This list of growth hacking strategies focuses on hacks that will work for almost any business. When you\u2019re finished, you\u2019ll have plenty of possible strategies to improve conversions, and you\u2019ll know how to implement the growth hacking strategies that work best for your business.<\/p>\n
What is growth hacking?<\/h2>\n
Sean Ellis<\/a>, CEO and founder of GrowthHackers, coined the term “growth hacking” in 2010. He defined it as a way for startups to drive growth through innovative methods, and with a smaller budget. People who dedicate themselves to growth hacking strategies focus on getting their business to scale. According to Ellis, \u201cA growth hacker is a person whose true north is growth. Everything they do is scrutinized by its potential impact on scalable growth.\u201d Today, businesses of all sizes and stages use growth hacking strategies.<\/p>\n To a growth hacker, rapid growth and customer acquisition are always more important than driving brand awareness. Hackers want results, and want them quickly. Growth hackers come up with quick fixes, or experiments, to encourage conversions and help a business overcome obstacles to growth.<\/p>\n For example, they might figure out how to drive more email signups, encourage more people to fill out lead forms, prevent website abandonment, and ultimately acquire more customers.<\/p>\n Some growth hacks are instant and only last for a short time, because growth hackers commit to finding solutions as quick as they can. And not all growth hacking strategies are focused on driving retention. This differentiates growth hacking from\u00a0growth marketing,<\/a>\u00a0because growth marketing always focuses on long-term ways to encourage customers to stick with your brand.<\/p>\n Without further ado, let\u2019s dive into our list of more than 50 growth hacking strategies for any business.\u00a0We\u2019ve divided these strategies into 6 categories.<\/p>\n (Looking for retention-focused, long-term growth strategies? We focus on those in detail in our <\/em>growth marketing strategies article.<\/a><\/em>)<\/em><\/p>\n Growth hacking strategies are largely about out-innovating the competition. So, why not shrink your competition through strategic positioning?<\/p>\n But another innovative strategy that fewer people know about is the \u201cpufferfish strategy\u201d or \u201cblowfish method.\u201d This growth hacking strategy is all about making yourself look bigger than you actually are.<\/p>\n Like the pufferfish that fills itself with air, a pufferfish strategy like this sends out a signal that your business shouldn\u2019t be messed with.<\/p>\n Content creation growth hacking strategies are all about building trust. Creating quality content under your name helps you improve your SEO prospects, so you\u2019ll be found before your competitors. And when your audience finds helpful information they need thanks to your content, it will be hard for them to forget you. So, they\u2019ll be more likely to choose your product over the competition. Try these content growth hacks:<\/p>\n This is one of the least expensive ways to get your name out there and build authority in your niche.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t rely on textual content alone. Create compelling images and videos! After 3 days, people remember only 10% of the information they read, but 65% of information that\u2019s presented visually<\/a>.<\/p>\n Source<\/a><\/p>\n Keep checking the SEO stats on your content to look for ways you could improve, relative to your keyword competition.<\/p>\n Also, remix your content \u00a0in different mediums. For example, you could turn content from your best blog posts into infographics or YouTube videos.<\/p>\n This will further increase the odds that your audience will find you, and build even more authority.<\/p>\n Our own Megan Mosley shares her insights in a Databox roundup.<\/em> Source<\/a><\/p>\n Your audience trusts the opinions of others more than they trust messaging that comes straight from your brand. Thus, encouraging brand advocates<\/a>\u00a0to promote you is a solid growth hacking strategy that will help you acquire plenty of new customers. So is securing strategic partnerships. What strategies can you use to mobilize advocates, strategically partner, and build community?<\/p>\n Source<\/a><\/p>\n Delivering a stellar customer experience, or user experience, is the dirtiest secret to driving growth. Any business can take advantage of this growth hacking strategy! When consumers have a stellar experience with you, they\u2019re less likely to abandon you, and more likely to make a purchase. Plus, they\u2019re more likely to tell their friends about you (trust strikes again!)<\/p>\n Source<\/a><\/p>\n Don\u2019t underestimate the power of insecurity and urgency \u2013 emotions are a powerful tool. By making on-the-fence prospects fear missing out on what you have to offer, you\u2019ll drive more conversions.<\/p>\n Source<\/a><\/p>\n Everyone loves getting something for nothing, so offering something for free is often an easy way to drive growth. Offering free trials and demos works well, but look beyond those options for other ways to drive growth:<\/p>\n Keep testing and refining the strategies you use to maximize conversions. Don\u2019t just implement a strategy and leave it to do its work without proper evaluation.<\/p>\n A\/B testing is often the best approach, since you can compare two different formats side by side and keep carrying over the most effective changes.<\/p>\n For example,\u00a0you could A\/B test landing pages with different free offers, or different numbers of form fields, to find the sweet spot that drives the most signups. Or, you could test different wordings for a call-to-action button, like Uber did.<\/p>\n Also, look for the low-hanging fruit. What little marketing elements could improve engagement, such as CTA button changes or improving meta descriptions? Where do leads leave the funnel, and what strategies can you use to patch up the funnel at that point?<\/p>\nWhat makes growth hacking different from growth marketing?<\/h3>\n
Growth hacking strategies<\/h2>\n
Growth hacking strategies for brand positioning<\/h2>\n
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Content creation growth hacking strategies<\/h2>\n
Regularly create relevant content<\/h3>\n
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Take advantage of different content mediums<\/h3>\n
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Reoptimize and repurpose your old content<\/a><\/h3>\n
Piggyback off of other channels<\/h3>\n
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Advocacy and community-building growth hacks<\/h2>\n
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Customer experience\/user experience growth hacks<\/h2>\n
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Growth hacks for creating FOMO<\/h2>\n
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Free offer growth hacks<\/h2>\n
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Testing and analytics<\/h2>\n