Bowker’s Pub Track presented interesting facts from their 2008 Demographics & Book Buying Behaviors survey at ECPA’s Executive Leadership Summit. Here are some quick facts.
Who reads books?
- Only 45% of Americans over 13 years-old read books
- 32% of book readers are over 55 years-old
- The average book reader is 44
Which and how much media do Americans consume each week?
- 15 hours on-line
- 13 hours watching TV
- 6 hours listening to music
- 5 hours reading books
- 5 hours reading newspapers and magazines
- 4 hours watching DVDs
Note to self: Americans spend 3x more time each week on-line being informed, educated and entertained than reading books. Need to devise a digital strategy for our content quick! Drop the idea of buying ABC from Disney; consumers spend more time on-line than watching TV.
How do consumers initially learn about a book?
- 37% In-store displays and placement
- 12% Friend or family recommendation
- 6% Online book review
- 6% Direct Mail or Catalog
- 6% Online ads
Observation: Online ads and online book reviews now create as much awareness as viral marketing from friends and family. An on-line marketing strategy is critical. Also, according to Bowker, the impact of all print, TV and radio combined accounted for less than 5% of consumers' book awareness. - Tough news for established, traditional media.
Just a few other interesting Bowker facts:
- Consumers are going to online book reviews two times more often than print reviews.
- 19% of all books purchased the consumer became aware or viewed the product online before purchasing.
- 60% of all Christians under 30 have a Facebook account.
- The largest adopters of the Kindle are over 55 years-old.
- Bowker’s data has now drawn a correlation that audio and e-books are cannibalizing sales of hardcover books.
Think this stuff is interesting? Wait till you read what Wildfire Marketing has figured out when authors have dynamic web sites. Talk about an impact on book sales! Stay tuned. That’s the next blog.
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1 comment:
Your comment about blogging and online ads, to me, is comparing apples to oranges. A direct word-of-mouth recommendation has much more power than a static ad. Granted, they might both create awareness. But the WOM got the listener that much closer to a purchasing decision. The one who sees a banner ad has got a much longer way to go. I guess the ideal is that they encounter both! By the way, you should check out the Word of Mouth Manual Volume II. It's a quick, fun read about how to drive awareness for a product.
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