![\"growth-hacking-introduction\"](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/11125418\/growth-hacking-2.jpg\")
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Neil Patel co-founded Crazy Egg in 2005. 300,000 websites use Crazy Egg to understand what\u2019s working on their website (with features like Heatmaps, Scrollmaps, Referral Maps<\/a>, and User Recordings<\/a>), fix what isn\u2019t (with a WYSIWYG Editor), and test new ideas (with a robust A\/B Testing tool<\/a>).<\/i><\/p>\n What does it mean to <\/span>hack growth<\/span><\/i>? Growth hacking has become a buzzword in marketing circles, but many still don\u2019t know what growth hacking is<\/a> or why it works.<\/span><\/p>\n If you fall into that camp, don\u2019t worry. You\u2019re not alone. Plus, I\u2019m going to eliminate your confusion today. <\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m a huge fan of <\/span>growth hacking<\/span><\/a> and its potential impact on my businesses as well as those of my clients. By hacking growth and taking less-traveled paths, you can find yourself ahead of your competitors.<\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s take a deep dive into growth hacking and figure out how you can use it effectively.<\/span><\/p>\n The definition of growth hacking isn\u2019t easy to nail down, but to me, growth hacking means rapidly experimenting with different marketing tactics, advertising efforts, <\/span>web design<\/span><\/a> decisions, and other tasks to quickly convert leads and generate sales.<\/span><\/p>\n More importantly, when it comes to growth hacking, it is less important to take into consideration cost-benefit analyses, expenses related to marketing<\/a> and advertising, or any other metric. <\/span><\/p>\n By definition, growth hacking focuses almost exclusively on \u2014 you guessed it \u2014 growth.<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s a mouthful, so let\u2019s break it down.<\/b><\/p>\n First, growth hacking happens very quickly. The goal is to try experimental processes, accept or rule them out, and move on to the next thing. There\u2019s no long-term goal here other than growth.<\/span><\/p>\n Why does that matter? Because growth can make or break a small or fledgling business. You might have heard that many restaurants close their doors within a few months of opening. That\u2019s because they couldn\u2019t achieve sufficient growth to turn a profit.<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s a common misconception that a growth hacker has to be a marketer. In reality, many marketers don\u2019t have the mindset necessary to hack growth.<\/span><\/p>\n Marketers are taught to cut expenses, focus on conversions, and conduct long-term experiments. Those tactics are anathema to growth hacking.<\/span><\/p>\n So, what does a growth hacker do?<\/b><\/p>\n A growth hacker is someone who prioritizes growth over all other metrics. <\/span><\/p>\n Instead of focusing on specific metrics, the growth hacker attempts to achieve growth across as many metrics as possible, often using low-cost marketing to achieve those results.<\/span><\/p>\n A startup, for instance, could gain rapid growth through a barrage of paid advertising. While growth hackers don\u2019t consider cost per se in deciding how to proceed, they can\u2019t spend money they don\u2019t have.<\/span><\/p>\n Growth hacking strategies might encompass content marketing, steep discounts on products or services, major incentives, social media, and similar tactics. Their chief asset is often their creativity.<\/span><\/p>\n GoPro<\/span><\/a>, for instance, has built its entire company based on creativity. Specifically, it solicits <\/span>user-generated content<\/span> to create virility and encourage word of mouth. Plus, it creates giveaways like the recently launched $1 million challenge.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for growth hack ideas, there are examples all around us. Companies are constantly finding ways to innovate in the marketing space, and they often build the sales funnel directly into their products or services.<\/span><\/p>\n The important thing is to focus on what <\/span>Gary Vee<\/span><\/a> calls \u201cchasing attention.\u201d He wants to put himself in the limelight whenever possible, and that mindset has turned him into a household name.<\/span><\/p>\n What does growth hacking have to do with chasing attention?<\/b><\/p>\n You can\u2019t hack your way to amazing growth without getting eyeballs on your products or services. If you\u2019re just hiding in your corner of the internet, you won\u2019t find leads, never mind customers.<\/span><\/p>\n Get out in front of your audience.<\/b> If they\u2019re on social 24\/7, you should be, too. If they love videos, you need a YouTube channel and an Instagram account.<\/span><\/p>\n What\u2019s the next big thing in your industry? Write articles about that to demonstrate that you\u2019re ahead of the game. Do lots of your target customers follow a particular influencer? Reach out for a partnership.<\/span><\/p>\n Take a look at these three growth hack ideas inspired by real companies.<\/span><\/p>\n You might be familiar with the famous couch-surfing connection company now, but did you know that <\/span>Airbnb<\/span><\/a> got its start on Craigslist<\/span><\/a>? This is what I mean by chasing attention like Gary Vee. Airbnb realized that most of its target audience was searching for places to stay on Craigslist.<\/span><\/p>\nWhat is Growth Hacking?<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"growth-hacking-what-is\"](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/11125421\/growth-hacking-3.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAnd What Is a Growth Hacker?<\/span><\/h3>\n
3 Growth Hacking Examples<\/span><\/h2>\n
1. Airbnb<\/span><\/h3>\n