• 2 November 2021

What is Audience Management?

Audience Management is the discipline of communicating with different publics. These publics may be defined in terms of demographics, geography, text type or any other way which facilitates their identification and differentiation from other publics. The term has been in use since 1988, when the US Army began using it to "define ways to communicate more effectively with all your audiences." [1]

A key aspect of audience management is understanding who comprises each audience and how much you can say before losing them. The industry standard for this is called the 'Four Minute Rule'. It goes like this: if you are speaking for less than four minutes then say what you need to say (without waffling) but don't bore your listeners by reading from a script. If you are speaking for between four and ten minutes then recite your key messages and say how they will benefit the audience (in their own words, not yours). If you are speaking for over ten minutes then you can afford to put more detail into your talk – assuming that it is relevant and of interest to the audience.

Rules of Audience Management

The Four Minute Rule is a good rule of thumb but there may be occasions where it does not apply. This could be because:

• The audience already knows what's in the presentation; therefore, you need not spend time telling them about it; or

• You would lose some people if you were to shorten on any one point so it's better to try and engage as many as possible on each one; or

• The material demands a closer examination. For example, if you are talking about complex statistical analysis which needs explanation, the shorter version would feel rushed whereas the longer version might be easier to follow.

Importance of Audience Management in Business?

The term Audience Management can be defined as the process of communicating information to a particular audience in order to deliver a business proposition. A business needs to manage its audiences so that it can measure and track its performance in key areas, such as lead generation, revenue per sale, repeat sales and customer satisfaction. Through effective data capture and analysis of an organization’s commercial activity, a company can determine which marketing activities are most successful - this helps a firm improve the way it markets itself in the future. There is a catch though: despite its importance for businesses large and small, audience management is often not implemented effectively by organizations because they simply do not have the ability to collect their own data. This leads them to make assumptions about their return on investment instead of making informed decisions.

It is the relationship between customer and company that differentiates one organization from another. The success of each commercial venture hinges on this relationship, or lack thereof because it has a direct impact on how customers view an organization's products and services, as well as its brand value; time spent by the customer with the business is usually followed by money exchanging hands at some point in the future. Management of audience dealings could be best understood through the example of Microsoft Word - the original version was not flawed per see, but there were issues with compatibility across different platforms (i.e., Mac vs. Windows). Similarly, if an organization does not implement effective audience management measures to strengthen its relationships with customers, it may find itself like Microsoft Word - the early version of which was only used by a select audience. It is crucial for organizations to not just communicate their business proposition, but also come across as valuable and trustworthy in order to win new customers at the same time as retaining existing ones.

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Audience Management Process

The Audience Management Process can be divided into three stages: collection of data on current business activities, manipulation of data and finally presentation of information by way of reports and analysis. The first stage helps an organization monitor its progress towards organizational goals on a regular basis; additional activities undertaken during this phase include planning future campaigns, review of activity reports on a weekly or monthly basis and determination on the next course of action based on those findings. In addition to collecting data from internal sources such as feedback forms, organizations can also tap into public information such as newspaper and magazine articles, radio broadcasts and even social media sites to get a better understanding of the bigger picture. The second stage of audience management process involves data processing; this can be achieved by utilizing statistical analysis tools such as surveys and graphs. This phase is vital because it helps organizations determine not only which activities work best for dealing with specific audiences, but also why certain actions were more effective than others - all of which help improve future initiatives across the board.

Finally, ZR Analytics once data has been collected and processed, an organization needs to present its findings in a way that will allow key decision makers within the company - including marketing managers, business owners and chief financial officers - to understand how it relates to the business as a whole. A visual representation using graphs and charts is generally considered to be the most effective way of representing findings from data analysis; however, information does not always flow smoothly or legitimately throughout an organization. In such cases, reports need to be circulated throughout the various levels of management until it reaches those who are authorized to execute them - this can be done by preparing customized presentations for different departments within an organization.

The audience management process requires a vast amount of information gathering which would not have been possible without modern technology at our disposal today. Despite having access to an abundance of resources, there is still no substitute for human capital in terms of generating useful ideas to make a difference. Everything from customer feedback forms to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter can be used to improve an organization's Audience Management Capabilities; however, it is important that such information is only collected with the individual's explicit consent. This not only makes organizations more accountable for their actions, but ensures that they do not come across as too intrusive in the eyes of their customers.

Legal Disclaimer: The purpose of this article is to provide general information about the legal issues and developments in the law. The information provided herein should not be relied upon as legal advice. Always consult a legal professional regarding your specific situation and any specific legal questions you may have. [ARTICLE END]

Ashe Show (Washington Examiner) recently wrote about how libertarians are ignored by journalists because we don't fit into the media's narrative. Here are some excerpts from her article, " Why libertarians are considered 'fringe' by much of the media ".

"The mainstream media is willing to give a forum to just about anybody these days, no matter how...out there in their views. But when it comes to covering actual news events...libertarians are generally ignored by the press in favor of leftists and progressives." "Libertarians make up about 10% of the country but you wouldn't know that based on who gets covered by the establishment press." "I once asked Reason magazine Editor-in-Chief Matt Welch why he thought his writers never get picked for TV hits or big interviews with newspapers or magazines even though they're often well within the political mainstream. He said he thought it was because 'libertarians don't wear ties.'" "They [the media] weren't interested in the issues, they were interested in promoting a particular ideology. And the mainstream press has become more about pushing an agenda than informing people." I agree with Ashe Show’s analysis on this issue and here is my take on it in a nutshell.

Libertarians are not considered part of the "mainstream" because they are guilty of promoting freedom rather than equality. Libertarians promote freedom in every aspect of life, so there is no way for them to avoid being called fringe or outcasts by everyone else who promotes equality over freedom. The main thing holding libertarians back from being considered part of "the mainstream" is that they view the human individual as an end in itself rather than just a means to an end, which is what everyone else - including other conservatives and liberals - does. For example, here are some quotes from people who don't consider libertarians to be part of "the mainstream":

"Libertarians make up about 10% of the country but you wouldn't know that based on who gets covered by the establishment press."

"Libertarians are considered 'fringe' by much of the media because they are guilty of promoting freedom rather than equality."