Growth hacking 101

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Disclaimer
This e-book has been written for information purposes only. Every effort
has been made to make this ebook as complete and accurate as possible.
However, there may be mistakes in typography or content. Also, this e-
book provides information only up to the publishing date. Therefore, this
ebook should be used as a guide - not as the ultimate source.
The purpose of this ebook is to educate. The author and the publisher does
not warrant that the information contained in this e-book is fully complete
and shall not be responsible for any errors or omissions. The author and
publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity
with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly
or indirectly by this e-book.

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Table of Contents
Introduction........................................................................................................... 4
Internet Marketing Basics...................................................................................... 6
Building Your Portfolio......................................................................................... 10
Finding Your Niche............................................................................................... 14
Methods of Success ............................................................................................. 19
Growth Hacker Marketing ................................................................................... 25
Step-by-Step Hacking Process.............................................................................. 30
Building A Funnel................................................................................................. 34
Gaining Visitors.................................................................................................... 39
Understanding Push Tactics................................................................................. 44
Using Product Tactics........................................................................................... 47
Activation & Closing Statements.......................................................................... 51

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Introduction
Growth hacking began as a trend but is quickly becoming a necessity. With
the ever-expanding growth of the Internet, growth hacking is absolutely vital
when bringing products and services to customers.
For years, marketers were in charge of pushing products while coders were
fully responsible for entering and building code, or a platform. Now,
however, these words have merged to create a single system of true
growth, known as growth hacking.
Marketing will always be an essential element, but it’s important to have a
single individual or handful of employees who focus solely on the narrow
growth of the company.
The Internet has truly created a new way for businesses to grow, seemingly
overnight in some scenarios. Consumers no longer have to feel tricked in
terms of product, because product features can be directly involved in
growth.
In addition to these elements, growth hackers also understand that
channels of distribution are no longer A to B, and any sale is a positive
note.
Instead, channels are now moved or even created due to the channels
created by social media. This could include new websites or even popular
blogs from trending individuals outside of the entertainment arena. While
growth hacking is currently implied to resolve around startups, it will soon
be implemented into even the largest organizations.

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In this guide, I’ll go in detail on how you can grow your business, build your
portfolio and brand using the power of the Internet.

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Internet Marketing Basics
Essentially, convincing others to visit a particular site, download a specific
app, or purchase a certain product all comes down to Internet marketing.
Whether a business or individual decides to hire a certain person or small
group of people, those within the Internet marketing field usually consists of
those with backgrounds in either business or even the IT department.
With the rise of technology, however, marketing and programmers have
merged to form growth hackers, who expand businesses quicker than ever
before.
Internet marketing no longer requires long hours in stuffy classrooms or in
the back of crowded offices. Instead, the basics can be learned from simply
being an avid Internet user. All the degrees in the world will not really help if
individuals hate spending time on a computer.
Great examples of individuals who have the potential to become a
successful growth hacker include those who truly enjoy being on up-and-
coming social media outlets, those who are business-minded, those who
enjoy buying and selling online, and individuals who enjoy blogging. These
examples of hands on experience quickly help newcomers rise above the
rest.
When entering the world of growth hacking, one of the initial factors to
consider would be to establish a portfolio. When building a portfolio, there
are several aspects to consider, but the main idea is to feature your best
and most relevant work.

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This comes into play when applying to a particular job or simply preparing a
portfolio to extend to other professionals. Ideally, the goal is to focus on a
marketing portfolio to sell yourself—through both past examples and
promise of future excellence in a chosen field.
In addition to establishing a reputable portfolio, Internet marketers who
wish to become growth hackers also need to find a specific niche to focus.
There are many methods and techniques to consider when searching for a
niche to enter, and most experts recommend focusing on a niche where the
party involved already show interest.
In addition to learning the ins and outs of a particular subject, it’s also
important to use the benefits of the long tail of keywords, which focuses on
several small units rather than one large or overly popular unit, or product.
After understanding the initial aspects of a reputable portfolio and locating a
specific niche to focus study, there are four methods of success to begin
the preliminary steps of growth hacking.
Among these four methods, businesses must first establish relationships
with their potential customers in order to create lasting wealth. The other
methods are direct response copywriting and content marketing, both of
which are key to learning the ins and outs of growth marketing.
Finally, and perhaps the most important step, is to have a valuable product;
one worth sharing and having others wants to share. With the
understanding of the four methods of success, growth hacking becomes
more realistic and the next steps involve more direct commitment.

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True growth hackers understand that going viral is no accident, but rather,
it is an engineered response to tactical and analytical growth. Growth
hackers actually have the ability to make users want to spread the word
about their business or product by asking favors that do not seem like
favors. This collaboration will specifically discuss methods used by daily
deal giants Groupon and LivingSocial.
Within the realm of a growth hacker, it’s important to remember that these
individuals only focus on actionable, realistic goals. These goals are then
highly scrutinized using top-notch analytics, where strengths are leveraged
and weaknesses are assessed to find optimal results.
Much like the scientific method, growth hackers begin with a hypothesis
and continue to analyze and re-attempt experiments in order to find the
best answers for ever-expanding growth in business.
In order to truly hack growth, one must completely understand the mindset
of the consumer. Imagine those visiting a site as a filter or funnel. Growth
hackers invite all sorts of visitors to the site, but then filter these individuals
until they find which ones are capable and willing to make a purchase, sign
up for a mailing list, or reach other profitable material.
From the initial beginnings to the final point of checkout, growth hackers
make sure nothing is left on the table in terms of profit or growth.
Once the filter has been properly analyzed, it can then be dissected. The
funnel begins with the expanded open mouth, where all visitors are invited
to be pulled in by various levels of enticement.

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These types of pull tactics include everything from free materials to prizes
and invite users to come in from their own free will. Gaining visitors is not
an accident and growth hackers understand how to properly entice,
incentivize, and make a sale.
In addition to pull methods, there are also push tactics, which will be
discussed in greater detail throughout the book. These push tactics are
different in that they go after the consumer rather than sit back and wait for
a visitor to stop by.
These methods can best be summarized as an ad playing before a video
on a viral website. While these methods are both effective, neither is quite
as effective as the possibilities that exist within the product method.
Product tactics are types of growth where users are actually using the
interface when sharing the message of a product or service. This would
include all social media outlets such as Facebook, Gmail, LinkedIn, and
Twitter.
Essentially, these types of products sell themselves in the respect that your
friends need to be on the same type of service or plan in order to
communicate and exist within the world of that particular social plane.

