Adapted from content excerpted from the American Express® OPEN Small Business Network
Periodicals are an excellent source for industry statistics as well as information on your competitors. Trade publications – newspapers and magazines that focus on issues affecting a particular industry – often run articles that focus on recent research reports, or they publish their own proprietary market data. You can also find news developments about your competitors and their products. The Wall Street Journal and other business publications can give you information on business trends and other economic issues that may impact your business. Local newspapers and business journals can provide you with a window into your local scene.
To find these publications, consult the following sources:
- Wilson’s Business Periodicals, Infotrac, UMI Periodical Abstracts – contain information on popular and business periodicals
- National Newspaper Index, Wall Street Journal Annual Index, New York Times Index – as the names suggest, these are indexes of articles from leading newspapers.
- Bacon’s Media Directories – used mostly by public relations professionals, lists trade and consumer magazines by subject category, while the newspaper directory is categorized by region.
- Nexis – this comprehensive computer database, used by journalists and market researchers, can pinpoint articles about companies, people, industries, etc.
To How to Research Your Industry and The Competition
To Business Description Toolbox
| FAQ’s | Introductory Elements | Business Description | The Market |
| Development & Production | Sales & Marketing | Management | Financials |
Copyright © 1995-2016, American Express Company. All Rights Reserved.