You know that feeling when you walk into a party and try to talk to everyone at once? Yeah, it doesn’t go well. You end up shouting half-baked stories, forgetting names, and spilling your drink on someone who turns out to be your boss’s cousin. Brands do this online all the time. They chase every platform like it’s a golden ticket, thinking more presence equals more impact. Spoiler: it doesn’t.
Let’s talk about why being everywhere is overrated, and why being in the right places, just a few of them actually, can do a lot more for your sanity and your bottom line.
The illusion of omnipresence
Here’s a number that sounds impressive at first: the average person uses 6.6 social media platforms each month. That stat gets marketers jittery. They start thinking, “We need to be on all of them, right?” Not really.
Not all platforms are created equal; more importantly, not all of them are created for you. A B2B software brand trying to make it on TikTok is like a jazz trio busking at a rave. Meanwhile, that same brand might be ignoring LinkedIn, where actual decision-makers are already in work mode, ready to research, compare, and maybe even buy.
So no, you don’t need to be everywhere. You need to be where your people are—where they’re actually paying attention.
The price of being everywhere
Let’s say you do try to be everywhere. What does that look like in practice? Well, you’re writing different content for each platform. You’re managing comments and messages. You’re running ads. You’re checking analytics, and then optimizing. Then doing it all again. Multiply that by six or seven channels, and you’ve got a full-blown circus.
And what do you get for all that effort? Usually, watered-down content that tries to please everyone and ends up resonating with no one. According to the Content Marketing Institute, 73% of top-performing marketers put quality above quantity. Makes sense. You can’t write a great blog post while also filming a TikTok, tweeting a thread, and designing a Pinterest board. Not without something slipping.
Pick your battles, win your war
Focus is underrated. It’s quieter than hustle, but it works harder. Brands that zero in on one or two platforms often build stronger communities, better engagement, and more consistent results.
Take Glossier. They didn’t try to be everywhere. They built a loyal following on Instagram, fueled by user-generated content and a very specific aesthetic. Or HubSpot. They started with SEO and blogging. They did that well—really well—before branching out into YouTube and podcasting.
So how do you know where to focus? Ask yourself three things:
1. Where does your audience actually spend time?
2. What kind of content are you naturally good at creating?
3. Which platforms drive real results—leads, sales, signups, whatever matters to you?
Answer those, and you’ve got a roadmap.
Make your data do the talking
This part isn’t sexy, but it’s crucial. If you’re not looking at your data, you’re guessing; and guessing is expensive.
Start with your own backyard—first-party data, CRM insights, and tools like Google Analytics 4. Look at where your best leads come from. If 60% of your high-value customers are coming from LinkedIn, that’s not a coincidence; that’s a signal. Double down.
Or maybe Instagram’s giving you tons of impressions but barely any conversions. That’s fine. Use it for awareness, not for sales. Every platform doesn’t have to do everything.
The point is, your data already knows what’s working. You just have to pay attention.
The 80/20 cheat code
Here’s a little secret from the world of productivity nerds: most of your results come from a small slice of your effort. It’s called the 80/20 rule, and it applies beautifully to digital marketing.
Chances are, one or two platforms are doing most of the heavy lifting. Find them. Invest in them. That’s your Minimum Effective Dose—just enough to get the outcome you want, without burning out your team or setting your budget on fire.
Tim Ferriss talks about this in his book, and while he’s mostly referring to gym workouts and business hacks, the logic holds. Do less, better. Not more, messier.
Final thought: stop chasing shadows
Being everywhere makes you feel busy. It looks impressive on a slide deck. But it’s often a distraction; a vanity metric. What you want is traction, not noise.
So pick your spots. Know your audience. Make great content where it matters. Then stick with it long enough to see results.
You’re not just posting. You’re building trust.
Depth beats breadth. Every time.
That’s one more tool in the belt.
We’ll be back soon with more you can use.
Until then, keep building.
– Perfect Sites Blog