1 of 20 Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets IMARK Investing in Information for Development Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets © FAO 2005

2 of 20 Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets At the end of this lesson you will: identify the necessary components to develop an effective information dissemination plan; be aware of how to analyze: - your audience(s) and their needs, - your competitors, and - your comparative advantage. Learning Objectives

3 of 20 Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets Most organizations produce information. Introduction However, often the information they produce is not disseminated effectively. Why does this happen?

4 of 20 Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets Three common constraints to effective dissemination Organizations do not undertake systematic market research on their audience(s) and clients. They do not have procedures in place for continual analysis of their products, services, and dissemination mechanisms. They do not plan for the introduction of new information technologies, new audiences, new media, and new types of products and services

5 of 20 Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets What could be a solution? The development of an information dissemination plan. It should include descriptions of: Dissemination plans 1. Audience(s) 2. Products and services 3. Resources of the organization and its partners involved in dissemination of products and services.

6 of 20 Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets The plan should define the following aspects of products and services offered by the organization: DESCRIPTION PRODUCTION CHANNELS MARKETING FINANCIAL ASPECTS Dissemination plans

7 of 20 Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets 2. Assessment of your information competitors and your comparative advantage 4. Evaluation of your current and future capacities for effective information dissemination 3. Description of current information products and services 1. Identification and analysis of existing and potential audiences Here are the preparatory tasks to design a dissemination plan: EXTERNAL factors INTERNAL factors Dissemination plans

8 of 20 Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets 1) Identification of your existing and potential audience(s). Who are they? Where are they? What types of information products and services do they need? What types of information products and services do they need? How will they gain access to these products and services? How will they gain access to these products and services? Your audience(s) profiles

9 of 20 Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets The key questions to analyse your audience(s): 1.What types of people make up your audience(s)? 3.What is the level of expertise and capacity of your audience(s)? 2. What types of organizations make up your audience(s)? 4.How are these audience(s) changing? Your audience(s) profiles

10 of 20 Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets The needs of the audience(s) determine both the content to deliver and the medium used for dissemination. Therefore, you should move to a detailed analysis of audience(s) needs. Start by finding out the current use and impact of your present products and services. ? Your audience(s) needs

11 of 20 Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets Consider the different types of content needed by your audience(s) Find out, for each audience, the degree of use of each kind of content. Assess the importance of each kind of content for each kind of audience In order to identify what kind of content is relevant to what kind of audience: Your audience(s) needs

12 of 20 Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets Now, identify what kind of medium is more useful to each audience. You can build a matrix like this: xxx= most useful; xx= useful; x= not so useful Medium of service/product delivery Type of audience ResearcherExtension workerJournalistFarmer Leaflets xxxxx Books/Hardcopies xxxxxx Websites xxxxxx Digital documents xxxxxxx Your audience(s) needs

13 of 20 Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets Here is another issue common to many organizations: audiences are often very diverse. Consequently there is a broad range of needs that require distinct information products and services. Therefore, it is important to set priorities. Dynamic priorities

14 of 20 Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets In order to set priorities, three criteria are most important: Setting priorities between audiences 1. Which audience(s) are most central to the mandate of your organization? 1. Which audience(s) are most central to the mandate of your organization? 2. Which audience(s) can you reach most effectively? 3. And on which audience(s) are your products/services likely to have the greatest impact?

15 of 20 Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets What else can you do to set priorities? 1.Identify the audiences which are presently well served, and which ones need greater support. 2.Then define the top priority groups (perhaps three or four) that are most important to your objectives. Initially, you should only concentrate on these groups; later, you may be able to add a few more to the list. Setting priorities between audiences

16 of 20 Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets 2) Analysis of the market trends and environment affecting the demand for your information products and services. AUDIENCE AUDIENCE NEEDS YOUR SERVICES COMPETITION PRODUCTS/ SERVICES related to these elements TARGET of YOUR ANALYSIS The competitors

17 of 20 Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets Look not only at your competitors, but also for new opportunities of needs as yet unfulfilled by any service provider. While analyzing your competitors, keep in mind the analysis you previously conducted of your audience(s) and their needs. The competitors

18 of 20 Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets If there are other organizations interacting with your audience(s), and offering information products and services similar to those of your organization, you should further examine: THE CONTENT THEY PRODUCE THE VARIETY OF MEDIA USED THE VARIETY OF MEDIA USED WHO IS PRODUCING THESE SERVICES THE COSTS FOR ACCESSING THEIR SERVICES The competitors

19 of 20 Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets The key issue is differentiation of your products and services from others. These are the questions to ask: Are you providing unique products or services? Have you identified some sub-groups of audiences that are not well serviced? Have you avoided certain products and services? Are there possibilities of partnerships and collaboration to share both the costs and the benefits? The competitors

20 of 20 Information Dissemination Audiences and Markets Summary o To build an information dissemination plan, there are two kinds of analysis you should do: external and internal. o Analysis of your audience(s): their identities; their characteristics; their specific needs; the kind of content; the type of medium; and priorities among them. o Analysis of the market trends and environment affecting the demand for your information products and services.