Conducting Marketing Research

Trade Associations

Trade and Professional associations are often a useful way to find out what is happening in an industry. Often they will even supply statistics at no cost. Many associations have a Home Page on the Internet, where data can also be located from their site.

• Encyclopedia of Associations
  R 061.3 G13e
  This is a multi-volume set which can be found in the library's reference section. It features a comprehensive list of national organizations described briefly, with names, addresses, and telephone numbers. Associations keep track of industry data for their members and may have valuable information on an industry that would not be found in standard business sources. Indexes include name of organization, key word, and geographic area.
  
• Business and Company Resource Center
  • This database has access to the associations related to business that are found in the Encyclopedia of Associations listed above. In order to search ONLY for associations, follow the directions below:
    
    
    
    1. Start by clicking on Advanced Search.
    2. In the Content Area box, use the down arrow to highlight: Associations
    3. Notice that the field boxes all change to Association Name
    4. Type your industry in the first search box. For example: electronics (Whether you are looking for a specific Association Name or just any association that has a particular word, this is the procedure to follow).
    5. Click on: Search