While traditional marketing is still relevant, growth hacking techniques have been proving some major success in the past few years. Does growth hacking sound like some confusing tech term that only developers and engineers understand? It’s not, all it means is a non-traditional marketing approach using alternative resources. From Google plugins to strategic blogging and reaching a larger audience on Twitter, we’ve rounded up five of the top growth-hacking techniques for startups.
a. RiteForge: Make your hashtags more useful by finding out which ones are used the most, what their click-through rates are and their average impression rates. Aside from these cool stats, RiteFroge will auto-generate images and automatically shorten links.
b. MozBar: Are you an SEO nerd? MozBar is the tool for you! Moz let’s you see SEO metrics and search difficulty for specific words as well as create custom searches based on search engine and location.
c. Buzzstream: Save yourself a ton of time by automatically pulling contact information from sites you are using for research and leads. While this is a paid service, it allows you to send personalized pre-populated emails and even streamlines follow ups.
2. Quora: This is a great platform for companies to get in front of new eyes and position themselves as an expert of industry. There are two actions to take on Quora:
a. Ask questions that will get people talking about your industry. Request answers from people who have influential followings and are individuals you want to get in front of. For example, if you are a food photographer, ask things like “Who are the best underrated chefs in New York City?” and then request answers from chefs on Quora in hopes that you will get some responses and begin a conversation with individuals who might be looking for a food photographer.
b. Answer questions related to your industry. Be active and respond to questions that people are requesting answers for and offer lots of advice even to those who don’t specifically ask. It will grow your following, position you as an industry expert and drive traffic to your site. When relevant, link to your website or blog articles that answer the questions people are asking. You can even search keywords in questions that people have asked in the past and find trending topics to inspire your marketing content. Once you publish these Quora-Inspired articles, answer the original questions and include links to your articles!
3. Study other growth hackers: Do some research about the industry experts and follow their social media accounts, blogs and live videos or webinars. People with proven success are usually happy and excited to share their techniques with others. Check out some of the industry leaders below:
a. Jeff Walker: A New York Times Bestselling author and top tier marketing trainer.
b. Hiten Shah: Founder of KISSmetrics. Some serious Twitter fame.
c. Nichole Elizabeth Demeré: Growth metrics and SaaS specialist.
d. Vincent Dignan: Published the best-selling Growth Hacking book ever,Secret Sauce and GigSesh expert!
4. Medium: Every smart company knows how important blogging is; from improved SEO to viral articles on social media, there are lots of benefits to creating and publishing unique content on a regular basis. But how do you step your blog up to the next level by engaging more easily with readers and inviting other writers to contribute articles? Medium allows you to do just that, and in turn gives your articles a better chance at being seen, shared and commented on. Working with influencers or other writers? This is a great way to invite guest writers to contribute to your publication and give your pieces a better chance at virility.
5. Twitter: You’ve probably heard of this one… known as an alternate media all-star, Twitter is also a great way to engage with influencers, industry leaders and get in on trending hashtags. Use direct messages to reach key individuals, add click to Tweet links to your articles, create groups and add influencers as members. The list of Twitter growth hacking techniques goes on and on, so do your research and figure out what ways you can use this platform to reach your marketing goals.
Looking for more tips on marketing and growth hacking? GigSesh has a whole network of experts with diverse backgrounds. Find an expert from your industry or someone to take a deep dive into some of the techniques listed here. Are you a growth hacker looking to help more people navigate their marketing techniques online? Sign up as a GigSesh Expert today! Happy hacking!