What is Growth Marketing? And Why It’s Essential for 2023 [+Examples]

Growth hackers get a bad rap, especially on LinkedIn. And while it's true that there are some charlatans out there, just like with SEO we've learned over the years to love and accept our fellow search geeks for the incredible value they bring.

The same goes for growth marketers. This new breed of marketer came as a response to the feeling that marketing was too mushy. There wasn't enough emphasis on data-driven analysis and experimentation, and on the most important metric - revenue.

So in this post, we break down what growth marketing is, how it differs from traditional marketing, and what you need to look for when hiring a growth marketer.

What is growth marketing?

Growth marketing is a strategic and data-driven approach to marketing that focuses on identifying and leveraging the most effective marketing channels and tactics to drive sustainable growth for a business.

Unlike traditional marketing, which often relies on broad, one-size-fits-all campaigns, growth marketing is focused on continuously testing, experimenting, and iterating to find the most effective ways to grow a business.

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What is a growth marketer?

You’ve probably heard of the idea of the T-Shaped Marketer. That’s where a marketer knows the basics about a lot of different topics in marketing (UX, analytics, social, marketing automation, copywriting, etc) and has in-depth knowledge of one or two specific acquisition channels (like organic SEO or paid ads).

Here’s an illustration of what that looks like:

That’s a classic example of a growth marketer. They are a cross between a generalist and a subject-matter expert on a few specific acquisition channels.

Difference between growth marketing and traditional marketing

One of the key differences between growth marketing and traditional marketing is the focus on data and experimentation. While traditional digital marketing is often based on gut instincts and broad assumptions, growth marketing is focused on using data and experimentation to make informed decisions about how to grow a business.

This means that growth marketers are always looking for ways to improve and optimize their marketing efforts, and are willing to try new things and take calculated risks in order to drive growth.

Another key difference is the focus on quick wins and small, incremental improvements. While traditional marketing often focuses on long-term, complex growth strategies, growth marketing is focused on finding the quickest and easiest way to grow.

By focusing on small, achievable goals, businesses can build momentum and drive sustainable growth over time.

Here’s another term that gets thrown around a lot - growth hacking.

Growth marketing vs growth hacking

Growth marketing is often confused with growth hacking, but there are some key differences between the two. Growth hacking is a more tactical, experimental approach to growth that is focused on using creative and outside-the-box techniques to drive rapid growth.

Growth marketing, on the other hand, is a more strategic and data-driven approach that is focused on using data and experimentation to identify the most effective marketing channels and tactics.

So when DropBox launched its incredible referral program that helped them grow to 33.9M users and a $10 billion valuation - that was a brilliant growth hack.

Where did growth marketing come from?

The term growth hacking or growth marketing was coined by Sean Ellis in 2010, to describe how agile companies like Amazon and Airbnb approached growth.

It came out of the need startup world, where companies often have limited resources and need to be creative and scrappy in order to grow. Over time, growth marketing has evolved into a more formalized discipline, with its own tools, techniques, and best practices.

Core components of a growth marketing strategy

So now that you know what growth marketing is, let’s talk about its core components - A/B testing, cross-channel marketing, a focus on the customer lifecycle, and the user experience.

A/B testing

One of the core components of a growth marketing strategy is A/B testing. This is the practice of testing different versions of a marketing message or tactic to see which one performs better. By conducting A/B tests, businesses can quickly and easily identify the most effective approaches and can make data-driven decisions about how to optimize their marketing efforts.

Cross-channel marketing

Another key component of growth marketing is cross-channel marketing. This is the practice of using multiple marketing channels, such as email, social media, and paid advertising, to reach customers and drive growth. By using an omnichannel marketing approach, businesses can reach a broader audience and maximize the effectiveness of their marketing efforts.

Customer lifecycle

Growth marketing relies on a rigorous focus on the customer lifecycle. This means looking at the different stages a customer goes through, from the first time they become aware of the business to the point where they become a loyal customer.

By understanding the customer lifecycle, businesses can create marketing campaigns that are tailored to the needs and interests of customers at each stage.

Responsiveness and flexibility

In order to be successful with growth marketing, businesses need to be responsive and flexible in their approach. This means being open to trying new things and being willing to adjust and adapt to new customer needs and market trends based on the data and feedback that they receive.

Customer feedback

Another important aspect of growth marketing is the use of customer feedback. By regularly collecting and analyzing feedback from customers, businesses can gain valuable insights into what is working and what is not, and can use this to improve messaging, targeting, and positioning.

User experience

One of the key factors in driving sustainable growth for your business or product is to perfect the user experience. This means creating an enjoyable and seamless experience for your customers or users, from the moment they first interact with your brand to the moment they make a purchase.

Start by understanding the needs and expectations of your target audience. This means conducting user research and gathering feedback from customers to identify common pain points and areas for improvement. You can then use this information to design a user experience that is tailored to the needs of your audience and meets their expectations.

This can include things like:

• Optimizing your website for mobile devices
• Making sure that your checkout process is quick and easy
• Providing clear and helpful customer support.

Finally, it's important to regularly test and optimize your user experience to make sure that it is meeting the needs of your audience. This can include conducting user testing, analyzing user behavior data, and using marketing analytics tools to see which changes have the biggest impact on user engagement and satisfaction.

Now that you know about the core components of growth strategy, let’s talk about the different types of growth campaigns you could set up.

