What’s the obsession with “Growth Hacking”?
I am the first Marketing member to join this startup. CEO wants hypergrowth without paid marketing. He has termed this as “Growth Hacking”. Product is not launched yet, no full time employees, no marketing budget, operating in a space which is yet to be proven and he wants me to crack “word of mouth marketing”. He’s a smart guy but it gets on my nerves sometimes. You either grow gradually without paying for marketing or grow at a breakneck speed with ads. How do I explain him this?
I feel for you on this!
Organic marketing is very difficult. And the obsession with ‘growth hacking’ is unreal because no one can define growth hacking for real.
For most startups - growth hacking cannot deliver the kind of results they need.
Make this person talk to someone who actually has done marketing elsewhere. And please set expectations clearly.
You don’t want this person blaming slow growth on you - he should be blamed instead.
He needs a reality check but you'll have to go slow in explaining this to him.
Tell him examples of how most companies that have grown in the last couple of years have had to pay for user acquisition. Even companies like tik tok.
Make him aware that products now compete in mature tech markets with tons of competition.
Keep sending articles across to him that support your view point.
Bring him to the ground. Maybe he's flying high in the skies. Growth hacking won't do shit if you don't have a decent product + PMF + decent marketing.
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