Research Sources – Market, Industry and Business Plans (1 of 3)

Written by Lisa Chapman | Edited by ian
Sections of this topic

    How to Research an Industry or Specific Company

    Google is a great search tool, and we love it for most informal searches. But when it comes down to the nitty gritty, it’s sometimes tough to find detailed, accurate, timely, and highly credible business sources for FREE.

    According to Free Management Library, various methods of market research are used to find out information about markets, target markets and their needs, competitors, market trends, customer satisfaction with products and services, etc. Businesses can learn a great deal about customers, their needs, how to meet those needs and what the business is doing to meet those needs. You can access additional resources on Free Management Library’s Market Research page.

    RESEARCH SOURCES

    A few FREE RESEARCH SOURCES here, and more in the next post!

    Advertising Industry Literature

    For coverage of the advertising business, especially for major consumer product companies. Major portals are:

    Advertising Age
    Brand Week
    MediaPost
    AdLand.com Database of 30,000 commercials, also covers advertising industry

    American Marketing Association
    Includes articles, a dictionary of marketing terms, and best practices resources. Registration is free, although some resources are available to American Marketing Association (AMA) members only.

    Business Planning

    While the Internet provides a wealth of resources, finding relevant, accurate, and current information to support your strategies and financial projections can prove to be a frustrating and time consuming challenge. If you decide to write a business plan, this website will help you locate the right information.

    Business Valuation

    BVMarketData.comsm houses many searchable databases and reports that record detailed information on the sales of “Main Street” companies, middle market privately held companies, middle market publicly traded companies. The databases are used by a wide variety of merger and acquisition professionals, including business appraisers, business brokers, investment bankers, and professionals who work in venture capital. Additionally, the data is used in price discovery by entrepreneurs, investors, advisors, and business owners who are considering a business purchase or sale.

    Census

    A treasure trove of data on the U.S. population, economy, and government.

    Economic Statistical Programs

    Census Bureau programs that provide statistics about U.S. businesses and governments. Each description includes links to data products, related programs and additional information. “Programs” are major data collection, business list and research data operations, including some funded by other agencies or sponsors. All active programs are included along with discontinued programs of continuing interest. Links are provided to electronic data elsewhere at this site.

    For more information, see the full article, Research Sources

    What sources have you found invaluable for researching your marketing plan or business plan?

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    For more resources, see our Library topics Marketing and Social Networking.

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    ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman: With offices in Nashville Tennessee, but working virtually with international clients, Lisa M. Chapman serves her clients as a business and marketing coach, business planning consultant and social media consultant. As a Founder of iBrand Masters, a social media consulting firm, Lisa Chapman helps clients to establish and enhance their online brand, attract their target market, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert online traffic into revenues. Email: Lisa @ LisaChapman.com

    Lisa Chapman