Market Research Tools: Why They Matter for PR and Business Strategy
The term itself is a bit intimidating. But any organization offering a product or service needs to stay aware of its marketplace.
For PR professionals, business leaders, and analysts, market research is the compass that ensures strategy is rooted in reality. The right tools help uncover competitor positioning, consumer trends, and industry shifts that directly shape both marketing and communications decisions.
As we begin to close out our PRToolFinder Summer Social Series, we’ll explore what market research entails, why it matters, and highlight some of the more established and emerging tools in the category you may not yet be aware of. We’ll also look at how artificial intelligence (AI) may reshape this field and potentially disrupt some long-standing players.
What Market Research can Deliver
Market research is the process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data about markets, customers, and competitors. Common goals include:
- Understanding the competitive landscape – Who are the major players? How are they priced? What differentiates them?
- Identifying market opportunities – Spotting untapped niches, unmet customer needs, or emerging trends.
- Validating positioning and messaging – Ensuring communications resonate with the intended audience.
- Supporting data-driven decisions – Backing up strategy with hard numbers rather than assumptions.
When conducted effectively, market research leads to sharper strategies, stronger positioning, and measurable outcomes in PR and marketing campaigns.
Established Market Research Tools
Some tools have been industry staples for decades, offering broad-based coverage and highly reliable datasets. These are often used by large corporations, financial institutions, and PR professionals who need comprehensive and vetted intelligence.
- Who uses it: Business development teams, corporate strategists, and PR professionals needing deep company and industry data.
- What it does: Provides extensive company profiles, financials, organizational charts, and competitive intelligence.
- Why it matters: When shaping corporate PR messaging or preparing for a merger/partnership announcement, Hoovers helps confirm market standing and identify key players.
- Who uses it: PR agencies, financial analysts, journalists, and corporate communication teams.
- What it does: A Dow Jones product, Factiva aggregates news sources, trade journals, and company information globally.
- Why it matters: PR pros use Factiva for media monitoring and to validate competitive messaging with hard-to-access industry reports.
- Who uses it: Legal teams, corporate compliance officers, and PR practitioners working with regulated industries.
- What it does: Offers access to legal, news, and business databases, making it essential for due diligence and risk assessment.
- Why it matters: PR teams rely on LexisNexis when advising clients on crisis communications, compliance issues, or reputation management.
These established tools are comprehensive but often come with high price tags and steep learning curves, making them best suited for enterprises and large PR firms.
Newer and More Accessible Market Research Tools
More recent entrants to the field bring affordability, ease of use, and targeted insights. While not as broad as legacy platforms, these tools appeal to PR professionals, startups, and SMBs who need actionable insights without enterprise-level costs.
BuzzSumo (a Cision company)
- Who uses it: PR pros, content marketers, and digital strategists.
- What it does: Tracks trending content, influencer engagement, and keyword performance across social and digital platforms.
- Example use case: A PR team preparing to launch a new product can analyze what types of content resonate most with audiences in their niche, shaping both outreach and storytelling.
- Who uses it: Brand managers, mid-sized PR agencies, and analysts focused on consumer perception.
- What it does: Measures brand visibility and “share of search” to provide forward-looking market insights.
- Example use case: A PR professional can use MyTelescope to monitor how a brand is trending compared to competitors after a campaign launch, helping demonstrate ROI to stakeholders.
These tools democratize access to research by making it easier and more affordable to gather insights, especially for smaller PR teams or growing businesses.
The AI Factor: Friend or Foe?
Artificial intelligence is reshaping nearly every industry, and market research is no exception. For newer, specialized tools like BuzzSumo and MyTelescope, these may integrate AI to enhance their offerings (e.g., predictive content insights, advanced sentiment analysis) rather than be replaced by it. It really depends on the underlying enabling technologies at the enterprise level what the risks and opportunities may be. Many organizations, small and large, are currently facing that challenge.
Ultimately, AI is likely to enhance the usability of market research by making data analysis faster, easier, and more predictive. PR pros are already seeing commonly used tools evolve, blending traditional research methods with AI-driven automation and forecasting.
Understand the Market – Make Smarter Decisions
Market research isn’t just about data — it’s about strategic clarity. Whether using powerhouse platforms like D&B Hoovers and Factiva or newer, more agile tools like BuzzSumo and MyTelescope, the goal remains the same: understanding the market to make smarter decisions.
As AI continues to influence the space, PR professionals should remain adaptable, choosing tools that balance reliability, affordability, and forward-looking insights.
👉 Explore the Market Research category in the PRToolFinder database to see a full list of tools available today. You’ll notice numerous tools reside in more than one category. You’ll be able to see why as you understand the use cases. If you think there’s a better way to organize the database, drop me a line!