Last week I listened to a webinar that encouraged me to be “everywhere now”.

The “be everywhere” idea says that you should try to be on as many platforms as possible to drive traffic. However, I don’t think this is necessarily the best advice. In fact, I believe it’s an example of the inappropriate advice we sometimes get from the experts.

I say this because a lot of the advice that we find online is not appropriate to the stage our business is at. We may not have the resources or the abilities required to successfully follow the methods we are taught.

The root of the problem does not lie with the experts. Perhaps they could target their webinars and courses better, but the ultimate responsibility lies with that part of the audience who decide to tune in and follow inappropriate advice.

Be Everywhere Now

It seems like the best advice. If you look at the most successful internet marketers it appears they do have a presence on multiple platforms, they do have sales funnels packed with numerous products and they complete scratch that and they do incredibly successful JV campaigns with other well-known names in the industry.

So it seems sensible to follow their lead.

However, this doesn’t take into account the maturity of your business, your resources or your abilities.

For example, if you are to successfully follow the “everywhere now” approach you will need to know how each platform works, how to get the best from them and how to source content on a regular basis.

Outsourcing

Whenever you get a list of tasks like this the usual solution offered is to outsource the work. However this is another example of advice that can be inappropriate to your business.

To start with you need to know exactly what you want the outsourcer to do. This implies a familiarity with the tasks, so you probably have to be quite good at it yourself. That implies a certain level of education and experience. These take time.

Next you have to find someone to outsource to. If you’ve ever had to hire someone in the “real world” you’ll know this also takes time and effort. You’ll need to find someone who is reliable, can communicate effectively and has the right skills. If they don’t have the right skills you will have to train them, and even if they do have the required skills you’ll still probably have to explain the approach you want them to take so that it fits your brand.

If you can get past these hurdles you then have to be able to pay them. This can be a challenge if your business is not yet generating enough revenue.

The Solution

It all comes down to what stage you are at.

Whether we are considering learning to drive, mountain climbing or internet marketing you should operate at the level appropriate to your abilities and experience. It’s not worth enrolling on an advanced driving course if you haven’t mastered clutch control, it’s a bit premature learning how to camp at the top of Everest if you’ve just recently started hill walking, it’s no use learning how to drive traffic from multiple platforms if don’t yet have a blog. Especially considering the rapid pace of change online which could mean the best practice for using the platforms could change by the time you start using them. You have to fit your targets and learning experiences to your current situation.

So if you are still holding down a full-time job you may find it challenging enough to keep your blog up to date, let alone build a presence on multiple platforms. If you’re planning to launch your first product it won’t be easy attracting the attention of high-profile JV partners.

The key is knowing when to focus on certain goals. This is a great strategy for beating overwhelm. If you are in your early days keep to one core money making method and get good at it. You can do this as a one-man (person) band and with only one or two platforms that are most effective at driving traffic. Once you have sufficient income and experience then move to the next stage for your business. Don’t diversify until you are ready.