The best "growth hack" of all time
I counted. This is now the 12,432nd article on growth hacking. Nothing seems to enthuse the marketing industry more than tricks and hacks that could attract thousands of new customers.
Headlines such as "How XYZ Won 124,891 New Customers in 3 Months," "How ZYX Boosted 458% more Within 2 Months," or "Best Growth Hacks Ever" are always read and shared.
Understandable. As marketers, we are primarily curious and hungry for knowledge. And as humans, we want the best possible results without much effort.
Mostly these articles are then read and found interesting, but then we think that it would not work for your own company ... and anyway, copying is not the yellow of the egg either.
But there is a hack that can work in any industry and every business. And that's why it's probably the best growth hack ever.
He is the quintessence of all the 12,432 articles that have already been written on the subject. The reason they have been successful and attracted so much attention.
Ready?
The best growth hack ever is a product that inspires and solves a problem.
No trick to exploit the Instagram algorithm. No strategy to improve your own Google ranking. No new way to get viral on YouTube.
I hope you are not disappointed now.
The product is the foundation upon which everything else builds. If the product does not impress anyone, even the best marketing approaches will not bring in new customers.
- Airbnb was successful with simple Craigslist contributions because the offer was new and intriguing.
- Hotmail's signature hack worked so well because it allowed people to create a free email account instantly. (That was rare at the time.)
- Dropbox was able to increase its user numbers so rapidly because it offered one of the best cloud storage solutions and then used a simple referral system.
We all can spontaneously name a few companies, services or series that inspire us. And the chances are good that we will tell friends, families and colleagues, "Do you know ...? Can I only recommend you! "
A fantastic product virtually (almost) self-markets because it's the optimal solution for a specific problem, or delivers precisely the results customers want.
Basically, Marketing is easy
If the following three questions can be answered, the hardest part is already done:
- To whom do you want to sell (target group)?
- What do you offer or can you help with (offer/ product/solution)?
- Where is your target audience (platform)?
The best Instagram Growth Hack does not bother if the target group is not on Instagram. Once you know who to address and how to make their lives easier, you have to figure out where the target audience is. Facebook, LinkedIn or Pinterest?
If you look at the landing pages of successful SaaS companies, such as Proof, Sumo or Click funnels, you quickly realize that a big promise greets visitors:
This promise is the answer to the second question. Anyone who feels addressed is a potential customer, and the chance is great that the offer will be tested at least once.
If the product can convince - and in the best case excite - the interested tester becomes a loyal customer, and he will most likely tell friends, family and colleagues about it.
He'll probably also be willing to make a recommendation for your product if you ask for it (and possibly give an incentive, see Dropbox as an example).
This is how a customer quickly becomes a fan, who in turn draws new customers ashore. Growth hacking 😎.
Growth hacking for every platform
But how do you attract the first interested customers to launch a customer avalanche? In the third question, "Where is your target group?" , The answer is already hidden.
When it's known where potential customers are and who they are paying attention to, open a search engine of your choice - or scour the HubSpot blog.
Knowing that your audience is on LinkedIn, it makes sense to look for guides that explain how to get customers across LinkedIn.
Is your target audience on Instagram? Look for best practices to attract followers or try to get attention through advertisements.
Is your target group made up of online marketing beginners? YouTube videos and ads would not be the worst way to reach interested people. Be smart and read YouTube guides to find out how the target audience can find your videos.
Do you want to attract the attention of marketing experts? Find out which expert blogs accept guest posts - alternatively sponsored posts - or why some things are getting on Reddit and ProductHunt Upvotes.
You will have recognized the pattern: If you can attract the attention of potential customers, your Pitch (Promise) convinced, the product is great, and a good referral system exists, nothing stands in your way.
If you can substantiate your promise with appropriate customer reviews, this process works even better.
It is not necessary to reinvent the wheel if you want to market your product successfully. Facebook ads work, inbound marketing and SEO too. Even print ads can still have a positive ROI.
The secret of successful companies lies in the constant trial and error. Proven marketing methods (Facebook ads) with something new, such as: Combining chatbots, for example, can provide almost unstoppable customer growth. If the base is right. If you encounter a new growth hack while testing, you should use it. If something does not work, try a different approach.
I did not fail. I found only 10,000 ways that do not work. - Thomas A. Edison
Finally, it should be said that no growth hack or marketing strategy can make a bad product successful. Behind all successful case studies is a product or service that has inspired people. Either because an existing problem was solved (better than the competition could) or the promised results were achieved - the potential customers were convinced.
Best example: When the first iPhone appeared in 2007, it proved so innovative and practical that it quickly gained a multitude of loyal followers.
So the best growth hack is very simple: