Growth Hacking vs Digital Marketing

Let’s start with a brief description of each.

Digital Marketing:

Digital Marketing is basically any marketing, we communicate via digital means. That’s to say, on any electronic device, such as a computer, laptop, mobile phone, iPad or other tablet. Traditionally, we think of marketing as TV, cinema, billboards, print (magazines & newspapers), radio and direct marketing. Marketing can also be split into 2 subsets, known as ATL (above the line) and BTL (below the line). We direct ATL marketing towards a wider audience, such as TV and print. Whereas, we direct BTL towards a specific targeted audience, such as direct mail etc.

Nowadays, marketing is so much wider. That’s to say, there is a multitude of channels and techniques available to digital marketers. These are wide ranging and include the following: SEO (search engine optimisation), SEM (search engine marketing), social media marketing and content marketing. As well as, influencer marketing, PPC (pay per click), web-based advertising, email marketing and marketing automation. In digital marketing, the line between ATL and BTL is blurred. In other words, it can be either, or even through the line (TTL) depending on what type of campaign it is. Traditional notions of marketing are moving on. And new and exciting disciplines are coming into the fold. Growth hacking being one of them..

Key Digital Marketing Methods in Detail

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

SEO is basically referring to the quantity and quantity of traffic that you are able to direct to your website. In other words, how high your website ranks on the Search Engine Results Pages. SEO refers specifically to organic traffic, which means it is unpaid. We will describe paid or PPC, in the text further below. There are various things you can do to improve your SEO and we look at those in further detail in other posts. In brief, search engines, such as Google, use algorithms to decide how highly to rank your website or pages on their results pages.

A good SEO expert will know how to use Google’s algorithm to their advantage. It is always worth remembering though, that ultimately the intention of the search engine is to help the user find what they are looking for. If the content isn’t there or the user can’t find what they need, Google will pick up on this and you will suffer the consequences when you see your website fall in the rankings.

Keywords and long tail keywords

One of the ways a search engine expert will aim to improve SEO is to look at keywords. There are 2 types of keywords. Namely, singular keywords and long tail keywords, which are basically key phrases made up of up to 5 words. If you can work on SEO for long tail keywords relating to your niche, you are more likely to rank higher on the search engine results pages. Analysing competitors’ websites can give you an understanding of what your potential clients are searching for.

PPC (Pay Per Click)

Like SEO, Pay per click will determine where you rank on the search engine results pages. PPC advertising will display your ads on the search engine results pages and is a very useful tool in digital marketing. Whereas SEO takes time, PPC can boost your rankings quickly. It is a relatively cost effective way to advertise your business or website, as you only pay when a user clicks on your ad and you have total flexibility regarding the cost. It is a very scalable method and can be ramped up or down, depending on your business needs.

Social Media

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok and Youtube are all social media platforms used in digital marketing. Again, there are free and paid for versions of social media marketing. Social media is an invaluable tool in digital marketing. It allows you to share your content, drive visitors to your website let your customers and clients get to know you and your brand. Most platforms have analytics tools within them, to help optimise your posting and interaction on social media. Understanding your audience and their habits are all part of digital marketing. Encouraging sharing and engaging with your social media audience are all part of digital marketing.

Paid social media

Paid social media allows you to pay to advertise on social media platforms. On Facebook, for example you can either place ads, or you can “boost” a post. Advertising on social media can be very beneficial as part of a digital marketing strategy as it allows you to “replicate” your current audience. As long you have a good understanding of you customer persona, i.e, who your customer is, (how old they are, where they live, what their interests are etc) then you can put your products or services in front of a new audience who will be interested in what you have to offer.

Influencer

Social media influencers have a large following and influence within their sphere of expertise or interest. They can also be celebrities who have amassed a large following on social media. Social media influencers can be used as part of a digital strategy as they are an effective way of reaching an engaged and loyal audience. Mostly, they are paid for their endorsements, but working collaboratively with an influencer can boost your brand or service.

Content Marketing

Creating good quality and relevant content is an important element of digital marketing. Content marketing can take various different forms. For example, blogs, videos, podcasts, newsletters all come under this banner. It is used for SEO, brand awareness and to establish oneself as an expert or leader in one’s field of expertise.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is when emails are sent out to your mail list and to new potential customers to let them know about new products and launches. You could also send them a monthly newsletter or let them know about a new blog or other piece of content you want to share. It is a great way to keep your audience engaged. Consequently, when they come to make their next purchase you are at the forefront of their mind.

