"We need to be doing more on LinkedIn."
Sound familiar? Maybe it's come up in a leadership sync, a marketing meeting, or a casual hallway conversation that somehow turned into a full-blown tactical pivot.
And while the impulse makes sense—more visibility, more content, more leads—it's the wrong starting point. Every time.
Channel-first thinking isn't strategic; it's reactive. And it often leads teams to waste time, budget, and energy chasing algorithms instead of actual customers.
So, what if you flipped the script?
What Channel-Agnostic Actually Means
When I say I'm channel-agnostic, here's what I mean: I don't care whether your message goes out via email, social, outbound sales, events, carrier pigeon, or skywriting.
I care that it reaches your best-fit customers—in a way that resonates wherever they're already paying attention.
That's the only thing that matters.
Because the most powerful customer growth strategies aren't built on assumptions. They're built on insights. Real, specific, voice-of-customer insights about:
- Who your ideal customers are
- How they make buying decisions
- Where they already spend time (and where they tune out)
Not guesses. Not assumptions. Not vibes. Not "a VP said we should test TikTok because our competitor just started a channel."
Starting with a Channel Is Solving the Wrong Problem
Let's say someone on your team says, "We need to get more active on LinkedIn."
Before you jump to writing posts or briefing your social team, pause and ask: Why?
Is LinkedIn where your buyers hang out? Is it where they look for solutions like yours? Or are they spending more time on Slack communities, at industry events, in their inbox, or talking directly to reps?
If you don't know the answer to those questions, LinkedIn might feel like movement—but it won't be progress.
You're solving a visibility problem that might not even exist while ignoring a resonance problem that definitely does.
Start Here Instead
Want to make smarter growth bets? Start by answering three foundational questions:
- Who are our best-fit customers? Not the ones who clicked an ad once; I'm talking about the ones who stick around, renew, and tell their friends and colleagues.
- How do they make buying decisions? Do they need consensus across a team? Do they look to peer reviews? Are they triggered by a pain point or a timing window?
- Where do they go to gather info and evaluate options? Spoiler: It's not always LinkedIn. Sometimes, it's a Slack channel, a Zoom call with a peer, or a niche industry event.
Once you know that, you can meet them where they are. Not just physically but contextually—speaking their language, addressing their real buying concerns, and showing up in the places they actually trust.
Channel Comes Last, Not First
Marketing isn't a checklist of channels; it's a system built around your customers' actual behavior. If you don't know how your customers buy, no amount of platform optimization will save you.
But if you do know what makes your best customers tick (as well as what turns them off), you can make surgical, strategic decisions about where to invest your time and budget.
Customer growth isn't about being everywhere. It's about being in the right places for the right people with the right message.
TL;DR: Customer Growth Strategy Follows the Customer
So the next time someone suggests spinning up a new channel, posting more often, or investing in a shiny new (object) platform, stop and ask:
- What do we know about how our customers buy?
- Where do they actually spend time and attention?
- Are we solving the real problem—or just doing more for the sake of doing?
Start with your customer. Then, build the strategy that meets them (not your content calendar) where they are.
Need help understanding the buying decision criteria of your best fit customers?
Check out our Customer Growth Sprint, it's a 4-week engagement designed to give you the customer and messaging insights you need to be in the right channel at the right time with a message that moves a customer closer to, "Yes".