Opinion: Recent studies show that podcasting isn't as ubiquitous as believed. But when the enterprise starts using podcasts, that's when it'll really take off.A new study from Forrester has a lot of podcasters up in arms. Why? Well, it seems that regardless of all the hoopla surrounding podcasting, only 1 percent of Americans are actually listening to podcasts.
Stunning news considering the play podcasting is getting these days. But it's not unprecedented: another recent study from Bridge Data found that 80 percent of podcasts never make it off the computer where they're downloaded. Contrary to popular belief, the "pod" in "podcast" may actually be a misnomer.
On the other hand, we keep seeing growth numbers (like this study from eMarketer) pointing to "exponential" growth in the podcasting market over the next four to five years.
Even the podcast-dissing Forrester continues to point to rapid adoption during the same time frame.
So is podcasting a lost cause? I don't think so. It may just be that we're looking at the wrong applications for the technology.
In the early days of the Web, most of the talk (and the hype) was around how the lives of consumers were going to be transformed.
Money flowed like water into any startup that promised to be able to change the way we shop, play or get our entertainment online.
We could "shop in our underwear" instead of having to go to the mall. We would be able to have pet food delivered to our doorsteps instead of having to schlep down to the local kibble store.
We'd get all of our news, movies, and music online without having to set foot in a physical store again. Our groceries would magically arrive on our doorsteps. We'd all surf the information superhighway and never leave the house again.
The reality of all this turned out to be much different than the early boosters predicted.
Adoption of new shopping behaviors took a lot longer than most dot-com startups could hold out.
Malls still abound and, in fact, have thrived as entertainment "destinations" rather than just places to buy stuff.
Some of us have our pet food delivered, but I'd bet that most 'net-using Americans still throw a bag of doggie chow in their carts when they go to the (physical) grocery store.
As for entertainment, yes, most of us get a lot of our entertainment online, but we're still going to the movies in record numbers and subscribing to printed magazines.
Online music sales are going strong, but it's still going to be a long time before everyone gives up on the CD.
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The point is this: Consumers have changed their behavior (and continue to change), but change takes time.
Just because the technology exists doesn't mean that everyone's going to jump on the bandwagon right away. Technology changes quickly. People change slowly.
But businesses...well, that's a different story. Businesses are driven by different motives than people and exist in an environment where a competitive edge--any competitive edge--can make the difference between success and failure.
The Internet offered that edge to the early business adopters by providing new ways to be faster, more nimble, more informed and more efficient.
While the impact of the Web on the life of consumers has been huge, there are hardly businesses today that couldn't survive without the Web.
From supply chain integration and management to strengthening business relationships to driving down costs through greater efficiencies and facilitating outsourcing, all the way down to increasing the profits and increasing the growth of small businesses, the Internet has had an undeniably huge impact on the world of business.
Why did the 'net have such an impact? Why was it adopted by business so fast? Because it allowed businesses to do things they couldn't do before (like easily reach global markets) and conduct themselves with greater efficiency and speed.
The Internet added value and reduced costs, two things businesses can't live without. Any business person worth her salt saw this right away and jumped on board. Consumers, not driven by the same motives, took a little longer.
How does this apply to podcasting? Simply put, it may be that looking at podcasting as a consumer phenomenon and measuring its success by consumer adoption may be looking in the wrong place.
Instead, it may be that what we really need to start looking at is the business applications of podcasting.
Business applications? In a technology that's being pushed for its consumer entertainment value? Yes. Because just like the Internet itself, podcasting can offer benefits to businesses that they can't get otherwise.
In an increasingly fast-paced world with an increasingly mobile workforce, delivering business information via podcasts makes a lot of sense.
Audible information like quarterly investor conference calls, sales training, technical briefs, and informative presentations can be delivered in a way that increases the efficiency of employees.
Rather than tie salespeople to a desk by delivering sales training via streaming media, moving that training to a podcast can allow them to listen in while they're on their way to a new sales call.
Technical people such as scientists and engineers can use their daily commute to brush up on new research rather than wasting time if that research is delivered in an audible format.
Analysts and investors can free themselves from their desks if they can listen to briefings on their iPods in the airport rather than being tied to a regularly scheduled conference call.
B2B customers who need training, product information or access to research could get themselves up out of their office chairs and on the road if they could get the info they need in a podcast rather than in paper (or PDF) form.
Some businesses are starting to get the point, but the rest of us need to look into how we can use this technology.
Podcasting isn't just for consumers anymore. Don't write it off yet, and don't misinterpret the research you see.
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