wroughtiron communications research resources and tips

Industry analysts, like Forrester Research and Gartner Group, offer great insights in their reporting. While most are costly, press releases about report availability and the actual report summary (usually free) may provide just the data you need. The NUA Internet Survey site, along with providing a lot of great research, includes links to almost every major industry analyst. Definitely worth checking out.

Every industry has at least one association which provides its members with research and market info. Check Association Central for your industry.

Good reporters do their homework, and have access to a great deal of market data. Press archives searched by keyword often yield useful results. Comb the resources in this Yahoo list of trade publications.

Other useful resources include Yahoo Industry News and ZapData industry reports, along with a host of other information found at Business.com, Business Web, BizLink, and eMarketer.

Competitors, in an effort to educate their customers and prospects, often 'show their cards' in white papers and articles posted on their web site. Check the sites of other companies in your industry, competitor or not, and you may find some gems.

When checking out the competition, the first stop should always be their web site. If the competitor is even remotely established, you’ll find a wealth of information there.

Company databases, most listing public company information, are useful tools for competitive intelligence. There are lots of these databases on the net – visit Hoover’s, CorpTech or Corporate Information. For resources and tips on researching companies online, check out this article.

Financial info for public companies can be found at a variety of sites, including the EDGAR database. Here’s a list from Corporate Finance Network of other financial resources to search. Popular news sources are also smart to scour.

Getting the goods on private companies is a bit trickier. For tips on digging up private company, subsidiary & divisional data, take a look at this.

Checking into intellectual property registrations can also help you uncover useful information about your competitors. The USPTO or Delphion are good sources for finding patent info. There's no shortage of trademark attorneys and search firms - that's for sure. But for starters, you can take a look at the TESS database at the USPTO.

Believe it or not, employment sites listing job openings at competitive companies can be quite informative - you never know what you’ll find. JobSearchPro.com is a good resource that links to most of the popular employment sites.

Many demographic researchers start with the US Census Bureau, since it’s rich with potentially useful numbers. Crunch, crunch, crunch. And who said there's no such thing as a free lunch? Visit FreeLunch.com to feast on all sorts of great info, complimentary, of course. Munch, munch, munch.

Economic indicators can provide you with important insights into how your sales and marketing efforts will be received. Try The Dismal Scientist or check the sites listed by the American Economic Association.

Psychographics, or the way in which your target audience thinks and behaves, are critical in strategy formulation. To gather this info, you need to be crafty. Monitor relevant newsgroups and read product reviews that include user comments. Talking to user groups or doing some primary focus group research are also good methods to gather this info. Whatever you do, remember to listen - carefully - without being defensive.