The 79 / 21 Rule to Build a Long Term Business

Diversifying attention is the only way to build a real long term business.  

So many people only focus on the platform that’s getting the most reach and ignore the rest.

People make this mistake all the time. How many artists and bands on MySpace ignored Facebook, and then disappeared when MySpace became irrelevant? How many Vine stars dominated that platform, but “fell off” when attention shifted? How many influencers with a lot of Instagram followers will become irrelevant when attention shifts away from Instagram?

Because I promise it’s going to happen one day.   

That’s why I talk so much about tasting and exploring other platforms. It’s why I’m on virtually every platform – Snapchat, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Podcasts, written word (on my blog), and more.

That’s why I’ve won and built big followings everywhere in a world where so many influencers rise and fall.

In this article, I’m going to articulate a concept I call the “79 / 21 rule” to build a long term business by not putting all your eggs in one basket.

If You’re Not Diversifying Your Social Media Strategy, You’re Vulnerable

First of all, even getting to a point where you’ve built an engaged following is super difficult – so I’m pumped if you’re there already.

But I’m also scared for you.

I’m honestly more worried about those who are starting to win on platforms like LinkedIn or Instagram because that’s when they start to get complacent. They start to put “what’s working” on a pedestal and start romanticizing it — just like bigger businesses put channels like billboards or television commercials on a pedestal even though they don’t work nearly as well anymore.

It’s happening right now with people who are winning with AdWords and landing page optimization (as the world becomes more mobile and brand-focused). It happened with MySpace stars. And it’ll happen with Instagram influencers.

It’s human nature.

Most people who are on social spend 100% of their time on the hottest platform, and only put in about 70% effort into it.

I spend about 80% of my time on the hottest platform, go as hard as I possibly can on it, and spend 20% of my time getting a feel for everything else.

I call it the 79 / 21 rule, just to be a little different