Although traditional marketers, who often emerge from sectors like retail, are highly valuable for today’s major internet companies, new internet startups require individuals who are more product-focused, data-driven, and skilled in measurement. These individuals are now known as “Growth Hackers,” and their popularity is rapidly increasing.
Since growing internet startups with logical steps is still a developing field, finding talent with growth hacking skills is not easy. An infographic prepared by Direct Spark, which offers external growth hacking services, highlights the differences between traditional marketing and growth hacking.
Key Differences:
- Background and Expertise:
Traditional marketing is typically conducted by individuals with backgrounds in economics, creativity, or the arts, whereas growth hackers often come from technical fields. While traditional marketers focus on finding growth solutions, growth hackers excel in creating those solutions. - Decision-Making:
In traditional marketing, decisions are often based on ideas and hierarchy. Growth hackers, on the other hand, rely on data and prefer to measure everything. They think analytically, have a strong understanding of the product and business, and possess diverse knowledge with deep expertise in a few areas. - Approach to Customers:
Traditional marketers work to convince people to buy a product, while growth hackers focus on developing products that customers will naturally want to buy. They ensure the product finds its place in the market and works to retain customers. - Advertising:
Paid advertising is a hallmark of traditional marketing. Growth hackers, however, see the product itself as a marketing channel. Features like in-product referral systems are examples of their approach. - Process and Clarity:
Growth hackers create a clear growth funnel and implement it step by step. In traditional marketing, there is often an element of uncertainty in the process.
Final Thoughts:
While these differences highlight general trends, they should be evaluated on an individual basis and are skills that can be taught. The foundation of growth hacking lies in understanding data and user experience to minimize the chances of making wrong decisions.
If you’ve been putting in a lot of effort but haven’t seen consistent growth in your startup, it might be time to bring in a Growth Hacker for your company.