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Stop Diversifying Channels. Double Down Instead.

How often have you heard marketing experts say: “You need to be on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, email, podcasts, YouTube…”

So you spread thin. Mediocre content on six platforms. Present everywhere, excellent nowhere.

Your competitor dominates just LinkedIn—and they’re outperforming you.

The truth: Everyplace doesn’t mean everywhere. It means the right places, done right.

This is one of the four Es I wrote about in The 4Ps Are Out. AI Made the 4Es Essential. Today I’m going deeper on what “Everyplace” actually means—and why it’s the opposite of what most marketing advice promotes.

The Diversification Trap

Growth-stage companies fall into this for predictable reasons. Fear of missing the next big channel. Consultants selling multichannel strategies. “Best practices” from companies with ten times your budget.

What happens? Thin content across platforms. No real authority anywhere. Burned-out teams. Budgets spread too thin.

A $5M company with one marketing person can’t compete with a $50M company’s ten-person team across ten channels. But you can dominate one or two through relentless focus.

The Focus Paradox

Ever heard the expression “less is more?” Fewer channels, done well, beat many channels done adequately.

Why? Algorithms reward consistency. Authority compounds in one place—you become the recognized voice in that channel. Your content improves faster through deliberate practice on one platform. Relationships deepen when the same audience sees you repeatedly. You master one channel’s nuances instead of staying perpetually amateur on six.

I’ve seen this play out repeatedly with growth-stage companies. Here are some composite examples:

One killed six social platforms and focused exclusively on LinkedIn thought leadership and industry forums. Qualified leads doubled because they showed up consistently where buyers actually spent time.

Another ditched Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to go all-in on in-depth blog content with targeted LinkedIn distribution. Organic traffic tripled. Demo requests jumped 40%.

A third abandoned all social platforms and paid ads to focus on weekly email insights plus strategic podcast appearances. Now 80% of their new clients come from referrals and their email list.

How to Pick Your Channel

The question isn’t “where can we be?” It’s “where do our best customers make decisions?”

Ask your last ten customers: Where did you first hear about us? What made you take us seriously?

Map the actual path, not the theoretical one.

For B2B companies, the pattern usually emerges fast: LinkedIn for discovery, Google for validation, peer networks for trust. B2C varies widely by demographic and product, but the exercise reveals the truth every time.

Then ask: Where can we build sustainable competitive advantage? What’s your unfair advantage—founder’s network, deep expertise, unique point of view? Which channel amplifies that advantage?

Finally, be honest about capacity. Can you post daily? Weekly long-form? Monthly deep dives? Pick the channel that matches your realistic capacity, not your aspirational one.

The two-channel rule: Primary channel gets 70% of effort—this is where you build authority. Secondary gets 20%—this is where you maintain presence. Everything else gets killed. Save 10% for testing and opportunistic moments.

How to Dominate Your Chosen Channel

Once you’ve chosen, go all in.

Months 1-3: Consistent presence. Show up on schedule. Quality over clever. Engage genuinely. Study the platform’s nuances—LinkedIn’s algorithm is nothing like email’s.

Months 4-6: Build authority. Develop your voice and point of view. Create content series. Share original insights, not curated links.

Months 7-12: Own the space. Others reference your content. The platform amplifies you. Prospects know who you are before the first call.

On LinkedIn: Post three times weekly. Respond to comments within an hour. Engage with prospects daily. Publish monthly deep-dives.

On email: Send weekly, same day. One clear insight per send. Encourage and respond to replies.

When to Add a Second Channel

Don’t even think about it until: Six months of consistency on channel one. Measurable results. Maxed out what’s possible. Genuine spare capacity.

Red flags you’re not ready: “Our first channel isn’t working” means fix it, don’t abandon it. “We’re bored” reveals your boredom doesn’t equal customer boredom. “Everyone’s on this new channel” is FOMO, not strategy.

Your second channel should amplify your first, not dilute it. LinkedIn posts to email to podcasts. Not three platforms doing different things.

Here’s My Take

Your customers are on multiple platforms. But where do they make decisions? Focus there.

You’ll miss opportunities on other channels. But you’re missing bigger opportunities by being mediocre everywhere. Excellence in one channel beats adequacy in six. Every time.

Algorithms change. Platforms die. Diversification isn’t the answer—owned assets are. Your email list. Your customer relationships. Your reputation. Platform is just distribution.

Your competitors are everywhere. Let them spread thin. You dominate deep. Guess who wins.

Everyplace doesn’t mean everywhere. It means the places that matter, done exceptionally well.

For growth-stage companies, the resource constraint is real. You can’t compete with enterprise marketing budgets across ten channels. But you can build unassailable authority in one or two through focus, consistency, and excellence.

Stop trying to be everywhere. Start dominating somewhere.

Pick your channel. Master it. Then—and only then—consider adding another.