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Find Out What is Growth Hacking: Our Guide

Find Out What is Growth Hacking: Our Guide

By Henri Gisclard-Biondi

Published: 19 January 2021

Growth hacking. A revolutionary concept for some, just another digital marketing buzzword for others. But no one can deny viral marketing campaigns have proven just how fast technology can drive business growth.

These success stories have started a race to find the magic formula for growth hacking. Are you asking yourself: What is growth hacking? Why, and more importantly, how to hack my growth? Follow our guide for the best tips, tools and examples.

The Growth Hacking Process

Definition

Growth hacking is the art of using the different marketing channels for growth. Growth hacking tactics subvert and combine tools to achieve rapid growth with a limited marketing budget.

  • Growth is usually measured with the number of active users or customers
  • Hacking means that growth marketing strategies might be legally or ethically questionable

Marketing vs Growth Hacking

Both share the same tools and objectives. However, their respective approach is quite different.

  • Traditional marketers target long-term growth. They make sure to respect the brand’s image and positioning.
  • Growth hackers experiment with marketing. They operate in the shadows.
MarketingGrowth Hacking
Medium/Long term objectives

Short term actions

Positioning, brand imageWorks behind the scenes
Steady and progressive growthRapid and aggressive growth
Focuses on brand awareness and customer acquisitonFocuses on conversion rates, activation, retention rates, referrals and revenue
Use of marketing knowledgeExperimenting

Marketing and growth hacking complement each other. Hacks should be coordinated with traditional marketing activities.

Why you should try growth hacking

Growth hackers target all the touchpoints of the conversion funnel.

While most of traditional marketing is dedicated to raising brand awareness and acquiring customers, growth hackers enhance the customer journey.

They think in terms of the AARRR framework:

  • Acquisition
  • Activation
  • Retention
  • Referral
  • Revenue

Getting started with growth hacking

How to spot a growth hacker

Doing growth hacking requires specific skills. A good growth hacker is hard to come by: they should have both marketing skills and a data-driven mindset.

Analytical skills and a good understanding of your business are key. To guide the customer, hackers need to understand them on a deep level. Their efficiency resides in their ability to track measurable metrics.

The best growth hackers are result-oriented, creative and adaptable individuals.

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