Notice anything interesting about the ads during the Olympics? Tech trend blogger and Forbes.com columnist Steve Rubel did. He noticed when pen-maker Uniball wrapped up its ad by asking viewers to check out its Facebook page. Instead of driving the audience to the company website, the commercial was pushing people to its booming social network presence.
Money quote from Mr. Rubel:
” . . . a controversial shift is underway. The trusty dot-com URL, at least its role in marketing, maybe dying. Some companies are de-emphasizing spaces they own, like their web site, in all of their ads. Instead, they’re pushing people towards spaces they rent where people are spending time – e.g. their Twitter, YouTube Facebook hubs.”
We’ve been crowing about participating in multiple online platforms to create your “web presence” (see our last e-newsletter for specifics). The trend Rubel introduces is telling. Don’t just ask anonymous audiences to visit your site. Invite them to join a thriving online community offering ample interactive opportunity. And free stuff doesn’t hurt either.