|
ARE BOOMERS SOMEWHAT INTERNET-SHY?
Marketing Charts reports an interesting phenomenon that merits the attention of every author who promote his/her books on the Web. Results of a study by ThirdAge/JWTBoom, Baby Boomers are reluctant to participate in some of the Internet’s most popular activities.
While 96% of them use e-mail regularly and 80% use broadband on their home computers, only 22% participate in social networking on sites like My Space or Facebook. Of the 53% that do not, half stated the reason is their concerns about privacy and sharing their personal information.
Boomers are also a bit wary of advertising that appears on the Web unless it is placed by a source or a brand they know and trust. Nonetheless, 93% have read a print article about a web site and have visited the site. Looks as though cross-promoting often reaches these potential buyers. E-mail too has been relatively effective with 75% of respondents claiming they have clicked through after receiving an e-mail about a product.
I was particularly surprised to discover that of the Boomers surveyed 67% showed little or no interest in writing blogs. 55% felt the same way about listening to podcasts or other prerecorded audio. All of this seems rather remarkable when you consider that the Web has wooed so many people away from newspapers and from other printed matter as a primary source for news and other information.
At an estimated 78 million, this is a huge market, and obviously we all have to pay special attention to designing promotional programs on the Web that will reach the Boomer generation. We can’t rely on some of the most generally accepted vehicles.
Technorati Profile |