resources

The PR co-op student, the intern in your fundraising department, the experienced event planner and the seasoned Director of Marketing and Communications, all of them, at different moments and levels have lived the frustration of not having the means to target their key audiences.

You cannot build a successful communication strategy without solid research. In your effort to better know the London business community, a good starting point is the City of London’s website which hosts plenty of useful statistics about London.

If you’re looking for figures by industry sector, top companies or new business contacts, another resource worth exploring is the London Business Directory available at www.ledc.com. It can be accessed by anyone, online, at no cost.

After gathering and synthesizing this information, you can take the next step and start building your own business network, by attending the events that are of interest to your target audiences.

For example, if you want to reach the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, you might want to attend the events organized by London Regional Manufacturing Council. Or, if your target is the technology sector, you can go to www.internetwork.ca and register for the next InterNETwork meeting or visit TechAlliance's event calendar.

Of course, these are just a few ideas of how you can research the local market, expand your mailing lists, make new business contacts and reach new sponsors and/or attendees for your events. There are a wealth of resources that can help any communicator to tap into London’s business community. You can even peruse IABC London's list of Helpful links of networking associations and career resources.

We know you want to give direction and precision to the crafting of your messages. Use these resources to get to know, and to lead you to, your audiences.

Research resources at your fingertips