GeoPoll believes in TMCS’s mission of strengthening Tanzania’s media ecosystem by building the capacity of media outlets through training and technical assistance. The partnership with TMCS for the training allowed GeoPoll to assist in driving the mission forward. In order to do our part, GeoPoll provided the trainees with nationally representative audience measurement data tailored to specific program indicators. The data was used as a tool for training the attending media stakeholders on practical ways to use audience measurement data to improve the quality of community radio programming, increase listenership, and generate additional advertising revenue.

Leading the training was GeoPoll media data analytics expert Akinyi Okulo, who serves at the current Senior Client Services Manager of Media; supported by Athman Sungura, Regional Sales Lead of East Africa, and Tavian MacKinnon, Senior Manager of Social Sector.

The Training: Using Data to Develop & Attract Advertisers

GeoPoll’s day-long training combined theoretical learning with real audience measurement data and SMS perception data on major radio advertisers in Tanzania.

Akinyi began training by presenting the audience measurement data to the approximately 28 representatives from the 18 community-based radio station in attendance. The measurement data provided a comprehensive overview of the methodology and the data collected in February 2019. Community-based radio station representatives examined the results of the audience measurement data for stations Safari FM, Arusha One FM, and Chai FM, then explained how they adjusted their programming to reach more listeners as a lesson learned from the June 2018 training, Data-Driven Decisions Making – Radio Media.

Next, GeoPoll presented data from a GeoPoll SMS survey on Tanzanians’ perceptions of leading radio advertisements in the country. This survey was nationally representative at the region, age, and, gender demographics as well as reflective of awareness and appeal of major advertisements. This data survey was a used in order for the community radio stations to practice drawing conclusions from data in order to understand what types of advertisements are most appealing to Tanzanians. The exercise was guided by the training lead, Akyini, and completed on a local level, meaning participants examined data from the provinces where their radio stations operate—which encouraged the development of a targeted advertisement approach.

Training participants were then asked to collectively discuss how to improve their appeal to major advertisers and conceptualize how GeoPoll’s provided data could be used to capture and monetize potential advertisers. The training was very well-received and representatives from the community radio stations in attendance expressed a newly developed understanding of why such data is important to improving the sustainability of their respective stations.

Beyond this training session, GeoPoll will continue to work on teaching how to build the sustainability of the targeted community radio ecosystem. The series on using data for decision-making to improve listenership and the business of community-based radio stations is not over yet. GeoPoll will hold bi-annual trainings on data collected under Boresha Habari/TMCS to further acclimate community-based radio stations on how data can be used effectively for growth and sustainability.

As leaders in data collection throughout Africa, GeoPoll’s Audience Measurement data is highly respected by media agencies. Our trainings can be customized to the needs of any team seeking to learn how to analyze data for thoughtful decision making in media as well as other industries. Contact us to learn more about our trainings or data collection capabilities today.

The post Using Data to Develop & Attract Advertisers: GeoPoll Lead Training Recap appeared first on GeoPoll.

The training on data-driven decision making for international development

On June 2, 2018 in Dar es Salaam, GeoPoll’s Audience Measurement Specialist, Akinyi Okulo, led an  Introduction to Data-Driven Decision Making – Radio Media training. 25 participants from 20 Tanzanian community radio stations engaged in the training seminar, under the five-year USAID-funded Tanzania Media and Civil Society Strengthening (TMCS) Activity. Also known as Boresha Habari, the FHI 360-led TMCS Activity’s goal is to strengthen Tanzania’s media ecosystem by building the local capacity of media outlets through training and technical assistance.

To further this goal at the GeoPoll-led training, GeoPoll staff provided trainees with nationally representative audience measurement data that measured specific program indicators. GeoPoll also trained Tanzanian media stakeholders on practical ways of using audience measurement data to improve the quality of community radio programming, increase listenership, and generate additional advertising revenue—all of which is intended to strengthen Tanzanian civil society and improve democratic governance.

 GeoPoll planned and led the highly tailored day-long training with the goal of improving the use of data to drive programming decisions among Tanzanian community radio stations. The training combined theoretical learning with real audience measurement data and practical group exercises.

Akinyi first led the participants through a well-known theoretical framework on data-driven decision making that focuses on the relationship between information, data, and knowledge. With this high-level framework in mind, trainees then analyzed real Tanzanian audience measurement information for radio that GeoPoll had collected before the session, as well as nationally representative GeoPoll SMS survey results that provided insight on Tanzanian perceptions and opinions about radio.

To bridge the gap between the theoretical framework and the practical application of data, participants took part in small group exercises. The group exercises focused on drawing out specific data points from real GeoPoll survey results and then designing advertiser strategies based on the data analysis and interpretation.

The training was a great success. Local stakeholders were educated on a mix of theories and developed practical knowledge about evidence-based decision making within media. In this way, GeoPoll is working to support a sustainable, self-reliant, and locally lead community radio ecosystem within Tanzania.

Let GeoPoll train your team on data driven decision making

GeoPoll is a leader in collecting data in emerging markets. With years of experience, our staff are extremely knowledgeable about both data collection and analysis. The GeoPoll team can impart this knowledge upon your staff through a similar training on data-driven decision making. Contact us today to discuss the training possibilities for your organization.

The post Data Driven Decision Making Trainings for International Development appeared first on GeoPoll.