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How to leverage market gap analysis for a more effective PR strategy

by | Oct 7, 2024 | Public Relations

Businesses are constantly searching for a competitive advantage. Odds are you have overlooked one of the most potent tools at your disposal: market gap analysis.

Just think. When was the last time you asked yourself, ‘What is the business outcome I want to achieve, and how far away from that am I today?’ That is where the magic happens.

Once you identify these gaps, you can then plan to fill them by adjusting your PR strategy, with smart tweaks to your existing planning rather than a wholesale overhaul.

When it comes to supercharging PR efforts, a market gap analysis is the game-changer, revealing gaping opportunities to boost market shares, customer happiness, and real results.

Ready to dive in?

Understanding Market Gap Analysis in PR

Market gap analysis in PR is about identifying the space between where you are and where you want to be in your communications strategy.

So, how do you do this?

At its core, market gap analysis in PR involves examining your current performance against your strategic objectives as part of your overall strategic planning. You’re looking for mismatches between what you’re doing and what your audience needs.

Why is this important? Simple. It helps you focus your efforts where they’ll have the most impact.

Traditional PR often relies on gut feelings or past successes. Performance gap analysis, on the other hand, is a form of strategic analysis that gives you concrete data to work with. You’re not just throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks—you’re making informed decisions.

Here’s how it differs from the usual PR playbook:

  • It’s proactive, not reactive. You’re anticipating needs, not just responding to them.
  • It’s data-driven. You’re basing decisions on real insights, not assumptions. Using effective teamwork skills to pool insights from various departments.
  • It’s strategic. Every move aligns with your broader business strategy and goals.
  • It’s audience-centric. You’re focusing on what your audience wants, not just what you want to say.

Market gap analysis reveals opportunities your competitors might miss and addresses issues before they become problems.

But knowing where the gaps are is half the battle. Filling them? That’s where you shine.

Key Gap Analysis Tips for Creating an Effective PR Strategy

Uncover the hidden opportunities in your PR strategy with these key strategic gap analysis tips.

market gap analysis

Identifying Your Market Gaps

To create a killer PR strategy, you need to know where you stand. That’s where identifying your market gaps comes in. It’s all about spotting the performance gaps between your current operations and your goals.

First, take a good look at your PR efforts. What’s working? What’s not? Be honest with yourself. This isn’t the time for sugar-coating.

Now, consider your business goals. Are your PR activities aligned with these objectives? If not, you’ve found your first gap.

Here are some gap analysis tools to help you identify gaps:

  • SWOT analysis: Examine your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
  • Customer feedback: What are your clients saying? Their input is gold.
  • Competitor analysis: What are others in your field doing that you’re not?

Consider external factors as well. Market trends, technological changes, or shifts in customer behavior can all create gaps you need to address.

Don’t forget to include product gap analysis when examining your offerings against market needs. Look at your current business process. Are there inefficiencies holding you back? Maybe your content creation is slow, or your media outreach isn’t hitting the mark.

Gaps aren’t just negative; they can be opportunities waiting to be seized. Maybe there’s a type of content your audience craves that no one’s providing yet.

The key is to be thorough and honest in your assessment. The more accurately you identify your gaps, the more effective your PR strategy will be.

Aligning PR Objectives with Market Gaps

Now that you’ve identified your market gaps, it’s time to align your PR objectives with them. This step is crucial for creating a strategy that actually moves the needle.

market gap analysis

Start by looking at your business goals and business requirements. How can your PR efforts help achieve these? Maybe you need to boost brand awareness, or perhaps you’re aiming to position your company as an industry thought leader.

For each gap you’ve identified, ask yourself: “How can we turn this into an opportunity?” This is where you get creative and develop action plans.

Let’s say you’ve noticed a gap in industry education. Your objective might be to create a series of informative content pieces that fill this void. Boom – you’re now addressing a market need while boosting your reputation.

Remember, your objectives should be SMART:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Achievable
  • Relevant
  • Time-bound

This approach ensures you’re setting clear, actionable goals that directly address your market gaps.

Don’t try to tackle everything at once; you must prioritize. What gaps, if bridged, will have the biggest impact on your business? Plus, think about your current resources. There’s no point in setting goals you can’t reasonably expect to achieve within a reasonable time frame. 

Be audacious but realistic.

Lastly, make sure your troops are on board. Your PR goals must be something that the people charged with communicating on your behalf know about and can buy into.

Developing Content Strategies to Bridge Gaps

Now that your objectives are set, it’s time to begin thinking about how you can use content strategies to bridge those gaps. This is the point at which insight becomes action.

For each gap, then, begin by mapping out content ideas that might directly speak towards it. What stories can you tell? What can you share?

Think beyond the usual press release. Maybe you need:

  • In-depth blog posts tackling industry challenges
  • Engaging video content showcasing your expertise
  • Infographics that simplify complex data

market gap analysis

Focus on quality. It’s better to produce fewer pieces of high-impact content than to churn out fluff.

Think about your customers’ habits. Where do they consume their media? What media formats do they engage with? Should you be investing in innovative communication channels like text messaging for business or newsletters to deliver your gap-filling content directly to your audience?

Adjust your style accordingly, and don’t be afraid to experiment, sharing different kinds of content on different platforms. You might just unleash hidden, untapped potential. 

Consistency is also important, so draw up a content calendar so that you are regularly covering those gaps that you’ve identified.

Partner up with other departments: your sales team might have customer insights that inform your content; product teams might have technical insights; and so on.

Finally, make sure your content relates back to your business objectives. Every piece of content you produce should tick one or more of the boxes for the gaps you’ve found.