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Building Your Portfolio
When debating the best time to begin a portfolio, the answer is always
immediately. Even for those who are brand new in a field, it’s never too
early to start and there is nowhere to go but up.
Whether individuals are seeking a portfolio for either writing, graphic
design, or even internet marketing, the basic idea is to begin a portfolio with
plans to consistently update and revise the work, in order to always show
off an individual’s best performance.
In terms of marketing portfolios, it often depends on what type of future
work the individual wishes to acquire. For some people, marketing will
begin with a personally managed website, and while it seems insignificant
to begin a portfolio, it’s important to remember that while others are
browsing the managed site, it’s possible that outsiders will seek advice and
it’s always best to be prepared for an opportunity.
For those who are actively seeking employment, consider the type of
internship or job you will be applying to when creating an updated portfolio.
Generally, it’s always best to collect the most outstanding work in a format
to impress the majority of employers in a format that is truthful, sincere, and
simplistic in the most functional manner imaginable.
Putting Your Best Foot Forward
Writing is as important in Internet marketing as it is in any field. Writing well
separates those who excel and those who seem to be stuck in a particular
field or level.

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Proper grammar and tone are often a representation of patience as well as
education. Having an improper sentence or phrase within the dialogue of a
portfolio is much like misspelling a word on an application or resume when
searching for employment.
In addition to writing well, it’s important to demonstrate strategic thinking.
While this may seem difficult to encompass in a portfolio, consider using
ways to set yourself above the rest.
Analyze the situation, whether it is a campaign, collaboration, or new form
of business strategy. Not only is it important to create new, it is equally
important to understand current conditions to understand the ins and outs
of Internet marketing.
Finally, make sure to represent the quantity and quality of work within the
portfolio. Whether you have just graduated from college and only have
work from school or whether you have been working freelance for a month
or decade, make sure to highlight the amount of work in your best products
by showing off the best work.
By showing off the best you have to offer, you can then move on to define
what you want to do within the future of marketing and advertising.
Defining the Future
While it’s simple to highlight the past, the main idea within a marketing
portfolio is to display the steps being taken to define a future career. When
employers view a portfolio, anything less than spectacular will represent a
lack of commitment.

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As you grow and succeed as a professional, consider even updating
previous work to your current standard of perfection, using any tips and
tricks you have acquired along the way.
Rather than only rely on current work, consider even creating work that you
wish to one-day deliver. For example, a writer focused within the realm of
nonfiction could work on fiction pieces during his or her free time to display
both types of work in the portfolio.
While there may not be the same pressure to deliver as to the pressure to
deliver to an editor, it will better display the portfolio’s range and highlight
the individual as an all-around freelancer.
Internships and Freelance
While hoping to enter the realm of paid work, internships and freelance can
help everyone starting out; even those who didn’t attend a university or
perhaps those who decided to switch careers post graduation.
It’s possible to begin a freelance career with only a handful of samples or
one could apply for an internship and work on professional level work in a
fast-paced environment
Working in an internship can help sell as individual as someone who
delivers on their word within a timed deadline. Whether you are working as
an individual on a project or working in a group, any completed work will
help build a portfolio.
If you find yourself in a situation where you are working a group setting,
make sure to include which portions of the work you specifically contributed
to the project in a professional manner.

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After building your portfolio, you will find yourself much more confident
within meetings. Consider a situation where you will be asked a question,
knowing that you have a sample directly in your portfolio. Having this type
of material on hand will help you land jobs and prove yourself within the
first few minutes of any interaction.
Remember, always build your best portfolio and keep it up-to-date to land
unexpected jobs and continue to build upon your career as a professional
Internet marketer.

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Finding Your Niche
More often than not, consumers will find themselves rolling their eyes and
taking a big sigh at the latest and greatest infomercials about the new
must-have gadget of the season.
It can be difficult to imagine the ideal product for the masses and many
times, creating the ideal gadget is nearly impossible so predicting the
gadget of the season is up in the air. Rather than trying to create demand,
consider filling demand by taking the time to conduct research and fill a
niche area.
There is nothing more stressful than coming up with a new product only to
discover that it has only been invented before, but marketed so poorly that
you had simply never heard of it.
While many great products were created this way in the past, our current
foundation for spreading the word on a new product is so great that it’s
difficult to be the best in any given field due to an array of constant
competition. Instead, consider finding a market that already exists and
creating a product to develop specifically for that demographic to purchase.
Consider working in a niche that interests you. For example, a male college
athlete may be able to recommend the best workout gear for others in his
demographic but probably knows little about what stay-at-home-moms
need for the daily routines, despite his idea for a new baby sling.
The main reason to consider staying in your demographic would be that
you would know what questions to ask and which problems to initially

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avoid. Consider sticking to the habits of your target market, at least in the
beginning of starting a business or when coming up with a new product.
Consider the Extremes
Think back on some of the most elaborate, yet specific businesses listed
online or in a favorite magazine. Photo Finish Frames, created by a
marathon runner, initially launched as a framing business but quickly
moved to specialized frames for runners.
Basically, the owner developed a system to ship a specific size frame to a
marathon runner in order to frame an image of the runner along with their
racing number and finishing time.
No Film School is another example of a specific niche. Websites like this
one send to-the-point, weekly emails. No Film School’s emails show up as
a list of twenty articles for the week.
Among these articles, each one is designed for aspiring filmmakers who
are interested in the inner workings of script, camera, lighting, production
and all the other areas that result in creating independent films outside of
Hollywood.
This niche simply invites the idea of everyday film education without paying
the staggering debts of tuition.

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Finding Your Niche
Marathon running and independent filmmaking do not interest everyone,
which is what makes these two companies so successful within their field.
Rather than continue to dream of creating a business that already exists,
consider examining the social groups that you are already belong to in
order to create a new business that you would be excited to be a part of, as
either an owner or a member.
Start by taking a creating viewpoint at your current resume, social media
page, hobbies, work experience, and daily physical habits. Think about all
of the groups you have ever been a part of and consider joining new
groups that interest you for further inspiration.
This may involve actual groups or even magazine subscriptions or websites
that you often read. Then, consider other individuals like yourself and think
of what you enjoy, why you enjoy it, and consider others who may value
similar items.
Narrowing Results
After creating a detailed list of fields that interest you, narrow these down to
two specific fields that most interest you. Sometimes, a product may
overlap into both categories, but it’s best to start with two in order to
brainstorm a wider range of results.
Once you have chosen two categories, conduct additional research. Begin
by searching online for websites that focus on specific categories or visit a
local bookstore to find out more information on a particular field of interest.

