In my previous posts, I discussed how helpful PA MarketMaker (PAMarketMaker.com) is for marketing your ag business. Another way MarketMaker can assist you is by providing you with market research.
In the process of marketing your products, you may want to use online directories to list your products and services. In doing so, you will also want to perform market research to understand where your customers are and what you can do to meet their needs.
PA MarketMaker is loaded with census data to help producers find the best place to market their products and services. This data is easily summarized on a map to show concentrations of consumer markets.
To explore Pennsylvania MarketMaker’s market research data:
1. Visit PAMarketMaker.com and click on the drop-down box under the Market Research heading located in the upper left corner of the page. You can then choose what data category you want to study: Age, Household Type, Race, Income, Education, Foreign Born, or Food Preferences.
2. The second drop-down box will show choices within your chosen category. Click Search when you are ready to view the available data.
3. Your search will bring up a map filled with a great deal of information. The key in the upper center of the page can help you see where the largest concentrations of your selected customer type lives.
Another feature of the Market Research section is the ability to explore the locations of a certain type of business as an overlay on the map. For example, a grocery store manager looking for the closest producer of organic vegetables can query the website to find names and contact information. To do this, click on the blue Business Search tab in the upper left corner of the page and select the type of business you are looking for.
Take advantage of this opportunity to market your products and services online! Pennsylvania’s database has over 380 registered businesses and over 46,000 listings.
