A Singular Indulgence

I have a sweet tooth and I regularly indulge it. I rarely go overboard because I have learned how to satisfy my craving and walk away. Portion control is my modus operandi when it comes to desserts.

In my younger days, I would often eat something sweet with lunch and dinner. I never count any pastry I had for breakfast as a “sweet”, because it contains milk and eggs. So, it was definitely breakfast food and not dessert. Right?

My favorite sweet treat is cheesecake, especially Cheesecake Factory cheesecake.

Cheesecake Factory has about 35 cheesecake flavors, including the Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake that is only available in the fall. (I highly recommend it!) By my last count, I have tried 28 flavors of Cheesecake Factory’s most delicious desserts.

I feel you judging me. It’s not like I tried them all at once. This effort has been a multi-year undertaking.

Yes, I have a favorite. The Caramel Pecan Turtle Cheesecake. It is my favorite even though I do not eat the giant fudgy chocolate on the top where whipped cream should be.

In my opinion, Cheesecake Factory has two cheesecakes that are less cheesecake-y and more like the flavors that inspired them. The Fresh Banana Cream Cheesecake tastes just like a banana cream pie and the Key Lime Cheesecake tastes just like key lime pie.

There is nothing wrong with either of these desserts. It is just that, for me, these are more like the original dessert and less like cheesecake. And, well, I like cheesecake.

If you have ever dined at the Cheesecake Factory, you know that in addition to the 35 cheesecake flavors, the menu has an additional 215 items. It is 21 pages long.

You know when you sit down with your party that you must make a decision. You must choose a single entrée (or a single slice of cheesecake in my case), no matter how difficult the selection process may be.

Sometimes I really wish that businesses (especially small and early-stage businesses) were forced to make a single decision when it comes to selecting a social media platform.

Facebook. Instagram. TikTok. LinkedIn. Pinterest. X (the platform formally known as Twitter). YouTube. Threads. Snapchat. Reddit. Mastodon. Twitch. Discord. And more.

There is no need for every business to be on every social network. Why? Here are five reasons.

1. Different social media platforms cater to different demographics and user behaviors. Your target audience is likely more active and engaged on specific platforms. It is important to identify where your audience spends most of their time.
2. Managing multiple social media accounts can be time-consuming and expensive. Small businesses and those with limited resources might struggle to maintain a consistent and high-quality presence on every platform. It is better to focus your efforts on a few social media sites you can manage effectively.
3. Not all social media platforms are relevant to every type of business. For instance, a B2B company might find more success on a platform like LinkedIn, while a visual-based business like a beauty company might prefer Instagram.
4. It is more valuable to have a strong and engaged following on a few platforms than a weak presence on many. Building genuine connections and interactions with your audience is more important than just having a large number of unengaged followers.
5. Maintaining a consistent brand image across multiple platforms can be difficult. If your messaging and branding are not consistent, it can confuse your audience.

So, even if you try ever flavor of social media, it is perfectly acceptable to stop investing in those that do not fit your taste nor your customer’s palate. Like picking an item from the Cheesecake Factory menu, sometimes a singular satisfying bite is all you really need.

#marketing?#marketingstrategy #socialmedia

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Katherine Hunter-Blyden?is a CMO Partner at TechCXO. She is a senior marketing executive with P&L management experience. As a full-stack marketer, Katherine's experience includes brand strategy, advertising, digital marketing, sales promotion, product management, pricing and market research. Katherine helps businesses meet their goals with data-driven, quantifiable results.