Demographic Data is Critical for Media

Demographic Data is Critical for MediaDemographic Data is Critical for MediaDemographic data sounds like a term that would only come up in a meeting of market research experts. But if you work in media, you need to know the basics of demographics to ensure your media product whether its a TV newscast, radio show, magazine or website reaches the people you want. Simply put, demographic data information is used in media marketing to classify an audience by age, gender, race and other categories. In media, as in all business, demographics are used to pinpoint potential audience growth and to spot under-performance. Heres a sure sign of a media rookie You ask him who he wants to reach with his TV program, and he says, Everybody. True, its called broadcasting, but if you try to hit too broad of an audience, you likely end up reaching nobody. Examples of Products That Reach Different Demographics Cosmopolitan, Womans Day and Better Homes Gardens are magazines that reach the female d emographic. But beyond that, they target different types of women. You wouldnt think twice about seeing a racy subject advertised on the cover of Cosmopolitan. Thats because it aims to reach a younger, hipper worldly woman than its rivals. The publishers of Cosmo know theyre talking to a much different audience that the women who read Better Homes Gardens, which would never put a sexy headline on its cover. Finding Your fruchtwein Desired Demos A TV station or network tracks its success using Nielsen ratings. These ratings reports not only show the overall household numbers, but they also break down the results by various demographic categories. In television, most producers would like to reach people ages 18-34, 18-49 or 25-54. The reason is those are the groups most coveted by TV advertisers. Sure, the TV networks want to create a hit show. But they also want to be able to sell commercials within the program. Thats why you see many prime time TV programs that feature people i n these age groups in the starring roles. Yes, there may be a grandmother in the show, but not as the star. How Products Are Tweaked to Reach Key Demos A TV news director knows there is an infinite number of stories he could pursue. But when it comes time to make choices, demographics often play a role. Sure, a station will cover the murder of a senior man who isnt in the target demographic groups. But when its time to decide whether to do a special report on social security or public schools, the schools usually win out. Thats because parents of young children fall into that 18-34, 18-49, 25-54 age range. If the station does decide to do a story on social security, it could present it as what younger adults can do to make sure their aging parents have the money they need to live. Taking that perspective helps the subject appeal to younger viewers. Changing Your Product to Hit the Audience You Want Media companies constantly modify their products and the way they are adverti sed to hit a certain demographic group. The publisher of a womens magazine who follows demographic trends may decide her audience is becoming too old to attract the top advertisers. So she will focus on putting younger people on the cover and writing articles for a younger female customer to change the magazines demographic makeup. In the magazine world, general interest publications that were designed to appeal to people of all ages and both genders sometimes struggle by trying to attract such a broad audience. Life and Look magazines are two examples. Readers enjoy magazines that seem tailored just for them. When youre launching your media product or evaluating a product thats been around for years, use demographic data as a yardstick for growth. If you only appeal to people ages 65, the sad fact is, as they pass away, so does your customer base unless you are constantly seeking younger people who will grow to use your product even if they arent ready for it today.

Ageism and the Social Media Job Search

Ageism and the Social Media Job SearchAgeism and the Social Media Job SearchDo those years of experience count for or against you?Im 59 years old with a full-time job in medical ultrasound imaging. I have 32 years of experience in the field. With hospital downsizing and Medicare cutbacks, the higher-paid employees costing the most will be looked at. Your book Job Searching With Social Media For Dummies is very helpful and I want to follow your suggestions. I have two questions. Should I state my true years of experience, or would that make recruiters shy away because of age? Would my LinkedIn profile indicate to my present employer that Im unhappy in my current position?Thank you for your time,Ultrasound BobDear Ultrasound Bob,Good for you for seeing the writing on the wall. Not everyone has the guts to acknowledge the fact that their job is leid going to last forever. When I was at Cisco in 2008, living in Las Vegas, even though I knew my job would go away, I didnt do anything about it. So first, I want to applaud you and give you the chance to celebrate your own courage.Many people I talk to have concerns about their age and years of experience, old and young. It used to be that more years of experience was a great thing to have. These days, experience can often mean being on a list of the first to go during layoffs. For recruiters, age can have many different subtexts - though by law, that shouldnt be.I think there is nothing wrong with downplaying those years of experience. They are simply not the asset they once were. In fact, youve beaten the national average for the length of a career by 6.4 times The U.S. Department of Labor reports that the average time in a position is 2 years at a company, 4 years and in a career for about 5 years. In the course of your single career, most Americans would have had 6.4 different careers.Why not just say you have over 15 years of experience? On your resume and LinkedIn work history, just go back 15 years. In your summ ary, there is no reason to specify the exact number of years of experience you have, and 15 years is long by todays standards. But its not so long as to indicate that you would require a significantly higher salary than someone else. You do not have to put every single job youve ever had on your resume.In your second question, you worry that by simply having a presence on LinkedIn, you might communicate that you are looking for work. Generally speaking, this isnt how people see LinkedIn. Indeed, there are many users of LinkedIn who are very happy with their current jobs.However, this perception may be different at your current job. I would do a quick search to see if other people at your current employer have profiles. If they do, then its probably OK for you to have one, too. If not, then maybe you should be careful.One additional piece of advice If you do end up umgebung up a LinkedIn profile and begin to build a large network (which you should), be sure to reset the privacy setti ng that broadcasts every single change you make to your profile. If an employer sees a sudden flurry of profile changes, this might lead them to conclude that you are looking for another job.

Emjae Johnson - The Balance

Emjae Johnson - The BalanceEmjae Johnson - The Balance