Welcome to this Library Research for Marketing - Advanced video.
Remember that you can access all of the Library’s databases by clicking on the Databases by
Title (A-Z) link below the OneSearch box on the Library’s home page.
The Library has more than 100 databases that contain thousands of full-text articles and
other resources, such as reports, videos, and more.
You can use the Research Guide for Marketing to see a list of the Library’s databases
that are especially recommended for conducting marketing research.
We’ll take a look at some of those databases now.
One of the most highly recommended databases for conducting marketing research is Statista.
One of the many things you can use Statista for is to find information about the current
and expected market for a product.
To find information about the market for coffee, for instance, you can use the search box on
the database’s home page to search for coffee.
Your search results may include things like statistics, forecasts and surveys, infographics,
and other information relevant to the product that you searched for.
You can use the options on the left-hand side of the search results page to limit results
by document type, geographic location, publication date, etc.
Another useful database for marketing research is Business Source Ultimate.
You can use Business Source Ultimate to find articles on marketing-related topics.
For example, to find articles about Starbucks’ marketing strategy, you can search for starbucks
AND “market* strateg*”
Remember to put quotation marks around a phrase of two or more words, and use an asterisk
to search for different endings of a word.
You can also use Business Source Ultimate to find market research reports.
Simply enter a product name in the search box at the top of the page and then scroll
down the page to the Publication Type options, where you can select Market Research Report.
You can find company profiles by clicking on the More link in the menu bar toward the
top of the page and then on the Company Profiles link.
Company profiles are provided by MarketLine and Medtrack and provide detailed company
information – major products and services, a SWOT analysis, top competitors, and more.
ABI/INFORM Collection is another useful database for conducting marketing research.
You can also use this database to find articles on a given topic, and you can use the Document
type: options to search for market reports and market research, etc.
If you click on the menu option toward the top left-hand side of the page that looks
like three horizontal lines and then click on the Browse link from the resulting sub-menu
you’ll then see a list of specific types of content that are available – industry
reports, commodity reports, companies’ annual reports, and various types of country reports.
Business Insights: Global is a great resource for company and industry information.
Click on the Companies or Industries links toward the top of the page to see the types
of resources that are available.
For companies, available resources include company histories, SWOT reports, investment
reports, and financial reports.
For industries, available resources include market share reports, industry essays, and
detailed Plunkett reports that provide financial information for industries.
You can use the Comparison Charts feature to compare multiple companies or industries
on a variety of categories, such as revenue and sales.
And the Company Finder option under the Companies menu
allows you to create a custom list of companies that match whatever criteria you enter.
So, for example, you could generate a list of all of the coffee shops in Seattle, Washington
with more than 20 employees.
IBISWorld is useful for industry research.
Simply enter an industry’s name or NAICS code into the search box
and click on the link for a report of interest
in order to see an industry report.
The menu links on the left-hand side of the page provide an overview of topics covered
in the report.
Click on each link to see additional options that you can select in order to find detailed
industry information, such as major players; industry jargon; key trends; a SWOT analysis
for the industry; current, historic, and forecasted performance; demand determinants; major markets;
market share concentration; and more.
Hoovers is another database that’s useful for company and industry research.
To get to a company’s information page, enter the company’s name in the Search for
Companies search box at the top of the page.
Company information pages include a company’s description, competitors, financial data,
and news, along with other information.
To get to an industry’s information page, enter a word or phrase relevant to the industry
into the search box at the top of the page and select Industries from the drop-down list.
You can also enter an industry’s SIC or NAICS code if you know it.
Note that your search results may include industries that aren’t an exact match for
what you typed into the search box.
You should read through your search results and choose the industry or industries that
are the closest match for the industry that you’re interested in.
Industry information pages include an industry’s description, key companies in the industry,
news, and more, including links to relevant market research reports.
Similar to Business Insights: Global, Hoover’s has a Search & Build a List feature that allows
you to create a custom list of companies that meet the criteria that you specify.
Nexis Uni is helpful for company research and, to a lesser extent, industry research.
To find company information, click on the Menu link toward the top left-hand side of
the page and then on Company Dossier.
Enter a company’s name into the Company name search box
and click on the company’s name from the results list.
Company dossiers provide detailed company information, including information about a
company’s brands, competitors, finances, news, and more.
Company dossiers also provide information about a company’s patents and trademarks
and about any legal cases that the company’s been involved with.
Industry information can be found within a company’s information page.
Click on the Industry Knowledge link from the menu on the left-hand side of a company’s
information page.
You’ll then see links for an industry overview, industry news, and industry reports.
Business OneFile can be used to find a variety of marketing-related content.
One way to find that content is to click on the Subject Guide Search link from the menu
bar toward the top of the page
and then enter marketing into the search box.
You can then use the links on the results page to drill down to a topic of interest.
For general tips on how to conduct business research, our business research guide will
be helpful.
To see that guide, click on the Research Help link on the library’s home page
and then click on the Business Research: Companies, Industries, Markets, Products link on the
resulting page.
You can use the menu on the guide’s home page to learn how to find various types of
business information in the library’s databases.
And remember that the Search Tips tab of the Marketing Research Guide also includes links
to resources that provide more information about how to find particular types of information
in some of the Library’s databases, as well as in print or online books or the free web.
If you have questions about how to use any of the UMGC Library’s databases for your
marketing research, please know that UMGC librarians are here to help.
You can reach us by email and instant message, and we are also available for appointments
via Zoom.
Never hesitate to ask for our help – we love questions!
Thanks for watching, and good luck with your research!