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While it’s not important to choose a category for the wealthy, such as golf, it
is important to choose a category of those who purchase goods within a
field, such as runners or photographers who buy shoes and equipment.
Once you have chosen two specific markets, begin brainstorming ideas of
products that currently do not exist, or have been marketed poorly.
Consider coming up with problems that exist and quick ways to solve these
problems with a simple product. In terms of simple, think how revolutionary,
yet essential, the windshield wiper was for the first vehicle.
Be Specific
Perhaps even before the initial product has been created, think of the
benefit to be had or problem that the product is trying to fix. Much like
finding the proper tagline for a movie, the product must be well explained in
a single sentence, so there is absolutely no complication of the potential
customers not understanding the benefit of the product.
Consider the initial release of the Apple iPod. Rather than list the gigabytes
or any of that other technological jargon that confuses many consumers,
the company simply delivered “1,000 songs in your pocket.”
Long Tail of Keywords
After coming up with a successful product or service, a sales site can then
focus on the long tail of keywords. While the phrase originates from
statistics, the concept remains quite simple.
The term applies to retail when considering sales of a large number of
unique items or when delivering a large number of individual web searches.

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Meaning, it can be difficult for a new company to show up in the top results
on a Google page, but when searches are more specific, it’s easier to place
higher among the results.
In order to better understand the long tail, consider the example of real
estate. When choosing SEO words like “real estate,” there is a great deal of
competition fighting for top results.
However, when using phrases like “Winston Salem North Carolina Real
Estate townhouse,” results are much more specific. These types of
businesses are ignoring the vast, general terms and focusing on the
specifics.
The long tail allows for businesses to ignore the responsibility of supplying
popular items to the masses by focusing on difficult-to-find items for niche
consumers.
The total sale of the large number of unique items can help companies
compete with more well known companies who sell bulk popular items.
Consider the bulk book sales from Amazon or the bulk movie rentals, song
downloads or book downloads from Apple, two of the more known long tail
retailers.

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Methods of Success
As previously mentioned, understanding Internet marketing isn’t easy, but it
can be simple. Much of the problem individuals have with Internet
marketing is the thought process that it is just another “get rich quick”
method of business.
And, while there are “overnight companies,” it’s easy to forget the time
invested before overnight success, much like an athlete from a small town,
being drafted in the first round or winning an Olympic event. Just because
the public didn’t see the struggle doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
For those willing to put in the work, however, businesses can grow faster
and more efficient than ever before, thanks to Internet marketing and
growth hacking.
In this chapter, readers are invited to discover a systematic method of
effective Internet marketing. These four methods can be considered the
backbone of Internet marketing as well as the foundation of success.
While there are seemingly endless examples of advice (both good and bad)
in regards to Internet marketing, there are four methods that can never be
overlooked.
These four, fundamental methods that make up the backbone to Internet
marketing are as follows: relationships, direct response copywriting,
content marketing, and valuable products.

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Relationships
Perhaps the most fundamental method is developing strong, personal
relationships with customers. Whether this means individual connection or
overall audience connection often depends on the company in question.
Either way, the method reminds business owners that keeping a working
relationship is much easier than starting a new one.
Hunting for new customers is time consuming and expensive. Finding new
leads have troubled businesses for years, whether it is a brick and mortar
store or an online publication.
It’s easier to ask a loyal customer to return than it is to bring in a new one
off the street. Know the value of your customers and let them know their
value.
In order to do so, it’s vital to create an environment worthy of their interest.
Much like a dim-light store, no one wants to visit a poorly managed or
weakly designed website more than once.
Beyond these seemingly obviously aspects, remember that customers
(whether you’re selling products or seeking readers) want to see new
information and that is what brings them running back for more.
Following these steps will not only bring customers back, but it will
encourage those same customers to spread your message for you,
reducing the price of advertising and only inviting new members from word-
of-mouth.

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Customers spread the word when they feel respected and believe in a
product or source of information. Always have respect for your audience
and let your audience know this mutual respect exists.
Respect comes in the form of your audience and your market. Focus on the
needs of the market and the audience as if nothing else matters, because,
essentially, nothing else does matter without your loyal customers.
Put their needs above the needs of the company and the company will
strive from this foundation of respect. Commit to a level of excellence and
expel this excellence onto your customer base.
Direct Response Copywriting
Most readers will quickly notice that the most-read sites keep up with social
media trends and highlight those articles, reports and videos so users can
quickly find them on their sites.
Since the national attention span has reduced to milli-seconds, it’s
important to feature the most up-to-date stories up front for new viewers,
much like featuring new products in the front window of a neighborhood
store.
Whether a site displays recent events or creates their own, it’s absolutely
crucial to have solid copywriting techniques to spread the word. Try to
come up with an amazing headline to catch the reader’s attention in a way
that flatters and informs.
In this regard, it’s actually important to not be overly subtle to make sure
the point hits home. Many sites may even use a pun to highlight the story
and put a smile on the reader’s face.