Targeted content strategies like these build bridges to your audience.

Leveraging Digital Channels for Gap-Focused PR

Your gap-focused PR strategy needs to make the most of online channels. Here’s how to leverage them effectively:

  • Choose the right platforms. Where does your audience hang out online? That’s where you need to be. Don’t spread yourself too thin by trying to be everywhere.
  • Tailor your content to each channel. What works on LinkedIn might flop on TikTok. Adapt your message accordingly.
  • Use social listening tools. They’ll help you spot emerging gaps and trends in real time. Stay ahead of the curve.
  • Engage; don’t just broadcast. Digital channels are for conversations, not monologues. Respond to comments, ask questions, and build relationships.
  • Harness the power of influencers. Find those who align with your brand and can help bridge identified gaps.
  • Don’t forget email. It’s still a powerful tool for targeted communications. Use it to deliver personalized, gap-filling content directly to your audience.
  • Optimize for search engines. Make sure your gap-filling content is easily discoverable. Use relevant keywords naturally.
  • Track your performance. Digital channels offer a wealth of data. Use it to refine your approach and close those gaps even more effectively.

Digital channels move fast. Stay agile and be ready to pivot your strategy as new gaps emerge or existing ones evolve.

market gap analysis

Measuring the Impact of Your Gap-Driven PR Strategy

You’ve implemented your gap-driven PR strategy. Great! But how do you know it’s working? Let’s talk about measurement.

Start by revisiting your SMART objectives. These are your focal points for measuring success.

Pick the right metrics. Don’t get bogged down in vanity numbers. Focus on what truly matters to your business goals and use analytics tools to your advantage. They’ll help you spot trends and adjust your strategy on the fly.

You can track:

  • Media mentions: Track their quality and relevance.
  • Website traffic: Look at engagement rates, not just hits.
  • Lead generation: Monitor conversion rates.

Strategies like ID resolution help you track the customer journey across multiple touchpoints, providing a more accurate picture of your PR strategy.

But don’t just measure outputs; look at outcomes and actual performance. Has your brand perception shifted? Are you closing more deals?  Compare your business performance against industry standards. This gives context to your results.

Also, conduct regular surveys. They’ll help you gauge if you’re truly filling those identified gaps.

Remember, some impacts take time to materialize. Be patient, but stay vigilant. Set up a dashboard for easy tracking and make it accessible to key stakeholders.

Finally, use your findings to refine your strategy. Measurement isn’t only about proving value; it should be about improving performance.

Overcoming Challenges in Market Gap PR

market gap analysis

Implementing a market gap PR strategy isn’t always smooth sailing. Let’s tackle some common challenges head-on and explore how you can overcome them.

  • Limited resources? It’s a familiar tune. You’ve identified gaps, but your team’s stretched thin. The key is prioritization. Focus on the gaps that align most closely with your business goals. Quality over quantity, always.

Here’s a tip: leverage your existing assets. That white paper gathering dust? Update it to address a current gap. It’s about working smarter, not harder.

  • Struggling to get buy-in from leadership? This is where data becomes your best friend. Present a clear case showing how addressing market gaps ties directly to business objectives. Use competitor analysis to illustrate what you’re missing out on.

Try this: Start small. Propose a pilot project targeting one specific gap. Success here can pave the way for broader initiatives.

  • Keeping up with rapid market changes can feel like chasing a moving target. Your carefully identified gaps might shift overnight. The solution? Agility.

Build flexibility into your strategy. Regular check-ins to reassess gaps should be part of your process. Don’t be afraid to pivot when needed.

  • Another challenge? Measuring the impact of your gap-driven efforts. PR results can be notoriously hard to quantify. Combat this by setting clear, measurable objectives from the start.

Consider this approach: Use a mix of quantitative and qualitative metrics. Numbers tell part of the story, but don’t underestimate the power of customer testimonials or shifts in brand perception.

  • Silos within your organization can hinder effective gap analysis and strategy implementation. You need insights from across the business to get a full picture.

Promote inclusiveness and cross-departmental collaboration. Regular brainstorming sessions involving diverse teams can uncover gaps you might have missed.

  • Dealing with negative gaps can be tricky. Maybe you’ve discovered your brand is falling short in a key area. It’s tempting to sweep it under the rug, but that’s a missed opportunity.

Instead, view it as a chance to demonstrate transparency and commitment to improvement. Address the gap head-on in your communications. Your audience will appreciate the honesty.

  • Lastly, don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress. You might feel like you need to close every gap completely before moving on. In reality, incremental improvements can have a big impact.

Set realistic goals. Celebrate small wins. Keep pushing forward.

Overcoming these challenges is part of the process. Each obstacle you navigate makes your PR strategy stronger and more resilient.

Stay focused on your goals, remain adaptable, and keep pushing the boundaries. That’s how you turn market gaps into your competitive advantage.

Embracing the Power of Market Gap Analysis in PR

Market gap analysis strengthens your PR strategy because you’re no longer just responding to what others are saying. You’re identifying what the conversation is missing and then filling that void, pushing ahead rather than just keeping up.

But it’s an iterative process of continuous improvement, so analyze, tweak, and improve as you go. Your PR efforts will become more focused, effective strategies, and ultimately more aligned to business goals.

Shake things up and challenge the status quo. That’s where true innovation happens.

You’ve got the tools and the knowledge. Now it is time to make use of it. The gaps are waiting. Go fill them.

J.P. Walti
J.P. Walti is Vice-President of Marketing, Creative, and Web at RingCentral, an AI-powered communications software provider. He has two decades’ worth of experience in the marketing and creative fields. Here is his LinkedIn.

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