A recent study published by eMarketer estimates that, in 2007, the number of individuals in the United States who ever downloaded a podcast reached 18.5 million, while the number individuals who download and listen to an average of one or more podcasts per week reached 6.5 million. eMarketer further estimated that by the end of 2008, these numbers will increase to 28 million and 10 million, respectively, while by 2012, they will rise to 65 million and 25 million.
While the eMarketer study doesn't break out the numbers by adults versus youths, a 2005 Pew Internet & American Life Project national phone survey (PDF) found that more than 22 million American adults (defined as 18 or over) own iPods or MP3 players, and 29% of them (i.e., over 6 million) had downloaded podcasts from the Web so that they could listen to them later at a time of their choosing.
eMarketer cites the following factors driving the growth of the podcast audience:
- Greater ease of consumption for podcast content
- Growing awareness of podcasting
- Terrestrial radio’s use and promotion of podcasting
- Increased penetration of portable players
- The evolution of smart phones and proliferation of affordable mobile data plans
Click here for further details on the eMarketer report.
What this trend means for law firms is that it may be time to start considering podcasting as a marketing tool. While the podcast audience may be somewhat younger now, current podcast consumers will, over time, eventually rise to positions of greater responsibility at the companies that law firms serve. Now would be the time for a firm to begin rolling out podcasts and building a "tech-savvy" image -- before everyone else is doing it.
For law firms interested in podcasting, please see our earlier post "Law Firm Podcasts: The Nuts and Bolts."
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