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After designing the perfect headline, move on to a well-written, informative,
strategically placed, layout. This will cause action within the reader,
whether that means moving to the next step of purchasing a product or
clicking to the next link within the website.
These traditional techniques that date back to businesses or newspapers
decades before still work as efficiently as ever before. Stick to the basics of
integrity and to-the-minute information with beautiful layouts.
Content Marketing
In addition to the headlines and layout, the next feature to deliver is great
content. Make sure to find the best information and deliver informative,
grammatically correct information, written from creditable writers. For those
who find themselves too busy to write their own information, outsourcing is
available from various freelance websites.
Once the initial content has been delivered, it’s important to keep delivering
great content. A handful of articles here and there are never enough. Set
up a routine and continue to deliver on a regular schedule, much like
feeding a pet. Stay focused and keep on a strategic schedule of content to
please readers and inform newcomers of information.
In addition to scheduled content, consider offering benefits to the reader on
another systemized schedule. This can include seasonal discounts or free
ebooks from time to time to give an example.
In addition to discounts and free information, offer other benefits that
results directly in the exchange of money in exchange for product or to

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better promote the business in the form of a donation, if your business fits
this model.
Valuable Products
The final piece of the puzzle is to have a valuable product. While it’s
discouraging to see others selling lower-quality goods to make a large
income, this is no reason to do so yourself. If you are unable to create
something worth selling, find something valuable to buy and sell for profit.
More than likely, readers have an idea of what they want to sell, even if the
idea is new and somewhat fuzzy. The truth is, everyone is in the business
of sells.
Whether individuals are selling ideas, services, downloads, or products,
each can create wealth while providing a valuable service to clients.
After finding something truly valuable, make sure it is worth the price
marked. When coming up with a price for a product or service, it’s
important to factor in the priceless value of the reader’s attention.
Because public attention is such a valuable commodity, it can never be
overlooked and must be cherished for what it is to the owner.
If a company asks for attention rather than money, this time and attention
must be seen as valuable as monetary income. While it may seem less
valuable at first, it is the initial step in which to make something worth
attention worthy of actual dollar bills.

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While this seems confusing, consider companies like Instagram or
Snapchat, which have both been offered billions of dollars for a service that
previously made no actual income as a service.

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Growth Hacker Marketing
True growth hackers understand the misconceptions of Internet marketing
and what it truly means to go viral. Like all outsiders who see an “overnight
success,” going viral looks like a chance, coincidence, or a complete
accident.
In reality, while viral marketing holds massive appeal, it is not as easy as
simply posting a video online. While everyone wants to go viral, it takes
more than want to create massive source of sharing.
For growth hackers, the first dilemma is deciding on whether or not a
product or service is worth sharing or talking about. If the product is worth
mentioning, the potential for customers to spread the word is higher than
usual.
In this scenario, if the product is worth mentioning, is should also be easy
to spread. In the most basic form, this may include add-ons like social
media outlets as one example of sharing.
The biggest problem companies or individuals have spreading news of a
product is by believing their product is worth going viral when it isn’t. Going
viral is not something that happens out of thin air. The reason certain
products spread faster than others are because they are simply worth
mentioning and often better than their competition.

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Diagnosing Growth Hacking
To begin, think about the individuals who will potentially be spreading the
word on a new product. In order for virality to work, potential consumers or
trend-setters must find a product that is worth taking the social media time
to mention or post.
Whether this includes a simple copy and paste, adding a link, embedding a
video, or mentioning a product, this takes time from any one individual’s
social experience.
For smaller businesses, this may simply include asking a friend to post a
video, share on Facebook, place on Twitter, or invite as a business contact.
While speaking with true online friends is an ideal place to start, it must
also be done in a delicate manner.
No one wants to help if a friend seems pushy or insincere. Instead, focus
on asking a friend this enormous favor by making it not seem like a favor at
all. Not only should this be worthy of trending, it must also be conductive to
trend when it extends your reach.
Growth hacking surpasses traditional marketing when it comes to
spreading the word on a new product. Only certain products will ever go
viral and the value of the product must be desirable for all of those who
potentially come in contact with the product or service.
This only happens when a client believes in a product or when a product is
truly remarkable. While translation of the word “remarkable” has lost some
of its meaning, it simply means that the product is worth remarking about.
Becoming a Growth Hacker

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After choosing a product to help grow, it’s important to remember that a
growth hacker has no actual influence to improve or even change a product
in any way. Much like a spin-doctor aiding a politician, a growth hacker can
do everything in their power to change the description of a product, but they
are unable to change the product itself. Rather than live within the world of
built-on marketing, growth hackers work to build virality.
Perhaps two of the best examples of recent growth hacking are
LivingSocial and Groupon. These two daily deal sites not only continue to
grow in terms of countless products and tons of special offers, they also
provide a great marketing plan.
LivingSocial offers a “Get this deal for free” option, which invites customers
to share any deal with three friends through a specialized link, inviting the
initial user a free product, despite the price. On Groupon, the “Refer a
friend” option gives back ten bucks when a friend purchases a product
through the site.
These examples are much different than something as simple as “Like this
on Facebook” buttons, which do offer a chance for customers to share the
product, but do not offer any real incentive.
Through the LivingSocial example, a user could actually receive a free trip
by simply signing up three friends. These daily deal sites save tons of
advertising and the leads are much more satisfying than simply Liking
something on Facebook. These two deals are actually paying users rather
than taking a shot in the dark with wasted advertising bucks.

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Shortly after these two sites hit the market, brilliant (but struggling)
company, Dropbox, started a “Get free space” option to invite additional
users to use their cloud-based storage system.
For every new friend who joined, 500 megabytes were offered for any
additional friends who signed up for the service. After months of struggling,
Dropbox increased sign-ups by approximately 60 percent with nearly 2.8
million direct invites recurring each and every month. Presently, 35 percent
of customers still come from referrals.
Using Email Services
Gmail and Mailbox now use the simple idea from Hotmail: placing a line at
the bottom of an email. In this scenario, Hotmail would write “PS: I love
you—Get Free Email,” which tremendously helped the company grow—
somewhere around a million members within the first six months after
implementation.
Shortly after, the company doubled and eventually sold to Microsoft for
somewhere around $400 million. Google presented a similar idea but with
the twist of an invite-only scenario.
These types of key strategies greatly trump hiring a PR firm because they
begin within the organization and grow out. By growing from within in this
manner, these organizations determine the presentation of the product as
well as the inner workings of the product.
Essentially, these organizations are providing free data or free products to
simply help the company spread the word on products and services that
customers already enjoy.

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Not just any product or video can be shared overnight to millions. It is
important to have an enthralling reason for the community to share any
specific item. Virality is an engineered procedure and not an accident.

