You Think You're A Growth Hacker But You're Not

by KaitAU
4 replies
Growth Hacking is a huge buzzword right now, and many people out there have proudly added this designation to their title. But just because you're into getting traffic without a big budget, doesn't mean you're a growth hacker.

So what exactly is a hacker, anyway? Traditionally, it has been used to describe someone who can access just about anything on the internet. We often perceive this an unethical or even illegal activity. But in this case, that's not what it means. The term hacker is really meant to describe someone who can use their own skills to access something online -- there aren't any rules on how to achieve this, the only rule is that they get the job done. So a growth hacker can be described as someone who is willing to do whatever it takes, to get into the system and facilitate growth.

But there's a lot more to it than that. Growth hackers have certain skillets and attributes. They have accomplished the unthinkable -- after all, you're not an actual growth hacker until you've brought someone from zero to hero. Many people believe that growth hacking is a function of the marketing department on a tight budget, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. Real growth hacking means you've gotten a million users without spending money on marketing. How can you achieve this, without a marketing department? Marketing departments do have budgets, after all.

So what is a growth hacker?


A growth hacker is someone whose goal is to dramatically increase users of a specific product. Marketing doesn't really have anything to do with the general idea of growth hacking, but because growth crosses all functions and departments, it may wind up being a small piece of the puzzle. Hence, growth of a product does not only come from marketing. Creating something that truly has the grit to go viral takes input from every department. This can include, and is not limited to, marketing, HR, operations, finance and product development.

If you are truly a growth hacker, you are going to be involved in every aspect of the business. Every department should be asking the same question: How will this impact our growth?


Think about Airbnb, Facebook, Dropbox and PayPal. Those companies flew to stardom, and it wasn't because the startup phases were funded with millions in marketing dollars. They had the right people doing the right things, and they made it happen. They started with uncovering a problem they could solve, created a real solution for that problem, tested the market, and went viral.

What are the foundations for growth hacking?

In order to go down any growth hacking journey, you need to start with solidifying the product-market fit. This means that you have a clear, deep understanding of how your product serves the market. You understand who the market is, and why they need your product. You can easily articulate the value proposition, and customers can easily explain to you why they want what you have. This is not as easy as it sounds, but it's the foundation for all successful start-ups

Tips to achieve clarity on your product-market fit:

Learn what the needs of your customers are. Understand what they need now, but also try to figure out what they will need in the future. This is hard, but necessary if you truly want to understand the deep, honest problems your customers are dealing with. You can do this through speaking directly with them, connecting with a mentor, and getting involved with the industry as a writer or contributor so you're staying connected to your community.

Define your value proposition. Figure out what the main problem is you can solve for your customers, and make that the focus. Don't try to be everything to everyone, but really get clear on that one big thing. Focus on the benefit to your customer, not the features of your product. The benefit must be in line with solving their problem.

Create your brand story and use it to build credibility. Why are you doing this? How did you get to this point? All that stuff matters and will give people a reason to trust you. Chances are, you developed this product because you were experiencing the exact same problems they are currently dealing with.

Pierre LeChelle has a great infographic that clearly explains all the various steps and processes of successful growth hacking here.

As Pierre states, once you have your product figured out, the main goal is to create a machine that is scalable, predictable and repeatable. You can only achieve this by testing and experimenting. Because your business is completely unique, what works for other companies probably won't work for you. This needs to be an internal process that is on-going. You need to approach it systematically with a predetermined plan that is being followed. Although everything you're doing is experimental, you're still following a plan.

What are the skills a growth hacker needs?

This list will never be complete, but here are the big ones. Although growth hacking is a mentality and learned process, there are a certain set of attributes most of them will naturally possess.

Continuous learning -- always wanting to learn and be better
Aggressively obsessed with moving that needle
Addicted to the numbers and results
Wants to push the limits, and themselves
Creative
Analytical
Problem-solver
Hunter
Eats, sleeps and breathes their product



Neil Patel is one of the top web influencers out there, and has major street cred in the growth hacking industry. He created a really great guide that you can access here.

He really starts at the beginning, in the question and answer phase. He wants you to start asking questions, before you're creating a product. He wants you out talking to people, figuring out what their problems are, and coming up with a way you can help them. Once you have an idea, you need to keep talking to people and getting feedback, in order to really refine your idea and solution offering. Once you've created a product you know people need, then you go get customers. You make sure people are willing to pay for it first. Only then do you attempt to go viral.

This is where the misperception of "growth hacking" comes in, but we need to remember that the real growth hacker has been present this entire time, helping to create a product that had the potential to go viral in the first place.
#growth #hacker

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