Selected Sources for a Marketing Plan
compiled by Wendy Diamond
Business Librarian 

• Encyclopedia of American Industries (BST 2B#3). Vol 1 (manufacturing) or Vol 2 (services).
• Industry Profiles. Business Source Premier.
• Investopedia Industry Handbooks www.investopedia.com/features/industryhandbook/
• Market Share Reporter (BST 2B #21)
• Service Industries USA (BST 2B #14)
• Snapshots North America. ABI/Inform.  Select Snapshots North America by using the "multiple databases" menu.
• Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys (BST 2B #1)
• TableBase www.csuchico.edu/lref/guides/rbn/ Contains statistical tables on many marketing topics, such as market share, market size, spending patterns, etc.
• U.S. Market Trends & Forecasts (BST 2B #20)
  
  Sources for locating specific industry data (from associations and trade groups):
  
• Encyclopedia of Business Information Sources (Ready Ref, HF5353 E9)
• Valuation Resources www.valuationresources.com/IndustryReport.htm Some sources found here are not free.
• Industry Information Web Guide www.csuchico.edu/~wd6/webguides/industry.html
  

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   Customer Demographics & Spending

Sources for customer demographics:

• American Factfinder. Data from the U.S. census factfinder.census.gov
• American Marketplace: Demographics and Spending Patterns (BST 2B #25)
• Baby Boom: Americans Born 1946-1964 (BST 2B #37) 
• Generation X: The Young Adult Market (BST 2B #36)
• Household Spending: Who Spends How Much on What (BST 2B #28)
• Millenials: Americans Born 1977 to 1994. (BST 2B #36)
• Lifestyle Market Analyst (BST 2B #23)
• TableBase www.csuchico.edu/lref/guides/rbn/
  
  Sources for researching product sales data:
  
• California Retail Survey (BST 2B #46)
• Consumer Expenditure Survey.  U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. http://stats.bls.gov/cex/home.htm
• Consumer USA (Euromonitor) (BST 2B #22)
• Retail Trade Survey www.census.gov/svsd/www/artstbl.html (U.S. Census Bureau)
• Survey of Buying Power (Sales & Marketing Management Magazine) (BST 2B #45)
• Taxable Sales in California www.boe.ca.gov/news/tsalescont.htm (also in print, Gov Docs, cal doc E3050 T7)
• ZapData.com www.zapdata.com Offers free industry reports by SIC but requires registration.
• Zip Code Business Patterns  or County Business Patterns censtats.census.gov/cbpnaic/cbpnaic.shtml

Advertising & Media Planning

• Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook (Reference, HE8698 B77)
• Gale Directory of Publications & Broadcasting Media (Ready Reference, Z6951 A97)
• Media Market Guide (SQUAD) (HF5826.5 M43) This is the only source of advertising rates for TV, radio, and cable
• SRDS- Standard Rate and Data Service [series]. (Reference, HF5905 S722, S725, etc. except for Outdoor Advetising Source, HF5813 U6 O88.)
  This set of essential tools contain subscription rates and layout specs for magazines.
• Simmons National Consumer Survey (Choices 3) CD-ROM report compiler. Use this guide: http://www.csuchico.edu/~wd6/handouts/Simmons.htm
• Television & Cable Factbook (Reference, HD9696 T46 T44)
• Television Bureau of Advertising www.tvb.org/
  
  

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Competitor Research (Companies)

For local companies:

• AllPages.com www.allpages.com/
• Google Local www.google.com/lochp?hl=en&tab=wl&q=

For national companies:

• Factiva > Companies / Markets www.csuchico.edu/lref/guides/rbn/ Covers public companies only.
• Mergent www.csuchico.edu/lref/guides/rbn/ Covers public companies only.
• Hoover's Handbooks of American Business (BST 2B #1)
• International Directory of Company Histories (BST 1B #25)
  

• Business Source Premier Research Station/Articles & Databases
Subscription database - Similar to ABI/Inform with some additional full-text articles.


• TableBase Research Station/ Articles & Databases
  Subscription database - Contains statistical tables on many marketing topics, such as market share, market size, demographics, spending patterns, including links to the full-text of articles where these tables originate.
  
• Factiva ReSEARCH Station /Articles & Databases)
  Subscription database - Search from the primary search screen with keywords: "restaurants and industry overview" or "bottled water and statistical data". Another option: the Intelligent Indexing > Subject > Editor's Choice- Industry Trends-Analysis.
  
• Library Catalog (Access from the ReSEARCH Station)
  Use the Library Catalog to find books on trends in marketing, technology, economics and demographics.  For example, there are many books on "electronic commerce", "target marketing", "advertising handbooks" and other relevant topics. Ask at the Reference Desk for help in selecting terms and headings.
  
• Business Plans Handbook (BST 3A #20)
  
• Blackwell Encyclopedia of Management, see Vol.3 ("Entrepreneurship" ) and Vol.9 ("Marketing"). (Reference, HF1001.B4455)

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Citation Formats & Help

Citation formats:

-- A guide to citation style formats is available on the Research Station www.csuchico.edu/lref/newciting.html
-- A brief handout for APA style is available at the Reference Desk or available here http://www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/APA Style Basics.pdf


Help:
-- Ask at the Reference Desk during these hours.
-- Ask-a-Librarian anytime. Link from the ReSearch Station to www.csuchico.edu/library/ask.htm
-- Make an appointment with me: wdiamond@csuchico.edu

This document is maintained by Wendy Diamond
Last Updated:  2/14/2006