Azlo University

Growth hacking is a creative approach to acquire and retain customers on a lean budget. It originated from startups that had limited resources and needed to grow quickly.

Besides tapping into one’s creativity and smarts, growth hacking also typically depends on pulling from and analyzing data, as well as testing different tactics to see what’s working and what isn’t.

The customer’s journey is also at the center of growth hacking. Visualizing their journey and having a deep understanding of how they’ll interact with your business every step of the way is key to providing value and improving their experiences.

Growth hacking can take on many forms, including building a strong social media presence, customer loyalty programs, content marketing, and client outreach.

Set goals. Zero in on what you want to achieve, how you can achieve it, and a time frame in which you want to reach those goals. Typically, growth hackers use SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals because they are concrete and have a deadline.

Think about your product and service and your target customer: What are their preferences and lifestyles? What problems will your product or service help solve?

While it’s wise to have your product or service ready to go before you get serious about growth hacking, you can create buzz before you launch a product with email lists and social posts that tease out the release date.

Build a social media platform and populate it with content. Think of ways to build your community and engage them.

Look into partnering with other brands and companies to help boost your efforts. Which companies can you collaborate with to elevate your brand and scale your company’s growth more rapidly? Tap into your existing network and reach out and make new connections.

Launch a blog and create an editorial calendar. Start off with a few initial search engine optimized (SEO) blog posts that can help bring in organic traffic. Blogs can also help you further build brand awareness and strengthen your company’s messaging.

Know what key performance indicators are important to focus on for the success of your efforts. Test campaigns and efforts against one another to see which one is more effective. From your results, come up with the next series of steps.

The best growth hacking strategy for your business depends on your resources. Tackle growth based on your resources and circumstances so that you can be more efficient.

Use strategies that align with your business. For example, if you offer products, you can host a giveaway. If part of your goal is to become a thought leader, then you can guest post. Or if you want your company to rank for certain search terms, then you can create your own blog content.

Start with a strategy that you can easily implement, analyze, scale, and pivot from as needed. No one growth hacking strategy can accomplish everything you need. It’s important to try a wide swath of tactics.

Pay attention to what your customers are telling you. Without your customers, your business cannot survive and thrive. In many ways, building a relationship with them is your greatest asset. Ask for feedback, and respond to their changing needs and wishes.