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When it comes to understanding your market segments, government statistics are among the best available sources of information. For example, the publication Statistical and Metropolitan Area Data Book provides useful data on metropolitan areas, central cities, and counties. The Small Business Administration is another great resource. Here are some other smart ways to collect valuable customer research:

1. Leverage library assets. Many public libraries offer free versions of paid databases, such as Hoover’s and Dun & Bradstreet, and some will even grant you remote access to the information, says Michael Levey, a senior strategist and researcher at Zer0 to 5ive, a Philadelphia-based marketing and communications firm. “Don’t rule out your alma mater’s library,” he adds. “Universities have cutting-edge databases.”

2. Ask the right questions. When Lisa Nirell, chief energy officer of EnergizeGrowth LLC, a strategy consulting and publishing firm in Bend, Ore., surveys customers, she always asks these three questions: What has been your best experience with our company? What do you value most about your relationship with our company? If you were running a company in our industry that provides the products and services we do, what traits would you be sure it possessed?

3. Use search engines. Enter the names of your best customers into one of the major search engines to learn what they do, any honors they may have received, and, perhaps, what kinds of products and services they are looking for, says Emerson Smith, Ph.D., president of Columbia, S.C.–based Metromark Market Research. “Call or email your customer when Google finds something good about them and offer congratulations,” he adds.

4. Use blogs and message boards. “I had a client who needed a list of the top 1,000 churches for targeting his technology,” Levey recalls. “I was able to obtain an Excel list of the top 1,200 churches ranked by size [plus] contact information from a passionate church blogger. I’ve also found LinkedIn’s answer page to be very helpful for posting research questions to people in targeted industries.”

5. Take an unbiased approach. “Some business owners believe they are right and their customers are often wrong,” Metromark’s Smith says. “They get upset if anyone says something negative about them or their products or services. Market research is systematic observation, listening, and testing of marketing and public relations ideas.”