“Growth Hacking” and why you need it for your business

With the growth of companies and the expansion of the startup phenomenon, the market needs, of course, are increasing.

And that increase requires more developed, faster, more evolved professionals with certain capabilities that are above the average.

From SERSEO we present you the definitive position ; it combines the best of creativity with the best of analysis and logic. A different way of working, out of the ordinary, and that, well used, could earn you millions.

Indeed: the growth hacker is here, and apparently to stay.

Here we will briefly explain what Growth Hacking is  , job characteristics, application examples, the advantages, with their challenges or drawbacks, and we will end with success stories and tools.

Do you know what a growth hacker is?

He is a professional who exposes startups to very fast growth, with limited resources. That is why you need to have a logical and creative ability, often bordering on ethics.

We can equate this profession to the “lean startup” method , which is based on the PMV ( minimum viable product , taking it to the market to analyze the interest it generates).

There is a large sector in this field that believes that to become an expert in startup growth you have to have a career, or be a programmer, or an engineer… Nothing is further from the truth.

While it is true that training helps, a true professional has made himself , he has made a living with what he had. And that is what he continues to do in his working life, putting his gifts at the service of those in need.

How should a Growth Hacker be?

Constant learner

As we said before, it is good that they have specific training in a field, but what really characterizes them is that hunger for knowledge : they read a lot, they investigate, they test, they fall and they continue with that tenacity. ¿ What is growth hacking ? One solution for everything.

Great sense of urgency

They must try and discard , as everything they touch has to make some sense to them. It serves? If yes, go ahead; if not, get out.

Obsession = Purpose

They have an addiction: growth . They want more, they never settle, not even with a job well done. You can always do better. Trial-error , until they get it right.

Most people are content to produce enough to live in peace. However, growth hackers are made of a different paste, as they quickly get bored and need new winds, different smells, bigger goals, and goals to sink their teeth into.

Analysis, your flagship

A growth hacker is a lover of graphics . He always carries tools with him (which we will see later), without which he feels naked, and which give meaning to his profession.

The key to the success of a startup is knowing how to interpret the results of the measurements . Without measurements, without analysis and without numbers, it is not possible to be certain of the course.

The right hemisphere, its constant ace up its sleeve

They look for the hole, the failure . They don’t sleep soundly if they have doubts, which happens 90% of the time. They are enemies of the bed, since they consider that there is no time to sleep.

That is the need to investigate new methods of what growth hacking is and how to execute innovative formulas, and apply knowledge from other sources. To infinity and beyond.

Their comfort zone is uncertainty , where they feel they are alive, where they can fight and give the best of themselves. To do this, they need to resort to creativity, to inventiveness, as if they were a mixture of painter and inventor.

Nobody wins them ready

They are the marketing scientists, the ones who invest in laboratories of the best web positioning techniques (SEO). They need to be at the forefront of each project, each new idea or innovative method.

They keep asking themselves questions, questioning each process (which makes them two or three steps ahead of the competition ).

Unstoppable curiosity

The corporate world is full of fauna of all kinds, capable of removing anyone who is inattentive. Growth hackers know this, so they are constantly insisting on finding cheaper and faster ways to get it all done.

Obviously, they know when to stop. They have fallen so many times that they have grown fond of the ground, which is why each time they stumble better. What do we mean by that? That, in the process of knowing what growth hacking is , each failure makes them wiser , more intelligent.

Stubborn? No you just tenacious

Hoisting the flag of constancy, they get up every day with clear goals and purposes , and nothing and no one will take that out of their minds.

Advantages of Growth Hacking

Rapid development of projects

The professional in charge of such a mission should have the goal of improving the numbers in such a way that he himself does not believe it.

Short period of time

It doesn’t take long to implement those small and big changes in your project. Identify the weak and strong points, enhancing the latter to get the most juice possible.

A profession in high demand

Companies need growth hackers. So asserted the creator of this profession, Sean Ellis, in 2010 . And it is not for less: a single guy who watches over your growth without ruining you along the way? Where to sign?

Constantly innovating

Imagine a child with a cube of Lego pieces. In one hour he has created you a castle, a mountain, a spaceship, a pyramid, and he has managed to put all that into a story with a happy ending. That child, if he continues like this, can show the world what growth hacking is .

Look for savings

He is a professional guerrilla, always tracking the trick, the sleight of hand, that determining factor that makes the difference. All this, in low cost format.

Minimum viable product

As we said before, it advocates giving out your star project, but it does so with its essential characteristics , to analyze the reception it will have in the market. Here is the importance of analysis, to find out the engagement, for example.

This means that companies do not have to invest millions in this aspect, being able to refer them to other areas of the business.

Market knowledge

They are expected to have practical training in the niches where it enters, knowing how to move correctly between sharks.

