There seems to be no way to keep up with and catalog the ever-growing abundance of marketing information on the Web. Your first quest in market research is for your fundamental demographics. That means the basic numbers. How many is very important, and at what growth rate?
Fundamental Demographics for the United States
If you are operating in the United States, your first stop should be the U.S. Census Bureau. The census bureau has a lot of very important basic data on population, households, and businesses in this country. Much of that is available for free over the Web.
The U.S. Census site can be overwhelming at first, because there is so much information there. Here are some specific search examples that can help you find your way.
NOTE: Websites and URL addresses change quickly--if the following doesn't make sense, it may have changed. Please email me.
- State and County Demographic Profile Search. Click on the Data Access Tools link in the left area of the main page. That brings you to the live Internet tools for gathering demographic data. Next, click on the Map Stats link on that page. Then click on your state on the map, and then on your county within the state. You'll end up with a selection of specific data reports for your specific county.
- Statistical Reports Search. Return to the Census home page again, and click on the Data Access Tools link in the left area of the main page again, as you did above. This time, instead of the maps link, click on the Censtats link near the top. This link takes you to a menu of available reports that include reports on different manufacturing industries, county-specific economic surveys, and others. You can even get 1996 business patterns for a specific zip code.
U.S. Census data will be extensive, comprehensive, and somewhat out of date. Frankly, this data doesn't change fast enough to make the Census dates a problem for standard demographic information. Growth rates are low, and the industry is used to turning to Census data whenever it is available.
Fundamental Demographics for Other Countries
Demographic and economic statistics are becoming more available throughout the world, as the power of the Internet spreads. If you're working on market data for your own country, please don't assume you can't get statistics where you are. Check with your local business development agencies, business schools, and industry trade associations for help in finding the information you need. The following are some website links which might also be helpful:
Although you should always check locally first, there are some U.S.-oriented sites that offer data for other countries and other markets.
