Don't know where to start? Even though each component of your business planning will be important and essential to your overall success, market research and market planning lays the foundation. It will result in a formal document, the Marketing Plan, which will form the marketing section of your business plan.

For your convenience and to help steer you through the maze of marketing, we've broken the subject into two sections:

• The Basics which tells you what to include and what to do; and,
• The Research which will give you a better understanding of the two types of research you're likely to need, primary and secondary.

The information we provide you on this web site includes links to other sources which will help you in your research. We recommend that you drop in to our on-site library. The library is set-up in an easy-to-use format, containing over 1,800 books and documents to help answer your business questions. Also, visit the Regional Access Site in your area.

ACOA's Preparing a Marketing Plan can also help you in completing your marketing plan.