Stop focusing on the wrong channels

Hi there 👋,

Sometimes you try and try at various marketing channels, yet nothing is quite working. It is one big juggling act with ten different channels, but none deliver what you’d hoped for.

We're told about all these channels and encouraged to try them, only to find that we're doing no better than we did with one.

Many startups don’t realise that after you’ve figured out your product-market fit, you still need to figure out channel fit.

There are four common channel mistakes that startups make.

1. Sticking to the standard channels

Just because most companies juggle organic socials, Meta ads, Google ads and email, it doesn’t mean you have to. They are far more expensive and harder to get working.

Use Jobs to Be Done research to determine where your customers are and focus on those channels. Don't be afraid to test smaller / less well-known channels.

2. Trying to be present on too many channels

Often I’ll ask a company which channels they are using, and the response is like a big bag of pick n’ mix sweets—a little bit of everything, but not a lot of anything.

The best companies deep dive into a channel; they find a growth loop that works there and go hard on it. What can they do to make that loop spin faster? What channels will support that loop?

Remember, every additional channel has an opportunity cost.

3. Dismissing Pre Product-Market Fit (PMF) channels

Pre-PMF it may feel like certain channels just didn’t work for you. This was back when you thought you had a channel problem “We just haven’t found the right channel for us”.

When every channel isn’t working at all, it is often not a channel problem. So now you’ve got those basics in place, reconsider those channels.

One failed partnership doesn’t mean partners don’t work for you at all as a growth channel.

4. Not thinking in terms of funnels and loops

Funnels focus on linear channels, channels where you invest it, and they bring new customers but not exponentially, e.g. PR coverage, organic social, etc.

On the other hand, loops allow for exponential growth by getting more customers (viral loops) or reinvesting in a channel (paid loops). You need both funnels and loops to be successful.

It is worth figuring out where your channels fit into your growth model and ensuring they support each other to create the most robust possible growth model.

Recommendation

In every newsletter, I will also share a related book, individual or newsletter to check out related to the topic of the week.

When it comes to channels, many people are fans of the book Traction.

However, whilst tge book is excellent at highlighting different channels, I find it doesn’t highlight how those channels work in practice.

I personally love listening to the DTC podcast instead to learn more about channels.

I choose episodes specifically about channels to learn how startups are using specific channels, e.g. this episode on Amazon as a distribution channel and this one on starting with TikTok.

After a few weeks off in Australia visiting family, I’m excited to be back. I’ll have a new course coming out shortly and lots of new free content on Linkedin and Medium. Plenty to look forward to!

2022 has been a rough year for growth with everything going on, but it has made many businesses stronger, and there are many new opportunities this coming year.

So if there is any specific content I can share to help your D2C startup this year, hit reply.

Daphne