How to Identify the Right Marketing Channels for Your Business
When it comes to marketing, picking the right channels often feels like a never-ending game of whack-a-mole. Every year, there’s a new “must-try” platform claiming to be the key to unlocking infinite growth. And every marketing guru seems to have a different take on where you need to show up, how often, and why you’re already behind if you’re not there yet.
The reality? Most of them are guessing. Some are speaking from experience, but that experience is tied to their audience, their business model, and their goals. What worked for them might do nothing for you. And in some cases, what they’re pitching is tied to the product they’re trying to sell you.
So how do you actually figure out the right marketing channels for your business? Not the trendy ones, not the ones that worked for someone else, but the ones that will move the needle for your specific situation?
You start by shifting your focus from channels to people.
Understand Your Audience
If you don’t have a clear understanding of your audience, nothing else matters. I’ve seen too many strategies based on vague personas like “Susan, 35, enjoys yoga and green smoothies.” That might sound nice in a deck, but it tells you very little about why Susan buys, where she spends time online, or what problem she’s trying to solve.
Real audience research digs deeper. You need to know:
- What problems they’re trying to solve
- How they search for solutions
- What motivates them to take action
- Who influences their buying decisions
- What hesitations they have before they’re ready to buy
I once worked with a company that sold ergonomic office chairs. If we had only focused on people actively searching for “ergonomic chairs,” we would have been fighting in a narrow, competitive space with expensive keywords and limited differentiation. But once we reframed the audience, everything opened up. We started targeting people dealing with chronic back pain, remote workers upgrading their home setups, and individuals investing in long-term wellness. That shift expanded our reach and made our message more relevant.
It also changed the channels we used. We leaned into educational content about posture, partnered with physiotherapists for influencer campaigns, and joined discussions in productivity and remote work communities. None of those would have been obvious if we hadn’t looked beyond the product and dug into the mindset of the people we were trying to reach.
And just as important: audience research is not a one-time exercise. People’s behaviors evolve. New platforms emerge. Preferences shift. If you’re not continuously revisiting and updating your understanding, you’re likely making decisions based on outdated assumptions.
Talk to Real Customers
This one gets overlooked all the time, but it’s easily one of the most valuable things you can do. Talk to the people who have already made the decision to buy from you. You’ll learn more in a 20-minute conversation than you will from hours of dashboard data.
But you have to ask the right questions.
Instead of asking, “Do you use Instagram?” ask:
- Where did you first hear about us?
- When you realized you had this problem, what did you search for?
- What platforms, communities, or people do you regularly follow?
- How do you typically research a new brand or product?
- What makes you trust a company enough to buy from them?
- What kind of content do you find most useful when you’re making a decision?
- Can you share an example of a recent purchase and how you found that brand?
These kinds of questions uncover how your audience actually thinks and behaves. You’ll start to see patterns, such as specific platforms that come up, types of content that influence decisions, communities that your audience trusts. That’s where you focus your attention.
Too often, marketers rely only on analytics. But analytics can only tell you what’s happening, not why it’s happening. Real conversations fill in those gaps.
Research Similar Brands (Not Just Competitors)
It’s natural to want to see what your competitors are doing. But if you limit yourself to just them, you’re always a step behind. Instead, widen your view. Look at brands that sell to similar audiences, even if they offer completely different products.
For example, if you sell payroll software to small businesses, look at other tools those same customers use like HR platforms, time-tracking software, or small business CRMs. They may have insights or approaches you can learn from that your direct competitors haven’t adopted yet.
Some ways to gather this insight:
- Use tools like Similarweb or Ahrefs to see which channels drive traffic
- Join Slack groups, Discord communities, or forums where marketers share wins and failures
- Watch webinars and conference talks from companies with similar audience dynamics
- Read in-depth case studies, not just quick blog recaps
- Build relationships with marketers outside your exact niche and share what you’re testing
I once decided to test a new content distribution channel after hearing about it at a small virtual roundtable. It didn’t drive the results I hoped for, but the experiment was low-cost and fast. And that insight saved us time and budget in the future. You don’t always need a win, you just need clarity.
Analyze Your Existing Data (Or Use Industry Benchmarks If You’re New)
If you’re already doing any kind of marketing, start by looking at your existing results. You probably have more insight than you think.
Ask:
- Which channels are driving the highest quality leads or customers?
- Which ones require a lot of effort but return very little?
- Are certain content formats or topics consistently outperforming others?
- Do some channels bring in one-time buyers, while others drive repeat purchases?
- How does customer acquisition cost vary by channel?
- What does retention look like across different traffic sources?
Even if you’re starting from scratch, industry benchmarks can help. Just remember, benchmarks are directional, not definitive. They give you a starting point, but your own data will always be more important once it starts rolling in.
I’ve worked with companies that spent heavily on Facebook Ads because “everyone does it,” only to realize their best customers came from SEO and referral partnerships. That insight didn’t come from guesswork. It came from analyzing the numbers.
Balance Linear Channels and Loops
This is something most strategies overlook. Not all channels work the same way. Some give you predictable results when you invest in them. Others create feedback loops that keep working even when you’re not actively pushing.
Linear channels:
- Paid ads
- Email blasts
- PR campaigns
- Direct sales outreach
- One-time influencer activations
Loops:
- Content marketing that ranks and gets shared
- Referral programs that bring in new users
- Communities that drive organic engagement
- Viral product features that spread through usage
- Paid loops where revenue from ads funds more ads
Smart strategies use both. Linear channels help you ramp up quickly. Loops help you scale efficiently. If all your results depend on constant ad spend, you’ll hit a ceiling fast. Loops take longer to build, but they’re what make long-term growth possible.
The trick with loops is to design them carefully. A referral program isn’t a loop unless people are actually using it. Content marketing isn’t a loop unless you’re ranking, linking internally, and building momentum over time. A loop has to reinforce itself.
Final Thoughts
There’s no universal right answer when it comes to marketing channels. What matters is whether a channel aligns with how your audience discovers and engages with brands like yours.
That means the real work is in understanding people, not platforms. Talk to customers. Study how they behave. Experiment. Test. Learn. Adapt. And then do it again.
The worst mistake you can make is treating marketing channels as a set-it-and-forget-it decision. What worked last year might not work this year. Platforms evolve. People shift. And every so often, something new pops up that’s worth exploring.
That said, don’t abandon a channel just because it’s slow to pay off. SEO takes time. Communities take time. Brand awareness takes time. But these things build trust and loyalty that short-term channels rarely match.
The smartest marketers look for balance. They chase traction in the short term, while quietly building systems that will compound over time. If you can do both, you won’t just grow. You’ll grow with less stress, more consistency, and a stronger foundation.
So before you jump into the next big thing, take a step back and ask: does this channel align with how my audience makes decisions? Do I have the resources to commit to it for the long haul? And most importantly, does it help me build sustainable momentum, not just another traffic spike?
That’s the kind of clarity that leads to meaningful growth.
