In an interesting move, Seattle ski (and snowboard, and inline skate, and ski boot) manufacturer K2 has directed all their web traffic away from K2Skis.com to their Facebook page. Offering a sneak preview of their 2010-2011 lineup of equipment, the iconic Pacific Northwest company seems to be making moves to bolster their Facebook numbers and beef up their social media presence. If this is the case, it’s not a bad move…as long as they revive their traditional site, or an evolution of it. While Facebook and other social media channels are great for sharing, I can’t see any other reason for ditching a traditional website now and alienating that big part of the ski market that still views Facebook as “something for the kids” i.e “your dad.” Because, let’s be honest, “your dad” still buys a large chunk of the ski industry’s product, and he wants to see a good ol’ “traditional” website. Oh, how the times have changed… – Mike Berard
Added 4:35 Thursday, July 29th – K2 Skis has gone live with their new site, after only a day or two of the FB rerouting. Apparently, it wasn’t a big social media move at all. Check the new site here.
The exclusive preview for Facebook fans was up for 2 weeks and grew their fan base by 50%. That’s a huge success in my book. Props to them for innovating on the Web and on skis.
That is awesome, and I agree is a huge success. Smart strategy…and, yes, great skis too. My Hellbents keep me happy enough