what is growth hacking in the Inbound Marketing strategy?

Of course we do Inbound Marketing, but there is another buzzword, growth hacking. The problem for many people and companies is that they don't understand some basic concepts like these, so we think it's a great idea to start this post with their definition. And why not? Remind you that at Occam Digital Agency we can help you put them into practice. How?

Let's start with the basics.

what is Inbound Marketing?

As its creators would say, "it is the business methodology that aims to capture customers by creating valuable content and tailor-made experiences. While Outbound Marketing (traditional marketing methods) bursts in directly by presenting the public with content that they don't always want, Inbound Marketing forms useful connections for the customer in solving real problems".

And all thanks to the use of tools that have nothing to do with intrusive advertising, but with the natural attraction of the user: social media, SEO, email marketing, HubSpot CRM, content marketing... And what's more, they all work in coordination and oriented towards a common goal.

Inbound stops annoying those who don't want to hear from you and instead attracts those who need you, even if they don't know it yet. You will apply it to your brand when you realise that traditional techniques not only attract non-potential customers, but also gather big haters. And that will end up damaging your image and your credibility.

That's not what your brand came into the world for, is it?

Objectives of Inbound Marketing

Also known as Attraction Marketing, more and more companies are opting for Inbound strategies and online media to disseminate content, as they attack the interruptive and unidirectional logic to which traditional marketing is accustomed. Inbound wants something more than that, natural attraction:

• It uses interaction, viralisation and the measurement of results.
• Add value and attract potential users through relevant and quality content adapted to the buyer persona. You are going to have to write something worth reading.
• Increase the number of leads-sales-opportunities-prospects in order to convert them into customers through the use of marketing techniques.
• Generate value over and above any product or servicesales.
• Generate sales through the production of interestingcontent and the consolidation of solid relationships.

But before thinking about content dissemination, let's analyse your situation. What is the current state of your company, audience and competition? What is your level of active presence on Facebook? Do you use the social networks where your audience is present? What is being said about your brand on them?

Plan, plan, plan.

what is growth hacking?

It is more than just a buzzword. You are very wrong if you think that having an attractive website is going to bring in sales. And yes, you are right when you think that people are willing to pay more for products from well-positioned brands, because that is synonymous with quality content, but also with something else: a noticeable increase in the volume of users and revenue with minimal expense and effort. That is growth hacking!

"The experimentation and processes involved in building and maintaining a company's customer base. Growth hacking is characterised by using creative, innovative and low-cost strategies to achieve customer base growth"(HubSpot)

The 5 vital pillars to apply growth hacking in your company (without dying trying):

1. Evaluate all the actions you are currently using in marketing. A complete audit will allow you to see clearly what your best sources of leads are, where the traffic is coming from and the number of page views.
2. Set achievable goals- remember SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound) objectives.
3. Test your hypotheses to see the different ways you can achieve your goals.
4. Experiment by doing different actions and taking alternatives so that the results are meaningful (statistically speaking). And optimise your processes as much as you can, you will see numerical results.
5. Record the best results and share them with the team. With growth hacking you can improve everything you already have.

are you testing different techniques to see what works and what doesn't? Then you are already implementing growth hacking, even if you don't call it that yet. Different CTA designs for newsletters, two names as subject lines in an email... It's not magic, it's growth hacking.

Growth hacking in Inbound Marketing

When both techniques work together, the chances of success multiply. While Inbound works on attracting potential customers through non-intrusive marketing techniques, growth hacking checks which tools work best and how to improve them.

3 practical examples of growth hacking in Inbound strategies:

• Landing pages: If you have noticed that one of your landing pages converts more leads than any other, you may decide to duplicate it for other campaigns or optimise it to increase conversion, don't you think?
• Forms: Reducing the length of the forms you use on your site can increase conversions.
• Video marketing: Enrich your marketing strategy with educational videos to welcome new users to your company. It will help improve their experience.
• Launch the same product as if it were a new one. It is not a trap, it is making small modifications and creating smaller circles.

Beyond Inbound Marketing, many companies are applying growth hacking:

• Dropbox. To increase the number of registrations in a short time, it offered rewards to those who recommended its platform. With this technique, it went from 100,000 to 4 million users in just over 1 year. This strategy is known as Referrals or Member Get Member.
• Groupon and Booking use psychological growth hacking strategies to accelerate the purchase or booking before the offer is sold out, as well as the principle of persuasive communication based on scarcity, using messages such as "There are 5 people looking at this hotel" or "There is 1 room left".

too many doubts that you don't dare to ask? You are in the right place to solve them.

Applying growth hacking in Inbound Marketing with Occam

Using obsolete marketing techniques to attract current customers is like going out to flirt in the street in confinement. Maybe you're lucky, but it's not usual. Because you have to know how to be there, and for that you need to know your target audience. What works and what doesn't.

Inbound Marketing works, but it requires testing alternatives to keep improving. And that is what the discipline of growth hacking allows, because with the minimum effort and expense, the volume of revenue or users of companies is increased. However, there is a fine line between the desire to attract new users and falling into the use of techniques that are not recommended. Would you rather get 20,000 users with spam than 1,000 in an organic way?

You need help from an Inbound Marketing specialist. You need Occam Digital Agency, the place where potential customers and brands meet and make their dreams come true. We are up to date with the latest developments in growth hacking and its application in Inbound Marketing strategies.

Write to us, call us, or think of us. Destiny has brought you here!