Challenges of growth

Obviously, all that glitters is not gold, as this position also has its shadows.

Need a good product

If the project is not a good thing, no matter how much growth hacking technique is applied, not much will be achieved. It is not a question of shoehorning the product or service , or cheating.

Wolves in sheep’s clothing

Be suspicious of those “professionals” who promise you gold and moor. In the world of work, there are so many variables and uncontrollable circumstances that it is increasingly difficult to know what will happen tomorrow.

The beginnings are hard

Thinking outside the box is original, it can even be decisive among the competition; But do you think any moment is a good time to experiment, to invest in growth? We know not, so the circumstance must be previously evaluated.

Yes, the most difficult thing is to start , but once you know that it is time to invest in growth, in developing your project beyond the comfort zone; that’s when things get interesting.

Let’s continue with what is growth hacking . Surely the article will seem interesting up to here.

Dealing with instability

To seek growth, it is necessary to know how to surf the waves. Not everyone gets along well with that, that’s why there are so many officials.

What we mean by this is that to properly exercise a profession like this, your ambitions must be greater than your fears, since success is not a single ingredient, but a recipe without the indicated amounts.

Beware dying of success

The implicit risk in becoming obsessed with growth is that if you do not have an infrastructure to support this process, the company will not float.

What about the rest?

You know as well as we do that human beings are not robots . We also have personal life, in addition to work, which we must be able to balance and reconcile . We are also emotional beings, so not all company decisions should be growth-oriented, but also other equally important areas.

Seek sustainable growth

If you just focus on growing for the sake of growing, the graph will most likely go under. ¿ What is growth hacking ? A good development strategy, accompanied by perseverance, commitment and future action plan ; the points it takes to make the numbers smile.

Quality Growth Hacking Strategies

He recognizes that the cold door of all life, scares and disgusts, so the trick here is to sell without appearing to be selling.

It may sound a bit confusing, but it’s simple: people don’t like to be sold , because an idea has been generated in the collective subconscious that selling is cheating or cheating, so if your business model consists of aggressive trading, you probably won’t get much.

However, if we replace this aggressive way of selling with certain Inbound techniques, with which the customer’s affection is won, things change.

Content Marketing

They often say that content is king . When it comes to content marketing, it’s 100% true. The content is what gives meaning to the product, the one that conveys why the customer should buy one product and not another, for example.

¿ What is growth hacking an effective content marketing?

They know how to surround themselves with the right professionals , and many of them know how to create a good team, with which to multiply the scope of their decisions.

• Clickbait titles : it means that you have to know how to choose the correct bait, which will make the user (foreseeable customer) bite and not even realize it.
• Educational images : an image is not only used to make a website beautiful. Also with it, it is possible to offer content of free value, in order to generate a feeling of pending debt (obviously, in the subconscious) in the user
• The famous calls to action : it is a decisive step for the user to behave as you wish. Not to be confused with manipulating; Between that and influencing, which is what is intended, there is a fine line that separates them.
• Win-win : good relationships are based on the satisfaction of both parties. If you want your potential client to do something, give it value in return.

Email Marketing: building relationships is easy

Do you know the amount of money that was spent a long time ago on ordinary correspondence propaganda? We still remember those envelopes filled to the brim with discount vouchers, conditions, fine print and more …

¿ What is growth hacking a quality email marketing?

Today, all that is not necessary. A good email, with a suitable strategy behind it, sent to the right people, guarantees more success than the previous situation.

• Not without my contacts: the database of an online store, for example, is a very valuable possession. Take care of her, pamper her, treat her, and it will bring you benefits.
• Spam is a bad mania : advertising without valuable content is wasting time and money, as well as ending up in the dreaded “Junk Mail” folder.
• Would you like to have a courtship (professionally speaking) with your clients ? Build loyalty to those you already have, worry about them, attend to their requests. You’d be surprised by the scope of a good active listening session.
• Customize the email , to adapt it to the client’s needs.
• Make an effort to spread your message , make your content go viral.
• You sure have long-standing contacts who never do anything. Spend some time learning more about them, ask for feedback, so you will know what you can offer that interests them.
• Invest in a good email layout , especially in the first few emails. The image counts, because it is not so much what you say, but how you say it. It is like in verbal communication.
• Remember to always, always and always add a call to action at the end of the email . Tell the client what to do: enter your website, share the message, go somewhere, call I don’t know who … The worst thing you can do is have the content of the email worked, and leave it without the icing on the cake.

Social Media Management

If you want to have first-hand information about your audience and be in constant contact , you have no choice but to attend at this point. And it is that engagement is very important when assessing the effect that your product or service causes, as well as the perception of your brand.

¿ What is growth hacking an excellent service social media?

