Research Guides: Business Plan Research: Local Market Research

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Overview

The resources on this page are focused on helping you find LOCAL (Pitt County, Greenville, etc.) market research resources.

What is market research?

“Market research is the process of gaining information about your target market—a fancy way of saying ‘getting to know your customers.’ Ideally, you find specific information about your target market and the key factors that influence their buying decisions.”

Parsons, Noah. "Practical Market Research Resources for Entrepreneurs." Bplans.com

Basically you are looking for:

Who: Demographics - “Who needs your product or service?”
Where: Geographics - “Where are your customers?"
Why: Psychographics - “Why do your customers make the choices they make?"
How: Behaviors - “How do your customers behave?”

Kerr, Michael. "Target Marketing: What Is It?" Bplans.com

Library Databases

Social Explorer
Visualize and interact with data, create maps, charts, reports, and downloads. Explore hundreds of thousands of built-in data indicators related to demography, economy, health, politics, environment, crime and more.
Statistical Abstract of the United States
An authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic conditions of the United States.
Data Axle Reference Solutions
Data Axle Reference Solutions (formerly ReferenceUSA) is a directory of U.S. and Canadian business, healthcare, and residential listings.

D4: Demand Driven Data Delivery

D4: Demand Driven Data Delivery
Includes North Carolina economic, business, employment, and other data.

Census Data

County Business Patterns
Provides county, state, and national level business data, including number of establishments, payroll (annual and first quarter), employment numbers, and industry-specific statistics.
Business & Economy Census Data
Includes links to economic data from the Census Bureau, including The Economic Census. Also contains business characteristics, business & workforce dynamics, economic data and economic indicators.
Census Business Builder
The Census Business Builder is a suite of services that provides selected demographic and economic data.

Greenville & Pitt County Resources

Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce
Find local business and community information.
Pitt County Development Commission
Gives information on county demographics, education, technology, industry, and more.
Pitt County Open Data
Land records, planning, permits, transportation, etc.
PCC Small Business Center
The Small Business Center is designed to meet the training needs of the area’s small business owners, managers, and other personnel, as well as entrepreneurs planning to start a small business.
Coastal Carolina SCORE
Provides free and confidential business counseling tailored to meet the needs of your small business and your personal objectives.
Small Business & Technology Development Center (Greenville office)
Website for the Eastern Region Service Center of the Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC). The SBTDC is the primary organization through which the state provides business development and technical assistance to the business community.

North Carolina Resources

Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina
Provides overviews of NC industries, infrastructure, business climate, etc.
NC Department of Commerce
Contains information and resources related to business, tourism, workforce, and community services. Also provides access to facts and information about North Carolina.