Even though its name may imply otherwise, secondary research is where market research usually begins.

Secondary research is conducted by consulting published reports from trusted sources in order to find out

• who makes up your target market
• what the needs of your market are
• the size of the potential market

Secondary research is less expensive than primary research. It's often free, in fact. It's also more readily available than you may think.

Secondary research can be internal, like sales reports or internal market analyses. But most of it will be external, including

• web-based directories and resources
• nonprofit agencies
• government agencies (try http://www.fedstats.com for access to 70 government sites with valid stats and information)
• back issues of magazines and newspapers at the library

However, analyzing secondary data can sometimes be overwhelming, and your results can end up inaccurate or inconclusive. It may make sense to use the knowledge gained through secondary research to guide your decisions regarding primary research or even to hire an outside consultant to do the analyzing for you.