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Step-by-Step Hacking Process
Much like any successful enterprise, it is best to begin with a narrow focus
on specific, realistic goals. When individuals focus on too broad a
spectrum, focus becomes meaningless because of its vagueness. Also,
while large growth is of course the hopes of the end result, achieving
smaller tasks must develop it.
Much like driving a car on a long journey, the end result only occurs after
understanding the route.
Once potential growth hackers have defined a realistic, actionable goal, the
next step is to implement analytics in order to track the process of goals.
Without having precise analytics, goals are essentially empty.
It is, of course, possible to hit certain goals working without an outline, but
structure is vital for success. Analytics provide a definitive answer to prove
that a result has or has not been reached.
They also provide the information for the suggestion of which aspects to
change in order to test another hypothesis. Much like a sculpture, the
unnecessary elements must be stripped away for the ideal end result.
After analytics have been put into place, the next step is to analyze the
startup or company to find out which elements are possible to use as
leverage for the company.
Every company has the ability to have something unique to help define or
enhance the organization. In the example of mass email marketing, the

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answer is usually within the question. Certain companies would require one
strategy while others another.
Always plan growth by building upon strengths and remember that each
company features a different type of fulcrum for their specific leverage.
Before moving forward, it is best to create a hypothesis. Much like scientific
method, a hypothesis is a strategic guess at potential results from a
procedure.
After writing down the hypothesis, begin the experiment. When conducting
any experiment, make sure not to be naïve when considering resources
required for predicted results.
If the organization requires thousands of users to work, do not expect it to
work with a few hundred. When all of the data is in place and resources
aligned, learn from any successes or failures and remember that the data
will provide information as long as you are willing to use it.
Experiments, in science or business, are meant to be performed repetitively
until successful. This may require minimal tweaking or full-blown
remodeling.
In the case of using email marketing, consider creating a control group.
This group will help track the exterior environmental factors that are more
difficult to track in even the most optimal settings.
It’s important to know when an outside factor greatly affects the sales of a
product. Consider companies who wish to spread to another region of the
world, only to find out their products offend aspects of certain cultures. This

32
may be overlooked and thought of as a failure without a control group
narrowing down the results.
Finally, make sure to repeat the process. While certain experiments do not
work, others simply need to be tweaked and adjusted. Use the data and
continue to repeat experiments until reaching success.
Much like the gold-hunter giving up his dig inches from richness, the
answer is usually within reach, so make sure to continue the hunt for a
successful growth hack, as long as you believe in your product and your
company.
Growth Hacker Myths
If the steps above sound a little foreign, ignore the scientific jargon and look
at what it truly means to be a growth hacker. Since the phrase sparked in
2010, too many people have said it too often and too out-of-context.
Much like a new buzz word, other phrases and wrongful ideologies are
quickly associated with a new phrase like this one. Rather than continue to
believe it’s only for certain types of people, browse the following to learn
the myths behind the buzz.
First, it’s important to understand that a growth hacker does not have to a
programmer or a traditional marketer. In fact, marketers will have to greatly
define and narrow their field in order to become a growth hacker.
By narrowing their field, it will then require a marketer to deepen their skill
set within that field. Among these myths, many outsiders feel that growth
hackers only rely on analytics, which is also a wrongful interpretation. While
analytics are important, they are more of a guideline to proficiency.

33
In addition to analytics, growth hackers are also resourceful with a curiosity
about creative growth. Truly, it is the combination of right and left-brain that
help the most successful growth hackers expand businesses in a
successful and creative manner.
These individuals build upon the smallest amount of success and narrow
their focus much like passing helium into the small hole of a balloon to
expand the entire project to it’s greatest capacity.

34
Building A Funnel
Much like a bottleneck, a funnel begins with a wide end and then narrows
in a triangular shape to a small opening. Funnels are needed when filtering
uncooperative materials, in order to make them cooperate accordingly.
In terms of funneling customers, the goal is often to sort out the
unpredictable individuals in order to find those who are searching for your
product or type of information.
Essentially, you will want to guide visitors through the site in order for them
to end at a signup or checkout point, inviting them into your community.
Imagine the large end of the funnel as the initial goal of “Inviting Visitors.”
These may be fans or they may be those who have literally stumbled upon
the site by accident for the first time. Either way, the goal is to build a
relationship with those who should belong to your group.
With this in mind, the next step would be to “Activate Members,” which
consists of building a relationship with a customer or potential customer.
The third step would be to “Retain the Customer.”
Three-Step Breakdown
Imagine the three steps as the beginnings of a relationship. The first step
(Inviting Visitors) results from a type of activation upon their part. Imagine
this is an attractive individual flirting from across the table. Much like a
wink, new users must join an email list, create an account, or purchase
goods on the site.

35
The next step (Activate Members) will then require that person to continue
to use the product, much like being a romantic relationship where dates are
the standard. This could include individuals who read and share emails or
continue to purchase products on a regular basis. These users (Retain the
Customer) most resemble getting married.
Understanding Successful Rates
It can be discouraging to have a scenario where thousands of individuals
are visiting the site while only a handful of customers are actually making
purchases.
In this scenario, it’s important to understand which conversation rates
signify normal success. Honestly, the deeper into the funnel, the less traffic
exists. Mathematically, imagine 100,000 visitors resulting in 1,000
members, which would be a 1 percent conversion.
Of those 1,000, let’s only 600 stick around, which would be a 60 percent
conversion. While the numbers are helpful to determining individual growth,
they are almost impossible to compare to one another.
Knowing the Variables
The first thing to consider would be whether or not your overall traffic
specifically identifies with a product. If the product in question is an ebook
about woodworking but the articles are about welding, many visitors will
quickly move on to something else.
Much of this depends on the relationship of products available as well as
the headlines of feature articles. With that in mind, there are specifics types
of traffic sources that can convert members at higher rates than others.

36
Sometimes, this will be current trending topics or any of other countless
examples.
In another scenario, consider your specific activation goal. Trying to get an
email is much easier than trying to make a sale. Asking for smaller favors
results in larger results. This is also true of high membership fees.
When considering retention rates, it’s also important to consider others
within the same market. Certain products will feature more repeat users
than others.
For example, high-end hand-crafted pieces of furniture may not have
repeat customers while a fruit-of-the-month club will invite shoppers to
purchase goods each month.
Determining Success
Once a growth hacker understands the variables, there are additional facts
to keep in mind when tracking and expanding growth. The first rule is that
numbers should always be improving.
Much like an athlete, there is never a reason to slow down or lose a step in
a monthly training regime. In terms of analytics, visitors should grow each
month on a steady incline. This has nothing to do with unknowns because
growth should happen like clockwork despite any adventures in trial and
error.
After setting up steady growth, consider tracking growth with a fellow
hacker. Find somewhere with a product in a similar field that doesn’t
specifically compete with your product and work together to find the most
successful rates of growth.

