Social Media Roundup: The Dangers of Diversification

Here’s a sure path to for disaster: trying to be all things to all people.

Sometimes, it’s best to admit that your organization is good at certain things, and leave the spare corners of the market to someone else. More thoughts on this in today’s Social Media Roundup:

Narrow Your Scope

Our BIG Misconception About Growth http://t.co/sQ4yZlVECY  (opens in a new tab) #assnchat  (opens in a new tab) #association  (opens in a new tab) #assnprofs  (opens in a new tab)

— Multiview (@Multiview) December 15, 2014  (opens in a new tab)

Sometimes it’s the members you don’t bring into your organization that make you better.

That’s the take of Smooth The Path  (opens in a new tab)‘s Amanda Kaiser. In her latest blog post on Association Marketer  (opens in a new tab), Kaiser breaks down a common misconception about where an organization’s growth should come from. Long story short: Breaking away from the narrow focus and tight audience your organization already has can be dangerous and ultimately destructive to your core mission.

“More is the path to destruction,” she argues. “Diversification sounds great on paper but if you have 20 things you have to do you can never get great at doing one of them. If you answer to five or 10 or 15 member audiences, you can never get great at serving one of them, let alone all of them. When we personally wear too many hats we too become ineffective.”

If that point isn’t clear enough for you, perhaps this cartoon version  (opens in a new tab) might help. (ht @MultiView  (opens in a new tab))

Tearjerker of the Day

Great tear jerker ad from Apple just in time for the holidays https://t.co/xmaTlnipxM  (opens in a new tab)

— Adrian Segar (@ASegar) December 15, 2014  (opens in a new tab)

Apple knows a thing or two about beautiful, effective marketing—which is why it’s always worth checking out the company’s ads as examples of current marketing trends.

Apple’s latest ad  (opens in a new tab)combines something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue, then puts it all on an iPad in a dramatic moment. The simple but beautiful duet between a granddaughter and grandmother will most certainly make your eyes feel like you’ve been cutting onions. Enjoy! (ht @ASegar  (opens in a new tab))

(iStock/Thinkstock)