Every business faces the same challenge: figuring out where to focus. Where are the best opportunities? What’s the best go-to-market strategy? Who are truly the toughest competitors to have to deal with? What’s your mindshare with potential customers and how are you perceived by them? And what external forces (government regulations, political shifts, or changing market trends) might force you to have to pivot your strategy on a dime?
These are vital questions, yet many companies rely on the wrong tools to answer them. Instead of conducting their own analyses and research, most organizations buy market research reports or outsource their thinking to consulting firms. On the surface, this seems smart since, after all, why not lean on “experts”? But the truth is, 3rd party research reports often have little-to-no real ROI.
Simply put, 3rd party research reports offer no competitive advantage. If everyone has access to the same reports, you have no edge whatsoever. What’s more, these reports weren’t designed to address your business’ unique needs.
The insights they contain are often so broad as to be irrelevant. Even worse, the data is anonymous and impersonal, making it hard to act on in any meaningful way.
Now compare that with running your own research. Instead of sifting through generic information, you ask the exact questions your business needs answered. The results are precise and hyper-relevant to you; tailored specifically to your market and strategy. And because the data belongs to you alone, it provides a true competitive advantage with insights your competitors will never see.
There’s another benefit as well: when people participate in your research, they aren’t just providing answers. They’re qualifying themselves. By engaging in your research, they’re essentially telling you who they are, what they care about, and how you could sell to them. That kind of transparency and direct connection makes the data significantly more actionable than any off-the-shelf report.
Buying 3rd-party research is like eating a Twinkie – it definitely has a ton of calories, but is the opposite of being nutrient dense. It’s the easy way out, but it leaves you with the same generic information everyone else is working from. Running your own research, on the other hand, arms you with exclusive, highly specific insights, and in a world where every edge matters, that difference is game-changing.
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Reaction is a growth acceleration platform that companies use to easily manage client relationships, uncover new opportunities, and grow their business. Our platform is specifically designed to run client programs, manage employee feedback, gather critical market insights, increase mindshare, generate new business, and analyze existing data sources.