Growth Hacking:

Growth hacking, is more a way of thinking than an actual marketing discipline. A good growth hacker uses all the digital marketing channels and techniques, mentioned above. However, they are focused purely on growth. They will devise a plan based on, which combination of digital marketing tools are likely to drive the most explosive growth.

Often, the goal of a growth hack is to drive visitors to a website. It can also be to sign up for a particular service or email list. We can also measure a growth hack by the number of meetings booked. Whatever it is, it must be measurable and scalable.

Veksa is a growth hack marketing agency and we describe what we do as “conducting experiments based on marketing hypothesis, analysing the results and scaling the marketing tactics accordingly”. Growth hacking is about experimentation and testing marketing hypothesis and streamlining strategies, to ones, which actually work. The aim is to grow a business as quickly and efficiently as possible for as little cost as possible. We often use unconventional and unorthodox methods, which are viral in nature.

The term “hack” can sometimes put people off, but if you think of its modern description, then you get the essence of what a growth hack is. It is really a shortcut to increase productivity and efficiency. It is the quickest route to your desired destination. Which in this instance is growth.

As a process, growth hacking is appealing to start-ups who need to grow rapidly on a very small budget. We have also provided an overview of what Growth Hacking is. To enquire about our complete growth hack plan, you may leave your details here.

AARRR – Pirate Funnel

Another key characteristic of growth hacking is its use of the AARRR or “Pirate” metrics. AARRR stands for:

• Acquisition
• Activation
• Retention
• Referral
• Revenue

A self sustainable growth cycle:

Growth hacking looks at the whole sale process in terms of a cycle. Ultimately, the goal of a growth hack is to create a self sustainable cycle. First of all a customer becomes aware of your website and is driven to visit the site (Acquisition). Then they make a purchase (Activation). After that they may return multiple times (Retention), before referring on your product or services to friends or family (Referral). Eventually you start to earn revenue from that client and the cycle is complete.

Key to growth hacking is analysing this cycle and where clients are lost or won and what works best for a particularly business or brand. Where can improvements be made and where can processes be optimised. Another key goal of a growth hack is to automate as much of the process as possible. Remember we are trying to get to the end goal of growth as quickly as possible. Any time that can be freed by automating a process, can be devoted to other key areas of the business.

Another key point to remember when considering the lifecycle of a customer is that the product or service you are offering has to be of value to the client or customer. No-one is going to refer your business on if they are not happy with the service. In marketing we refer to this as the “aha moment”. It is the moment your customer or client realises the value and importance to them of your product or service. When they realise they can’t do without it. It is crucial when considering a growth hack. People won’t refer it or come back for more if they didn’t like it in the first place.

Awareness

Sometimes the metric of Awareness is included in the Pirate Funnel before Acquisition. Dave McClure (who invented the pirate funnel) doesn’t include awareness in his original description of the pirate metrics. A pure digital marketer would more likely focus on awareness, as brand recognition and the promotion of products and services by digital means, falls within the scope of digital marketing. A growth marketer focuses purely on growth. When considering the sales funnel from a growth marketing point of view, awareness is usually left out. We go straight to Acquisition. This is where we can start to measure our metrics.

So.. vs is probably a misleading way to look at growth hacking and digital marketing.

It is misleading to look at growth hacking vs digital marketing. Digital marketing skills are necessary for a successful growth hack. The key to a successful growth hack strategy, is how those digital marketing elements are combined. Growth hacking is a mindset. A growth hacker finds the quickest and cheapest route to the desired outcome.

However, digital marketing skills are not the only ones which can be beneficial for a growth hack. Business knowledge, technical and engineering skills, AI (artificial intelligence) know how, and sales and marketing experience can all contribute greatly to a growth hack marketing team. Most growth hacking is done online, so inevitably, growth hacking and digital marketing are intertwined and as we’ve already established, many of the mediums used are the same. However, there is an extra string to a growth hacker’s bow, which is his or her ability to analyse, understand and interpret data. Lastly, they will look at this data and turn it into a successful and explosive growth hack.

The purpose of a digital marketing strategy can be brand recognition and awareness rather than, or as well as customer growth.

A growth hack specialist will look at the whole of the customer journey as outlined in the AARRR section above. Typically, a digital marketer focuses on awareness and the first metrics in the funnel i.e, activation and acquisition.

A growth hack marketing strategy is much more measurable and data driven and is laser focused on the most important aspect of any business, which is growth.

If you would like to discuss digital marketing or how a growth hack strategy could benefit your business, then please click on the link below: