a dozen or more, so start with groups that contain the name “National,” “International,” or “American,” rather than local organizations. Don’t be afraid to look at national trade organizations outside of your country as they often have information such as standards, glossaries, other site listings, and so on.
Check It Out
Check out USA.gov’s alphabetical list of associations: www.usa.gov/directory/tradeassc/index.shtml
Or Yahoo!’s list: www.dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Organizations/Trade_Associations/
In addition to your industry association, you’ll find a substantial amount of industry information and data online. Of course, you’ll want to make certain the information is accurate and up-to-date. Be careful to rely on information from trustworthy sources, such as recognized market research companies. If possible, when using data from media sources (such as newspapers and magazines), find the original source of the data; journalists, after all, have limited space and have to edit information, often leaving out data that might be important for your planning.
RESEARCH SOURCES
| Type of information | Source | Website |
| U.S. Government | Census Bureau | www.census.gov |
| Federal Statistics Online | www.fedstats.gov | |
| American Fact Finder | www.factfinder.census.gov | |
| 2007 Economic Census | www.census.gov/econ/census07 | |
| Government Printing Office (access to all federal documents and regulations) | www.gpoaccess.gov | |
| Louisiana State University’s links to federal agencies | www.lib.lsu.edu/gov/index.html | |
| Canadian Government | Statistics Canada | www.statcan.gc.ca |
| Canadian Census | www.12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/index-eng.cfm | |
| U.S. Census Bureau state and local information | County Business PatternsQuick Facts | www.census.gov/econ/cbp http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd |
| Link to State Data Centers | www.census.gov/sdc | |
| State/Local/Regional information | Each state government has a website | www.state.[two-letter state code].use.g., www.state.ca.us for California www.state.md.us for Maryland |
| Library of Congress links to state and local government sites | www.loc.gov/rr/news/stategov/stategov.html | |
| Links to state and local government sites (this is a private company) | www.statelocalgov.net | |
| Small Business Development Centers | www.asbdc-us.org (click on “Resources”) | |
| S.E.C. Annual reports | S.E.C. Edgar database | www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml |
| Company information | Hoover’s | www.Hoovers.com |
| Dun & Bradstreet | www.dnb.com | |
| Supplier information | ThomasNet | www.ThomasNet.com |
| eBay Business and Industrial | http://businessebay.com | |
| Yahoo! business-to-business | http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Business_to_Business | |
| Tradekey B2B directory | www.tradekey.com | |
| B2B Yellow Pages | www.b2byellowpages.com | |
| Trade associations and trade shows | Center for Association LeadershipTSNN—Trade Show News Network | www.asaecenter.org www.tsnn.com |
The key to finding industry-specific information is to be patient and diligent. You’ll have to go to many sites and look around. When you find a site of interest—let’s say an industry association site—follow links from that site (look for links saying things like “Related Links”).
Another key is to visit websites of industries or associations you plan to market to. For instance, as a dog groomer, you might look for any local dog-owner websites or local petstore websites. They may give you ideas for marketing opportunities as well as help you learn more about your local market. Sometimes, you can buy membership lists, giving you a built-in database of sales leads.
Look for established market research companies in your field. In technology, for instance, some of the major market research companies are IDC, Gartner, and Forrester. If you’re in the fashion industry, that would be the NPD Group. To find market research in your industry, do a search using your favorite search engine by using the name of the industry plus “market research.”
Don’t forget to check for news stories about topics related to your industry. You can look at general and specific media sites and use their search and archive capabilities.
You’ll find lots of information online, but I’m also a big believer in the real world. Follow your online information hunt with real-world activities, particularly attending trade shows. Get out there and talk to people, including suppliers, potential customers, even competitors. Who knows? Perhaps other dog groomers will give you a leg up on your research, and you’ll find that business isn’t such a dog-eat-dog world after all.
Check It Out
Use Google’s special news search engine to look for recent news about your industry (www.news.google.com).
You can also sign up for email updates on topics of your choice (www.google.com/alerts).
ACCOMPLISHMENT #2:
Research your target market
My Checklist:
Define your target market
