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Guide to Marketing
This Marketing guide offers a quick overview of key resources available through BGSU Libraries or freely accessible online. Though not comprehensive, it is a good starting point when conducting marketing-related research.
Here are a few introductory basics to review before you get started::
- Consumer market research is the process of gathering information on a consumer goods or services market, using both primary and secondary research. It includes information on current and potential customers and understanding the competitive environment (industry & competitors) of the market.
- Business to Business (B2B) marketing involves marketing a product or service to another business, rather than to the final consumer.
- Primary Research is data that you collect yourself from the source (i.e. consumers) using tools such as surveys, focus groups and interviews. Primary data is useful to address a specific need, but it is expensive and time-consuming.
- Secondary Research is data that has already been collected by others, such as government agencies and market research firms. Examples include statistics & market research reports. Secondary data is not typically specific to your situation, but it is often the best option.
