Market research

All businesses will need to carry out some market research as part of their business and marketing plan. Market research will show the emerging trends and developments in the economic sector you are about to enter, identify competitors and show who your customers or clients are likely to be. Finding information can be time consuming. However, there are many reports, statistical data and information on the Internet that can make the task easier.

Hot topic

Data Protection is an increasingly important issue for marketers. Under the Data Protection Act 1998, businesses may only obtain and handle information about individuals according to a set of eight data protection principles. The Information Commissioner has now produced specific guidelines for small businesses, designed to help them through all data protection issues, and recently launched a campaign called "Make Data Protection Simpler" designed to dispel some of the negative aspects of data protection.