Examples of growth marketing campaigns

Here are the main growth marketing campaigns that professional growth marketers use to scale businesses.

Top of the funnel engagement

This type of campaign is focused on attracting potential customers to your business and getting them interested in your products or services. TOFU campaigns are used to increase brand awareness and generate leads for your business. This can be done through various tactics such as social media ads, content marketing, or search engine optimization (SEO).

Onboarding

Once a potential customer has shown interest in your business, the next step is to onboard them and get them to make their first purchase. This can be done through personalized emails or messages that introduce the customer to your business, explain the benefits of your products or services, and provide them with special offers or discounts to incentivize their first purchase.

Referral programs

Referral programs are a great way to not only retain existing customers but also attract new ones. By offering incentives such as discounts or rewards to customers who refer their friends or family to your business, you can encourage word-of-mouth marketing and create a network of loyal customers.

Loyalty

Loyalty programs are another effective way to retain customers and drive repeat business. By offering exclusive benefits or rewards to loyal customers, you can incentivize them to continue doing business with you and encourage them to refer others to your business.

Well, all that sounds good, but how do I find a growth marketer to execute these campaigns? First, you need to know the type of qualities and skills to look for.

Qualities of successful growth marketers

In order to be successful with growth marketing, businesses need to have the right qualities and skills on their team. Growth marketers should be data-driven, creative, and product-focused.

They should have a strong understanding of the business and its products and should be able to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions to drive meaningful growth.

Let’s break down each skill in detail.

Data-driven

Successful growth marketers are constantly seeking out data to inform their decisions and better focus their efforts. They regularly track key metrics, analyze data from experiments, and use marketing tools to optimize their campaigns.

Creative

Growth marketing is all about finding new and innovative ways to reach and engage customers. Successful growth marketers are constantly coming up with creative ideas for campaigns, and are always on the lookout for new channels and tactics to try. They are open-minded and willing to experiment and are not afraid to try new things and take calculated risks.

Product-focused

Successful growth marketers are passionate about the product or service they are promoting. They understand the value proposition and are able to clearly communicate it to potential customers. They also have a deep understanding of the product and its target audience and are able to use this knowledge to craft effective marketing messages and campaigns.

Technical skills

In addition to these core qualities, growth marketers should also have strong technical skills. This can include expertise in areas such as data analysis, coding, or technical SEO Having these skills can help growth marketers quickly and easily test and optimize their marketing efforts, and can give them a competitive edge.

Speed

Another important quality of successful growth marketers is speed. In the fast-paced world of growth marketing, it is important to be able to move quickly and make decisions on the fly. Growth marketers should be able to act quickly and decisively and should be able to adjust and adapt as needed based on the data and feedback that they receive.

Types of growth marketing goals & KPIs

There are many different types of growth marketing goals and KPIs that businesses can focus on. Some common goals and KPIs include organic traffic, paid traffic, referral traffic, and on-site metrics.

Organic traffic

Organic traffic is one of the main acquisition channels for any brand and its metrics include the amount of traffic, pageviews, visit duration, conversion rates from organic visitors, and sales.

Paid traffic

Here’s the second most important acquisition channel and it has even more metrics marketers track. You can track the traffic from your paid campaigns, clicks, click-through rate (CTR), ROAS, leads, and sales.

Referral traffic

Another key KPI for growth marketers is referral traffic, which measures the number of site visitors who are referred by another site or source. This can be a powerful driver of growth, as people are more likely to trust and engage with your brand if it has been recommended to them by someone they know and trust.

On-site metrics

On-site metrics are also important for growth marketers to track. This can include things like time on site, bounce rate, and conversion rate. By tracking these metrics, you can gain insight into how well your site is performing and where there may be opportunities for improvement.

Growth marketing best practices

So we’ve talked about the different metrics and the different campaigns you could set up to leverage your growth, here are a few best practices you can use to improve your chances of success.

Stay current with the trends

The world of marketing is constantly changing, and it's important to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices. This means regularly reading industry publications and attending conferences and workshops to learn from others in the field. By staying current, you can ensure that you are using the most effective strategies and tactics to drive growth.

Have a narrow focus

It's tempting to try to do too much at once, but it's often more effective to focus on a few key areas and do them well. This means identifying the most important growth channels and tactics for your business and focusing your efforts on those areas.

By having a narrow focus, your growth marketing team can make the most of your resources and achieve the best results.

Use social proof

Social proof is a powerful tool that can help build trust and credibility with your audience. This can include things like customer reviews, testimonials, and social media mentions, which can all help to show that others have had positive experiences with your product or service.

By using social proof, you can increase the likelihood that potential customers will engage with your brand.

Think creatively

Growth marketing is all about finding new and innovative ways to reach and engage customers. Successful growth marketers are constantly coming up with creative ideas for campaigns, and are always on the lookout for new channels and tactics to try. They are open-minded and willing to experiment and are not afraid to take calculated risks.

Focus on engagement and retention

Acquiring new customers is important, but it's equally important to focus on engagement and customer retention. This means creating engaging and valuable content and experiences that keep customers coming back.

Unlock the power of growth marketing

Excited to scale your business and finally get into the nitty gritty of growth marketing but don’t have the resources? We have a community of 600+ vetted growth marketing experts that can help you get to the next level. Get started today.

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