37
Check one another’s numbers in order for both of your organizations to
succeed. These examples may work better for area-based businesses
such as a coffee shop in New York and another in Los Angeles. Another
example may be two online companies who sell winter gear, where one
sells hats and the other scarves. These methods truly help determine
realistic conversion rates.
Finally, make sure that you are reading the data correctly. For example, if
number of visitors increase but retention drops, take this into account
correctly, rather than only looking at the drop of retention.
The main goal of tracking this data is to create conversion rates in various
key points within the funnel. These various stages will work together over
time to create a greater impact on the business as a whole.
Setting Priorities
Funnels actually help determine where to place the most emphasis to build
growth. While methods still aren’t soundproof, the results are usually within
the analytics.
Imagine a 60 percent conversation rate from visitors to members and a 50
percent conversion rate of those members to users, with only 100 new daily
visitors. In this scenario, the conversation rates would be high but the new
visitors are relatively low and should therefore be the focus of the growth
hacker in this scenario.
Moving aside from growth, it’s time to think back on the product. The term
“product-market fit” applies to the priority of the product on the market.

38
Essentially, if the product completely disappears from the market and 40
percent of that product’s users were not extremely disappointed, then it
may be time to reevaluate the product.
The team behind the product needs to focus more on the actual product,
helping to create something that will demand outrage if it were to ever
leave the stands (online or otherwise). Make sure the energy going into the
growth of a product is for a product that deserves to grow.

39
Gaining Visitors
Many readers will skip directly to this chapter and believe that getting
visitors is the main goal of growth hacking. While increased traffic is vital
and a key result in growing an online business through traffic, it is merely
the end result and the journey is not only rewarding, but recommended.
However you have found yourself in this chapter, it’s time to dive into the
essentials, which can be summed up as the following four procedures:
1, 2, 3, P
There are three ways to drive traffic to your site and each of these ways
begins with the letter “P.” The first method is Pull in traffic. Simply put, this
is a way for you to pull in visitors by providing a reason for these individuals
to continue returning to the site.
Whether you entice them with information, incentivize them with prizes or
gifts, or provide a free book, users will be drawn to the site and thirsty for
more.
The next type is the Push method. Think of Pull as an open door that reads
“Welcome” and think of Push as an individual passing out invitations. With
Push, growth hackers skip the enticements and go directly to users,
pushing them onto their site.
For example, think of those individuals hoping to see a new YouTube
video, finding out they can only view the video after seeing a paid

40
advertisement. This is Push marketing and it exists because you find your
potential users and push them to your site.
The final “P” stands for Product. The simplest way to describe this method
is through a social media outlet like Facebook. Basically, the more people
that use the product, the more it is able to spread. This is true for any type
of app that requires some sort of “friends” to interact with, including Words
With Friends, SnapChat or Instagram.
Analyzing the Methods
Both push and pull methods ask growth hackers to rethink the word
“distribution.” Almost like predicting the future, growth hackers are able to
analyze which trails of online distribution are spreading, and in which
direction.
For those less experienced, simply conduct the research in order to
determine which online portals are most popular. Much like a popular
restaurant, there are ways to determine which areas are more inviting and
user friendly, in terms of group congregation.
Knowing where users congregate ultimately results in how and where to
push or pull them to your site. With the product method, however,
distribution remains the same but the term “product” can be changed in
order to apply to more customers.
Again, this applies to types of customers as well as the skill of the growth
hacker in question. While the product itself cannot be changed from growth
hacking, the purpose or definition can be warped to apply to multiple
groups.

41
Also, there is not one method that specifically works better than the other
and each will depend on the product as well as the hacker, while other
products will rely on using portions of all three methods for ultimate
success.
Top Pull Methods
Perhaps one of the most well known methods of Pull is to be featured as a
blogger or guest blogger. These methods are ideal for pulling traffic,
especially thanks to SEO context within blogs that aid search engines like
Google to search for specific words to highlight articles, phrases, and
products mentioned. With these methods, the more you write (daily articles
for example), the more chances to be picked up within the search. The
most successful blogs, however, still focus on living within a specific niche.
Besides blogging, growth hackers can also focus on podcasting, or guest
podcasting. Much like a blog, podcasts spread information on a regular
basis to specific audiences who enjoy that category of information.
Unlike blogs, podcasts have the ability to open new realms in terms of
hearing versus reading. With podcasts, guest podcasters are able to reach
a specific audience, assuming the crowd listens to each and every podcast.
One drawback from guest podcasting, however, is that the podcasts are
not typically indexed like that from SEO and links or businesses mentioned
are harder to find, versus clicking on text within a written article.
Next, there are guides, whitepapers and ebooks, which can be sold or
given away for free. While it’s easy to skip over a blog post, it’s more
difficult to skip over a beautifully crafted, well-written book on a niche
subject.

42
Offering a free book will often entice visitors to sign up for a site that
interests them in hopes of downloading the book. Users will feel a fair trade
when giving up an email in exchange for a free ebook. In addition, these
are easily spreadable through outlets of social media, inviting online
authors to spread their work to those interested in similar subjects.
Infographics are another form of pull method that are often highly effective
among new users. These beautifully designed visualizations are able to
highlight information along with design and invite users to spread them
through social media.
When developing an infographic, consider finding a great topic with current
data. Build the narrative and come up with a style of design that highlights
the concept and make sure to polish the design and information before
spreading the information. Infographics are popular on sites like Pinterest
that feature an image and invite users back to the initial site of publication.
Webinars are an online source of seminar that invites users from all over
the world to learn more about a subject in somewhat of a classroom
setting. Usually live, webinars are scheduled to be hosted like an event that
users can look forward to, and invite their friends via simulcast. In order to
make it more like an event, these types of pulls are usually invite-only with
limited seating, asking those who are serious to join. Because these
methods are educational, they act as a win-win link between businesses
and users.
Using social media has been sprinkled throughout the text, but it’s
important to remember that it’s more than just an ingredient. While there
are many things to avoid, other methods to focus on, include engaging with

43
those within your product’s demographic and providing value as frequently
as possible.
Always answer questions and give advice to curious consumers. This will
not only build relationships but it will let your company know what
customers want to see next. Let your creative juices shine in social media
and make sure to view it as a distance run rather than a sprint.
In addition to social media, consider using contests to bring in traffic.
Contests are good for small and large companies. The key when trying a
contest is to give away something worthy and consequential to your
growing audience.
Not every type of blog should be giving away the newest gadget, especially
if they are hoping to sell something that exists without technology. In
addition to picking the ideal grand prize, make sure to include something
for first, second, and third, so users feel they have a better shot to win.
Finally, when choosing a winner, make it a big deal and let everyone know
the prize is legitimate.

