Is growth hacking really just smart marketing?
Giovanni Ghigliotti
6 replies
Growth Hacking has gained so much fame amongst the Startup industries. Companies nowadays prefer using growth hacking over marketing as it helps retain old customers and attract new target audiences to the companies.
I'd like to hear your opinion on this.🙌
Replies
Richard Gao@richard_gao2
I would consider it a form of marketing. Interestingly enough, I take the term "growth hacking" to be a form of marketing.
A marketer may use "growth hacker" as a marketing term because it sounds more unique than "marketing". Think of starbucks calling their servers "baristas".
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@richard_gao2 By now, the word Growth Marketing is trendy, but there is a concept and strategies behind it that only some know how to use.
In my opinion, a full-stack marketer (if I can use such a term) and a growth hacker have similar tasks. The idea of marketer is not just to analyze the trends, but to place the product right and make sure it grows exponentially. So honestly, a growth hacker position is just a fancy way of naming it, which also helps employers understand the person's responsibilities.
@technufllc I partially agree. They are distinct and different at the role level because the growth marketer (if we want to call him that) follows logic and flows that a complete stack marketer does not implement. I am not a defender of growth marketing because it is a nice word placed there and flanked by the great successes of the big tech companies. Thank you anyway for your exciting reply
As someone who has both practiced traditional marketing and growth hacking, I can confidently say that growth hacking is much more than just smart marketing.
Sure, it involves using data and analysis to drive marketing strategy and tactics, which is a key element of smart marketing. However, growth hacking goes beyond that. It is a holistic approach to growth that involves continuously testing and iterating on marketing, product, and business models to drive rapid and sustainable growth.
One of the key differences between growth hacking and traditional marketing is the focus on experimentation and data-driven decision making. Growth hackers are always looking for creative ways to test and optimize their marketing efforts, and they use data to guide their decisions and validate their assumptions. This allows them to rapidly identify and scale what works, and quickly pivot when things aren't working out.
Another key difference is the focus on the entire customer journey and the ability to leverage the growth potential of the product itself. Growth hackers look beyond just acquiring new customers and focus on retaining and growing their existing customer base. They also understand the role that the product plays in driving growth, and they work closely with product teams to identify and prioritize growth opportunities.
Overall, growth hacking is much more than just smart marketing. It is a holistic approach to growth that involves constantly testing, iterating, and leveraging data to drive rapid and sustainable growth.