Choose wisely

Focus = success.

​But that means considered focus, not random focus.

Let’s face it; we don’t have time to do everything, let alone do everything well.

And I’m sure most of us would rather be great at a few things than mediocre at many.

So we have to choose what we do and, more importantly, what we don’t do.

The same theory applies to the channels you choose to grow your brand.

In the same way that focusing on one product and one niche audience is far more effective, so is choosing one or two brand growth channels.

Why?

Because you can get really, really good at them.

The thing is, marketing channels need time, dedication and a deep understanding of their nature and how your audience interacts with them. When you’re a small team or a solo founder, you don’t have time to give 4-5 channels the dedication they need.

So no matter how strong the temptation, resist putting your brand’s content in as many places as you can.

Pick one or two and do them well.

You’ll thank me later.

How to choose your brand channels

If you get good at a few channels, you’ll see your brand go from strength to strength. But how do you choose those channels in the first place?

Here’s how to do it in three easy steps:

1. Start with your audience

If you’re thinking about marketing channels, you should already understand your audience and what they need from you. Therefore, it should be easier to identify the channels you are most likely to reach them through. Where do they spend their time when they’re in the right frame of mind to come across your brand.

Paynter Jacket is a great example. Becky and Huw have relied solely on Instagram to grow their cult following because they know that’s where their audience (people with an appreciation for slow fashion and great design) hangs out and discovers new brands.

Another example is Oatly in its early days. The brand relied on getting Oatly milks into as many ‘cool coffee shops’ as possible. Why? Because people valued their barista’s opinion when it came to milk alternatives.

2. Use what you’ve got

What can you do? Are you better at creating video content, or are you more of a writer? Maybe you’re really good with people face to face. All founding teams are different, and not everyone has a videographer to hand or an advertising copywriter ready to let loose. The key here is to identify what you have and make the most of it.

A great example: the now-iconic Grenade Tank made its debut at the 2011 Bodypower Expo in Birmingham. The tank made sure Grenade stood out, but it was borrowed from a contact of Andy’s, not something they spent millions on as a young brand.

What do you have that others in your industry don’t?

3. Don’t quit too early

I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard ‘that channel doesn’t work for our brand’ when said channel hasn’t been given a fair chance. Growing a brand from scratch takes time and patience, so don’t quit before you’ve even crossed the start line.

Example: brand launches a website and posts three blog posts on their site. After three months ‘SEO (search engine optimisation) doesn’t work for us’ 🙄

1. That’s not SEO (we’ll get into that another day)
2. That’s not a fair test

Give any channel you try a real chance. Put a plan together and execute on it properly for at least six months.

The brands that appear to be an ‘overnight success’ often aren’t.

Take Dyson as an example. There were 5,127 failed prototypes before James Dyson's first model was proven successful. This journey also took 15 years. While some entrepreneurs might have called it quits after a dozen failed prototypes and a few years of trying, Dyson didn’t give up.

If you understand the importance of choosing a few key channels but you’re still not sure where to focus your attention, reply to this email, and I’ll help you out.