44
Understanding Push Tactics
After mastering pull tactics, consider moving on to push tactics. With push
tactics, some type of interruption is involved, unlike within pull tactics,
where an enticement is being offered.
Think of an advertisement on YouTube when thinking of a push tactic.
While the ad is not what the user was searching, they will have to watch the
video before the watching the video they had to set out to watch. Pull
invites users in while push seeks users by going out to look for them.
Before diving into push tactics, it’s important to understand the lifetime
value of a customer. Known as LTV, this encompasses all of the profit that
can be made on a customer over a lifetime. LTV is why Starbucks justifies
placing a location on every corner—each location represents a specific
number of lifetime customers.
Within the formula, certain products will make a certain number of income
per year, but may exists within a product that customers change every five
years, meaning their entire LTV exists within those five years.
Push Tactics
Perhaps the most well-known push tactic would simply be to purchase
advertisements, such as those mentioned that play before a YouTube
video. While these seem more like marketing than true growth hacking,
there is a time and place for everything and growth is the ultimate goal.

45
With buying ads, however, there is still the open invitation for creativity as
well as strategy in terms of both when and where to place an ad. When
placing ads, there are the giants like Google but there are also niche sites
to consider that relate more specifically to certain products. When buying
ads, also consider the platform, strategic calendar of ads and the personas
of your demographic.
The next type of push tactic is the promo swap, where companies will both
mention one another’s product in order to quickly spread the word on a
product while helping another company grow. This works best when you
find another company that shares a similar demographic.
While there are many ways to conduct a proper promo swap, consider
beginning by swapping tweets or Facebook posts. In terms of email, there
are dedicated email swaps and sponsored emails swaps. With a dedicated
email, the entire body is dedicated to another business whereas email
swap usually only features a linking, “sponsored by” newsletter within the
text. Other types include giveaway swaps and ad space swaps.
Another push method would be to recruit affiliates. Essentially, this method
creates a sort of chart where you pay someone for each milestone they hit.
Milestones could be whatever you choose, but often result around
examples such as bringing visitors to your site or activating current
members.
Affiliates could use any number of method to bring traffic but the main idea
is that you are paying them to do it instead of doing it yourself. When
searching for a key affiliate, make sure to vet the individual thoroughly in

46
order to find somewhat that is a reflection upon yourself, your product and
your company.
Finally, direct sales are also a form of push growth hacking. While direct
sales teams do not work for every type of product, they do work more for
some and should not be disregarded completely. While most startups these
days tend to avoid these methods, consider appstack.com. This company
began with mobile ads for local businesses and they actually began from
telephone sales. In today’s modern digital world, this is less common but
does still exist and may work for some.

47
Using Product Tactics
Perhaps the most advanced method of growth is the product method. While
push and pull methods are both effective, using the actual product is one of
the most engaging methods for sharing a product and growing a business.
The vast effects that result from product methods are irreplaceable when
compared to any push or pull methods.
Pull methods have the unfortunate side effect of potentially losing
individuals that make up traffic. Consider using an infographic to build
traffic, with the thought those inbound visitors may decrease daily because
seeing any one graphic only relates to individuals a handful of times.
When using the product, however, it is entirely possible that each visit to
the site will not only mean a returned customer, it will mean they bring their
entire online network with them. If every one individual simply brings one
additional individual with them upon return, then that product or service has
then officially gone viral.
In industry terms, the viral loop comes into play. Basically, if a growth
hacker is able to set up a network where every individual who enters a
product brings another person with him or her, that equals a coefficient of
over 1, known as “K,” which equals exponential growth.
In most scenarios, examples such as B2B enterprises, there are rarely
coefficients as high as 1 because even the most expert tactics do not work
for every product, nor do they work in every type of market. However,

48
despite the odds, it’s important to remember that any K factor above 0
results in positive growth.
Product Tactics
Social networks are all around us, and network invitations are great ways to
show off products. Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, and LinkedIn are perhaps the
most well known, but other social groups are spreading rapidly. Of these
network invitations, remember to think of all of your resources, including
phone contacts, email contacts, and social contacts.
Mobile apps are more and more likely to feature a button that invites users
to invite all of their friends with the click of a button. Likewise, there are also
email lists and social media contacts that work the same way. Even if only
a handful of individuals initially download the app, but decide to share with
their hundreds of friends—you will find that these numbers quickly add up
to reach mass audiences.
Social sharing, which is somewhat different than the method listed above,
involves the act of simply allowing others to mention a product or service
within their network.
For example, instead of asking someone to invite their friends to “Like” your
page, this method simply asks that the individuals mention the product in
their profile or status so others can see and perhaps click on the item.
These are often available in the forms of buttons below a posting, for
example, in a blog. There will be an example such as Like, Tweet, or
Share, along with the number of others who have shared the topic or post.
This data also comes into play in terms of analytics. If most of your traffic

49
comes from Twitter, make sure to not only allow users to post on
Facebook.
Building upon social sharing, API Integrations integrate products at a higher
level. Rather than asking for permission to share, API Integrations actually
creates an experience where users can share in the background without
constant reminding. Consider the example of Spotify, which is a music-
based app and website. Spotify connects with Facebook and automatically
publishes Facebook feed for anyone connected with Spotify and Facebook.
This type of frictionless sharing only works with open permission. Another
type would be the Nike+ app, which also connects with Facebook.
This app allows for runners to share their trails and times online in a
seamless fashion in order to inspire and create competition among friends.
The only probable difficulty with these methods is that the dominant side
holds the reins. Meaning, Facebook will always share with others to spread
their message, but they may shut others out of their information in order to
stay the biggest and the best.
The backlink option was one of the first types of growth hacking. Hotmail
launched a service that read “Get your free email at Hotmail” along the
bottom of each message, inspiring others outside of their group to join,
creating a viral loop. Consider any type of widget or side panel to work as a
backlink. Guest blogs are another example and are as effective as they
have ever been.
When the word incentive comes to mind—within the realm of growth
marketing—the business Dropbox is usually on the tip of the tongue. After
months of struggling, the group launched a tactic to give away free space in