A good Community Manager, for example, must work according to a publication calendar, being clear by which channel to launch them, what is the best time, and be attentive to any current events that may affect the brand in any way.

• Invest in offline advertising ? We do not dare to affirm that this is a thing of the past, because a good growth hacker takes advantage of each and every one of the most suitable channels to reach the audience , and that sometimes happens through offline marketing, such as flyers, banners or a wedge radio.

However, most of the time, and since the video always has a very friendly format, it will be more worthwhile to attend to social networks for this purpose, such as YouTube or Twitch, among others.

• Not just any publication . People like to feel heard, and they also enjoy witty posts that make them transport them somewhere else for a moment. Play around with psychology .
• Let the exclusivity glimpse . Surely you knew that people like, deep down, what we cannot have, or what we do not have. When we go to a bookstore and pick up a copy, we keep looking at the shelf to see if there is a better book. Well so with everything.

When it comes to elucidating what Growth Hacking is , it would be great to take advantage of this cognitive bias (those tricks that the mind plays on us).

• ¿ Discomfort as a claim ? Sometimes it will be good for you to resort to the shockvertising technique , which is nothing more than “watching the world burn”, as they say on the Internet. A joke out of tune, a scathing comment, picking on a famous person …

Structure of Growth Hacking

First of all, an order. A profession as demanding as this requires having some clear things, like the ones we see below.

Focus on developing a product for that ideal customer ( buyer persona ).

Studying your buyer has the advantage that you give them what they need, which greatly reduces the probability that they will say no (which is equal to a higher success rate).

Therefore, instead of making large investments in advertising, identify that ideal buyer, prepare a PMV, and acquire early adopters (testers of your product).

Not all the public is your client .

It’s common sense: if you go to a party, not everyone will like you, no matter how much energy you invest in trying to get away with 100% fable.

When it comes to innovative products, three-quarters of the same is true.

We go with the following steps of what is growth hacking .

Viralizes .

Once you have identified your buyer persona, launched the PMV, got your early adopters and received feedback (yes, all in English), the next step is to exploit.

By that we mean giving more than that type of person likes: moving around in their environment, speaking the same language …

Use mirror neurons digitally.

There is always room for improvement .

The time has come to get the statistics and results of the metrics. Keep in mind that, although growth hacking develops growth strategies in real time , many times there are factors that are best read from a bird’s eye view (in the long term).

In addition, concepts such as buyer journey (the steps that a client takes in the purchase process in an ecommerce) or the user experience ( user experience ), must sound very familiar to a good growth hacker, because they are two key hacks to grow exponentially .

Ask for feedback .

It is something that not all companies are clear about (only the best, and for a reason they are).

Asking your clients for advice is not weak, but a sign of concern, of passion for a job well done .

You will never regret taking this step.

Do you know that at SERSEO we are specialists in guerrilla marketing ? Do you want to know what it consists of? Contact us without obligation 

What is Growth Hacking? Success stories

We would like to briefly show you some examples of strategies , which were extremely effective.

Spotify

Now we have gotten used to testing for a month for free on many online platforms (LinkedIn Premium, Netflix …). In case you didn’t know, it wasn’t always like this. Clearly, this model can be implemented in online services, not in physical products (for now …).

Spotify dared to launch this bait: this company considered that, by testing the music for a month, the user would be so delighted that it would not hurt to pay the Premium subscription month after month. And in most cases, they were not wrong. Needless to say, they were successful, right?

Hawkers

This friendly Valencian brand believes that the true key to fame is not the product itself , but the way to reach the right audience. They had the opportunity to put this claim to the test, selling their models exclusively online.

¿ What is growth hacking in Hawkers? They said no to external investment , because they considered it would be worse than working for someone else. Instead, they turned to influencer marketing , counting on celebrities like Luis Suárez or Cristina Pedroche.

Just eat

There are critical moments in all professions, and this one in particular, must decide whether to cross certain limits. Just Eat gambled, tearing off stickers from other companies (La Nevera Roja), in order to gain visibility.

Playing dirty is likely to be considered, but as they say: in love and war, anything goes. By the way, Just Eat finally absorbed The Red Refrigerator .

Tips to be a professional Growth Hacker

Such a new profession (it is only 9 years old) and still in its infancy, entails a bit of insecurity when establishing certain requirements to dedicate itself to it.

And since not everyone will have the characteristics, both personal and training, we believe it appropriate to carry out a slight review at this point, and thus save more of a headache.

