Industry Immersion Article

Adam,

Great post and very useful list of resources. I would also add to the list:

- Magazines: odds are there is a magazine covering your industry (trade magazine as they are called) with inside stories, what's hot, competitor ads, and case studies. In some cases trade magazines have free subscriptions, so there's no reason not to read them.

- Trade Shows: if you can attend a trade show related to your industry, you will gain more knowledge then any web search or reading material could ever give you. Stop by competitor booths, check out new stands, attend sessions and network.

- Newsletters: the same trade publications are likely to have some kind of newsletter that will contain articles, advertising, and links to blog posts and studies. Sign up for as many as you can and make a point of reading them regularly.

- Discussion forums: depending on the industry there will be discussion forums setup as google or yahoo groups, specific websites and even the old email list good old Usenet days. Look through the discussion archives to see what people were talking about and you will be able to identify patterns and trends. Great source of info, keywords, lingo and market needs.

:)
Daniel

These are all great sources, Daniel!

I think for new PMs, stepping in to a new space, the trick is to get
as much information / data as possible to understand said space, but
all without feeling completely overwhelmed. It's a tricky balancing
act, to be sure.

Great article! I actually subscribed to your RSS yesterday after reading it. Concise and effective.

Thanks, Chris! Glad you liked and I appreciate you subscribing to the
blog!

Have to say - I did the same thing! Great article.

Thanks, Steven!