on two creative ways you can use types of marketing research to inspire campaign content, crafting stories that will capture the attention of journalists and audiences alike.
1. Social Listening and Tapping into Trends
The speed with which trends are moving in both mainstream media and on social media is faster than ever. For PR purposes, keeping track of what’s hot, what journalists are looking for, and with what potential customers are engaging– whether they’re consumers or B2B decision makers –can feel like a full-time job in itself.
Aligned with this is the importance of understanding sentiment among your target audience. The value of judging audience mood correctly has been highlighted in recent years, with the brands that got tone of voice right during challenging times, such as the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, really resonating with customers. It marked a shift in how people engage with brands, meaning it’s now more important than ever for companies to show they are in touch – and share values – with the people they’re talking (and selling) to.
You need to know your PR agency is monitoring trending conversations – both nationally and within target industries – to identify newsjacking opportunities. Picking up on the topics gaining traction and responding swiftly with an interesting take can reap rewards. For example, when we spotted interest spiking online around fashion colour analysis, we jumped on the idea of applying the same principles to choosing jewellery, securing great coverage for our luxury retail jewellery client, Beaverbrooks.
You can also use social listening to build campaigns around customer frustrations and conversation topics, whether by offering a solution to the problem or using online chat to inspire a campaign angle.
For example, fans of Greene King brand Flaming Grill were vocal on social about their desire to see in pub food challenges brought back. So, the business decided to use this to their advantage, and launched a campaign playing to the existing customer demand. Our resulting social campaign – Bringing Back Challenges – delivered high engagement and a like-for-like sales increase.
Similarly, when our Google trends research revealed that ‘how to fold a wrap’ had seen consistent search growth, we used that insight to build campaign that made wraps, not just their fillings, the star of the story for Mission Foods. Wrap Personalities helped generate a 75% increase in organic search volume for the brand, securing national and regional coverage.
2. Turning Market Research Into PR Gold
Headline-grabbing Stats for Consumer PR
We love a consumer survey and have delivered countless successful campaigns built around the media’s unquenchable thirst for a quirky stat.
While they look like fun on the surface, a huge amount of planning goes into devising the right angle to take with any market research for PR. You can’t predict how the public will answer, but you can plan questions intelligently for the best chance of securing interesting, relevant data that feeds into your wider campaign theme.
A bit of creative magic can then turn your research-based stories into great talking points. We’ve revealed the little things that bring us joy, uncovered the nation’s love language, and encouraged people to rediscover outdoor skills after discovering how many Brits are clueless about camping.
We’ve also used consumer market research to shine a spotlight on serious issues, adding important context and relatability. A classic example of this is the work we do with Care UK each year encouraging people to talk about dementia, exploring different facets of people’s knowledge about this disease. Our campaign for Co-op Funeralcare, designed to show that grief is the ultimate elephant in the room for the British public, is another case in point.
Whitepapers and Thought Leadership in B2B PR
Turning complex subject matter into valuable thought leadership is an art. For the B2B brands we work with, we begin by really getting under the skin of the industry they’re in – making sure we’ve identified a target market and that we understand the challenges decision makers within that sector are facing.
There are different types of market research you can use in this context, but one approach we often take is to commission bespoke research. This can help shed new light on an industry issue, creating the opportunity to position a brand as offering the solution to genuine problems the potential customer is facing.
Armed with new data and insight, we turn that information into a range of content – from whitepapers and press releases, to feature articles and social media content – to reach target audiences at multiple touchpoints.
We’ve used research to help REHAU provide solutions for housing industry professionals ahead of future homes standard legislation, demonstrated to the highways industry how ACO could provide the route to water safety management, and positioned Lloyd’s Register as an authoritative voice on employee wellbeing.
So, there you have it. There are many different types of market research for PR and they can be a magic ingredient in creating PR campaigns that deliver. If you’d like to chat about how you could use market research for your next PR campaign, please get in touch.
The author: Jane Ainsworth is managing director of WPR. She has over 20 years’ experience in developing and delivering communications strategies for consumer brands including Dunelm, Tesco, Mothercare, Greene King, John Lewis, Bullring, Beaverbrooks and Westfield.
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