Imagine this: Looking to save a few bucks, you've just launched a market research survey on a DIY research platform, confident that it will provide the insights you need to provide the backing to your client’s next big PR campaign. Weeks of preparation go into crafting the perfect survey (with quite a bit of back and forth between your team and the client), fielding it to what you believe is a representative sample, and then diving into the data analysis.

But something goes awry. Maybe the logic broke, the quotas didn’t fill correctly, the audience is much more difficult to reach, the questions were leading, or the sample was skewed. Either way, you notice that the results don’t have any bearing in reality and don’t make sense.

The best case scenario? You notice these issues before your deadline and are able to scramble to fix the issues and re-field to your audience. All of your savings are now gone, and you’ve actually spent more money fixing the issue and obtaining more sample.

The worst-case scenario? You don't catch these errors until after the data has been released, damaging not just your reputation but also that of your clients. All of the savings from DIY are now gone, and future growth opportunities are stunted.

When a DIY market research project goes sideways, the repercussions are far-reaching. Whether it's due to poorly constructed surveys, improper fielding, or incorrect data analysis, the damage is not just quantitative but also qualitative. It erodes the trust that clients place in you and tarnishes your reputation in an industry where credibility is everything. The worst part? Once trust is lost, it's incredibly challenging to regain.

While DIY platforms are increasingly looking to make research more basic and templated, there are professional market research services that offer the expertise and support necessary to produce reliable, actionable insights.

The Shortcomings of DIY PR Market Research

• Researcher Bias

  • When you conduct research in-house, there's a high likelihood of introducing bias into your findings. The researchers are often too close to the product or brand to view it objectively. This familiarity can lead to assumptions that skew the data, making the insights less reliable. For instance, a researcher who is passionate about a particular feature of the product may unconsciously give it undue importance in the study, thereby affecting the objectivity of the results.

• Time Consuming

  • Conducting market research in-house is not just a task; it's a full-fledged project that requires meticulous planning and execution. From designing questionnaires that accurately capture the information you need, to recruiting a diverse and representative sample of participants, each step is a time-consuming process. And let's not forget the data analysis phase, which requires specialized skills to interpret the data correctly and derive actionable insights. All of this takes time—time that could be better spent on crafting and executing your PR strategies.

• Research Errors

  • The lack of professional training in market research methodologies can lead to a plethora of errors. These can range from poor data collection methods, such as leading questions or inadequate sample sizes, to flawed logic in data interpretation. Such errors can not only compromise the integrity of your data but also lead to misguided PR strategies that do more harm than good.

• Inadequate Survey Development

  • DIY platforms often offer templated surveys that lack the nuance and specificity required for PR research. A poorly constructed survey can lead to data that doesn't align with the story you're trying to tell, making your PR campaign directionless.

THE ADVANTAGES OF PROFESSIONAL PR RESEARCH

• Holistic Strategy

  • Professional research firms offer a holistic market research strategy tailored for PR. Their teams of experts work closely with their clients to craft surveys that are not just questions but a narrative that aligns with the PR goals. This ensures that the data collected will be both relevant and actionable.

• Unbiased Research

  • Expertly designed studies are free from subjective viewpoints and tendencies, providing you with reliable data that you can confidently base your PR strategies on.

• Efficiency

  • Time is of the essence in the fast-paced world of PR. That's why many professional services have streamlined their research processes to deliver high-quality insights in a fraction of the time it would take to conduct similar research in-house.

• Infographic Capabilities

  • Understanding the importance of presentation in PR, many professional services offer infographic capabilities to visually represent data, facilitating easier comprehension and application of insights.

Going the DIY route for market research might seem like a cost-saver, but it's fraught with risks like researcher bias, time-consuming tasks, and methodological errors that can wreck your PR campaign. In the best-case scenario, you catch these mistakes early, but not without losing time and money to correct them. Worst-case? You tarnish not just your reputation but also that of your clients, stunting future growth. Unlike DIY platforms that offer cookie-cutter solutions, Lab42 provides seasoned professional guidance, crafting research that's actionable and unbiased—ultimately saving you time, money, and your reputation.