With so many channels popping up these days (and lately… Threads), a question that is usually asked is “which channel should I market in?”
The thought process of most marketers goes like this:
I guess I'll just try a little bit of SEO, Facebook Ads, maybe post on TikTok. We're diversifying, right?
Yeah, that's the worst way to do lead generation.
3 reasons why
If you want to build a true lead engine or sales engine… build one channel at a time. SEO, paid ads, influencer marketing, networking – choose one and go all in.
Reason #1 – Every channel is different
Something only people who've done it will know is that every channel is different. The dynamics are different. The behavior is slightly different. The sales funnel that worked on Facebook will not necessarily work on the SEO channel.
When I was marketing a data science school, we got really successful with our email funnel. We were mainly driving in audience through SEO content. So we spent time perfecting the flow. People would find our content by searching online, opt-in for a video course, join a webinar and become a customer later.
The funnel was successful, so we tried applying it at events we spoke at.
We'd put up large QR codes on screen for people to join the same exact flow. Guess what? No conversions.
The lesson learned is that every channel is different. You'll have to tweak it a little differently, learn the game, and become really good in that channel.
Reason #2 – You're either first or last (kinda)
If you look at each traffic channel, you'll usually see it dominated by a few big players at the top. Meanwhile, everyone else is fighting over the scraps.
It's a classic 80/20 rule – 80% of the attention goes to the top 20%.
Few examples in the local context.
- Cooking influencer dominating on Instagram > Khairul Aming
- Building material marketplace dominating on SEO > HOMA2u.com (Also a client. 😀)
- Personal finance education business dominating with webinars > KCLau.com
- Printing company dominating on Google Search Ads > Printcious.com
You'll see these players usually dominating one channel. Elsewhere, not so much.
What this means is if you play in a few channels – a bit of YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Affiliates, SEO, you'll be just scratching the surface of each one. You'll never win big in any of them.
It's like being an e-sport gamer who said, “Oh, I want to be good at 3 different games!”. But true e-sport gamers don't become good at 3 games. They choose one, like Dota, and go all out to be the best at it.
Reason #3 – Energy and focus
It shouldn't be surprising that people who shout – “You should post on every channel!” work at companies like Hootsuite and Buffer. Or maybe they just run a social media agency.
Many entrepreneurs were taught that they have to be present on every channel. It's free anyway! Just post. Wouldn't hurt right?
The truth is, going after multiple channels will impact your energy and take your focus away.
When I first started Daily CMO, we wanted to be everywhere. LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram! But because we had a small team, we couldn't cope. And it actually hurt.
Eventually, we found out more people were engaging with our content on Instagram. There were also slightly more customers converting from Instagram.
So we went all in on Instagram.
How many channels do you market on?
I'm not saying you have to pick one channel and focus on it until the end of time. No, I'm not saying that.
What I'm saying is that focus will be your #1 leverage in building a true lead generation engine.
Again, the 80/20 rule comes in. Spend 80% of your marketing team's effort focusing on and squeezing out everything you can from one channel. And the other 20% on exploring other traffic channels.
Which channel is working for you right now? Double down and do more of what worked.