50
the crowd by simply signing up friends. In this regard, their storage space
quickly changed to currency, inviting outsiders to sign up and share with
friends for more and more space to save data.
With Dropbox, the company earns new users, creating value, while the
users earn free storage space, valuable to them. Many other companies
tried to copy Dropbox and failed. Perhaps one reason why is because
Dropbox also rewarded those who better understood their product, giving
away additional space by testing educated users and offering additional
rewards.
Finally, there is organic word-of-mouth. Individuals sharing your product
either online or offline is still one of the most effective methods and only
happens when customers truly love a product. This method may or may not
even result from an orchestrated attack of growth marketing.
These individuals are happy to spread the word even without being
incentivized. This type of method cannot be measured, nor can it can be
controlled. Think of sharing the information about an upcoming movie or
new gadget—only doing so before you look forward for the device or event.
While these methods are seemingly unpredictable, there are certain
behaviors to make word-of-mouth advertising more possible. Consider
creating beautiful products that can be described in a simple demeanor.
Other organic products are those that are trendy as well as those, which
effectively relieve pain. Finally, emotional, unique, and fun products spread
quickly and with no effort in some occasions.

51
Activation & Closing Statements
Activating Members
While it’s been a great deal of the journey to simply bring visitors to a site,
visitors alone are actually more of a problem than a solution. Rather than
merely have visitors circling the surface, it’s time to activate members.
Visitors who only visit will unfortunately leave at outstanding rates.
Therefore, activation is the ultimate goal. Activation occurs when visitors do
something that you have decided for them to do.
While these methods can range from an array of areas, the main idea is to
get these visitors interested in more than just the surface of the website.
Usually, the main idea is to get a visitor to enter an email address or make
a purchase but there are other techniques as well.
In addition to the two techniques listed above, consider asking visitors to
read a blog, make a comment, fill out a questionnaire, watch a video,
interact with another member, or request some sort of friendship or
membership.
While these seem simple, much of growth marketing only requires small
results. Remember, a great deal of small results equivocates to large
results. The key is to be consistent and continue to work towards greater
and greater goals.

52
Summary
Internet marketing and programming are no longer separate entities. The
methods and procedures used for each are both coming together in the
form of growth hacking.
Businesses, both small and large, are steadily seeking growth hackers to
help grow their businesses to exponential, seemingly overnight, levels of
mammoth success.
Internet marketers began as IT professionals and business students but
are moving to the underground, in the form of all sorts of hacking
techniques.
Thanks to increased technology, growth hacking can occur at the fingertips
of any individual, through a keyboard and into the ever-expanding Internet
that spreads worldwide.
Individuals are invited to build portfolios from their college years, through
internships and freelancing or on their own as Internet-savvy fan boys.
Portfolios can range from all sorts and levels, but must be kept up-to-date
in order to highlight a designer’s best work.
Portfolios can exists in many freelancing fields, but it’s important to always
use proper grammar and spelling techniques. In addition, it’s wise to
occasionally go back and revise old work, using new techniques that you
have picked up along the way.
Perhaps the most important aspect of any portfolio is the open-ended
ambition that a well-kept portfolio invites. Future employers want to know

53
where you want to go with your work and encourage foundation with a
view.
Amidst the portfolio, a specific niche often helps individuals as well as
businesses. By defining a particular niche as described within the long-tail
of keywords, even the smallest companies to strike high search results
among the largest search engines.
Specifying an area of study greatly improves the success of a business by
helping the business itself focus while keeping a simple strategy in mind
among present and future customers.
There are countless examples that currently exist and even more on the
horizon. When looking for a niche, consider examining fields of interest that
currently catch your attention. Consider ordering niche magazines or
conducting in-depth research to find out more information.
When choosing a niche, business-minded individuals will quickly come up
with grand ideas to improve categories within the field. Others will simply
want to blog about the subject in order to highlight their knowledge to the
world, creating a community of additional, like-minded folks.
Once a product has been created, there are four methods to begin a
business that never go out of style. First, always focus on relationships.
This benefits everyone, from brick and mortar pizza shops to online teapot
sales in Taiwan—customers appreciate developed relationships.
Direct response copywriting is another important aspect and a subject that
should not be left to subtlety. In our milli-second world, it’s important to
have engaging, tagline-like headlines to hook visitors.

54
Content marketing is the third method of success and asks for users to
deliver scheduled content to their readership in a way that readers expect
and crave emails and additional information.
Finally, make sure to have valuable products. In this scenario, valuable is
not relevant to monetary, but valuable in terms of worth. Do not waste your
time or your customer’s time writing, blogging, or advertising about an
inferior product.
Growth hackers understand the “going viral” is no accident. Any video or
product that reaches millions has more than just overnight success. Virality
only occurs from a great product and lots of belief.
After finding the ideal product, growth hackers can then define actionable
goals to follow through with. These goals will be guided through analytics,
making sure to leverage the strength of any given company for ultimate
success.
While any hypothesis could be wrong, a hypothesis with a narrow focus
and backed results has a better chance of equaling success. Through
these marketing experiments, growth hackers can prove results and repeat
as necessary to find the best results for amazing results.
In addition, to track growth, it’s important to understand the mindset of the
consumer. Through a funnel, growth hackers understand how to funnel
occasional visitors to the site in order to find those willing to sign up for an
email account or even purchase goods on a recurring basis.
Gaining visitors is vital for growth hacking. Through various techniques of
marketing, growth hackers can pull and push users directly to a site. Pull

55
methods use incentivized techniques while push methods chase potential
customers through advertisements.
Another technique, and possibly the most successful, is the product
technique. This involves methods like Facebook and Twitter, where users
must be logged in to use a particular service.
Finally, remember that visitors on a site are not enough and it’s as
important to bring visitors, as it is to funnel those visitors through the site.
Simply ask your visitors to read a blog, click on a link, watch a video, or
sign up for an account and you will be on your way to becoming a
successful growth hacker.

Growth hacking 101

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