• Steel mentality : to succeed, you have to love failure. In addition, an optimistic person has more tools, both internal and external, to achieve their goals. It is a difficult world to prosper, but think that if you succeed, you will be unstoppable.
• ¿ What is growth hacking in the exponential growth? Of course, it is not an explosion , which occurs overnight. Actually the result of constant work, risk, perseverance. It’s not for the faint-hearted precisely.
• The archery analogy : when your goal is to grow, you must focus your energies on what you want to happen. Visualize which archer your target. Then shoot, and watch.
• An expert in business growth is not a theorist , waiting to have everything tied up before jumping in. It is rather someone who jumps without a parachute from a plane, knowing that the ground will be soft.
• Brainstorming : you have a creative part within you, ready to manifest at any moment. In those moments that you do not know what decision to make or why to bet, sit down, take a pen and paper, and write everything that comes to mind (related to the theme, of course).

Above all, do not put pressure on yourself. If the words do not come out, go for a walk, so you oxygenate the brain. Then you can do the job better.

• Pain point : a very interesting concept when analyzing what growth hacking is . All people want or need something. An object or service that relieves us of pain or discomfort. As a growth hacker, you will need to find out what is the cheapest and most profitable way to ease that pain .
• Analytics will be your friends . You won’t be able to trust anything other than numbers, formulas, measurements, and probabilities. This is life.
• You will not want to be alone. This profession will require surrounding yourself with the best professionals, the fittest and those who best understand the way you work. Learn to delegate , and you can be more effective.
• Also, in the end you will end up knowing more effective , with practice.
• Read every day . Every day he spends 30 to 60 minutes of quality reading . They are not worth magazines, we are talking about books by leading authors. Economics, literature, investments, statistics, cryptocurrencies …

If you invest in your mind, it will fill your pockets.

• Try to take into account all the possibilities. Don’t close doors, open them. For example, if you find that, to reach a specific audience, you have to use other types of channels that are not online, consider that possibility.

Do you find it complicated? At SERSEO we inform you without obligation of what your company needs to take off once and for all.

Growth Hacking Tools

In this last point, we will give some platforms and websites that every expert should have in their bedroom.

Mixpanel

Which users enter your website, how they behave, when they leave, which pages of the domain share the most … These are data of interest to know what growth hacking is and how to apply it, with which you can start to design a proper strategy.

It currently has a free version , but for startups it costs € 150 / month .

Google analytics

How not to include Google’s analytical tool on this list? The truth is that not everyone knows how to use it making the most of it, such as when configuring it with the parameters of interest, so as not to waste time looking for the data.

It seems incredible that such a powerful tool is free .

Import.io

A good professional in this field needs to have a taste of the competition, and this tool can be very useful. Here you can download all the articles on a website, authors, links, images … As you can see, a lot of valuable information, at the click of a button.

On the subject of price is where you can drop the tray: € 299 / month . Just think about whether it suits you or not, as a long-term strategy.

User Testing

Do you remember what we told you in this article about what growth hacking is , about finding early adopters who will test your products before launching the final product? This is a good way to take the step, having thousands of testers at your disposal. For only € 30 / month you have the opportunity to obtain 3 tests, where in each one the testers record a video using your product.

Instapage

Surely at some point you need to create a landing page, either to create the database or to sell an info product.

You can start using it for free; However, to be more serious, and once you have tried it, you can purchase the Basic plan (€ 29 / month) .

ThingLink

A good tool for the content marketing section; allows you to host video and audio elements in images on the web; enriched elements s, in short.

ThingLink allows you, by clicking on an image, that users interact more in depth in your ecommerce: a share on Twitter, a like on Facebook, a Spotify podcast … The possibilities are extremely varied. It has a basic plan , and other premiums from € 25 / month .

Qualaroo

Do you want to know what growth hacking is ? Use this great questionnaire for your users or buyers to fill out, so you will have first-hand feedback, something that is essential in your growth process.

14 days to test this tool, and the € 63 / month can be worth it, really.

Uservoice

If you are starting in this world and you have a tighter budget (which is not surprising, taking into account the characteristics already mentioned), you can use this website instead of Qualaroo.

You have at your disposal a free plan and another for € 20 / month .

Zapier

The last tool we recommend; It allows you to save time , since it automates post uploads, both on your website and on RRSS.

It has a free plan (up to 5 processes per month); If things get complicated (which will mean that you are succeeding in your execution), you have the service from € 15 / month .

Mailchimp

We now turn to another super important section: email marketing. And it is that Mailchimp has everything you need in this regard: mass sending of emails, click statistics, custom layout designs …

For databases smaller than 2,000, you can use a free account . Obviously, sooner or later you will have to go to the checkout, but do not panic, from € 10 / month .

Conclusion: a necessary position in startups

A growth hacker is not born, it is made . Companies need creativity, good ideas, innovative systems. By always doing the same thing, routinely, you don’t get great things.

¿ What is growth hacking ? Imagination and logic having a great time.