Ready to learn more about growth marketing and the strategies you can start using today? Read on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So what is growth marketing? <\/em>It\u2019s not just one concept; it\u2019s a collection of marketing strategies. Growth marketing strategies include A\/B testing, multi-channel experimentation and growth hacking, but when it comes to that last one, there are a few nuances to keep in mind. What\u2019s most important to understand is that growth marketing is largely characterized by how it differs from traditional marketing<\/strong>, which focuses on acquiring clients and making sales. Growth marketing aims to do these as well, but puts an equal emphasis on keeping customers and making them part of a brand\u2019s long-term marketing strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Source: Depositphotos<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Growth marketing is also heavily data-driven. It\u2019s a more nimble approach to marketing than traditional marketing, as it\u2019s focused on continually tweaking strategies based on data as it\u2019s collected. Below are four common growth marketing strategies. A brand may focus on one or make all of them part of a larger growth strategy.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n A\/B testing is a popular growth marketing strategy because it delivers insights quickly. Basically, here\u2019s how it works: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Two pieces of content, such as an ad with the same graphic, but two different calls to action, are presented to the brand\u2019s audience. A\/B testing is a great way to compare advertising ideas<\/a>. With it, there\u2019s no guesswork\u2014just direct feedback from your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Customer journey optimization is the strategy of making your sales funnel as frictionless as possible. This increases the number of people who make it from the top of the funnel (brand awareness) to the bottom (a sale). In fact, it often involves steps beyond a customer\u2019s initial purchase, nurturing the relationship to keep them in the loop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To optimize your typical customer\u2019s journey, you need to understand their behavior. Do they care about flash sales or promo codes? Do they respond well to warm check-ins from sales reps? Use data you collect through web and social media analytics, A\/B testing, direct feedback and sales trends to craft a customer journey that matches your buyers\u2019 behavior. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, brands rarely have just one marketing channel. You\u2019ve likely got access to social media, digital marketing<\/a>, print marketing and depending on the type of business you operate, a physical location. A common growth marketing strategy is experimenting with multiple marketing channels.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you might tease a new product drop on social media, but make it exclusively available in your store<\/a>. This promotion catches followers\u2019 attention online, but drives them into your shop where they\u2019ll not only get that rush of snagging exclusive merch, but experience all you\u2019ve put into creating an immersive shopping experience. Maybe that\u2019s a tantalizingly scentscaped showcase or the opportunity to have an expert salesperson recommend the best product for their skin type. In any case, it\u2019s a memory that will make them continue following and supporting your brand.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the end of the day, every growth marketing strategy involves data-driven decisions. The entire purpose of A\/B testing, customer journey optimization and multichannel experimentation, plus other growth marketing strategies, is to understand your customers better so you can meet them where they are. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But once you understand your customers, you need to act. That\u2019s the part that\u2019s \u201cmeeting them where they are.\u201d If the data shows that two-thirds of your buyers not only shop online but shop on mobile and tend to engage most with your brand on weekday evenings, a data-driven decision may be to run weeknight flash sales on social media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n How is growth marketing different from traditional marketing? What about other types of marketing<\/a>?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we discussed above, the difference is in the goal. While growth marketing focuses largely on data collection and guiding customers through the entire sales funnel, traditional marketing mostly aims at the top of the funnel, with the goal of customers continuing the buying journey on their own. Neither is better or worse than the other, per se, and it\u2019s very common for companies to use both traditional and growth marketing strategies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are a few more insights about traditional marketing and growth hacking, a strategy that often comes up in growth marketing conversations.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Traditional marketing<\/strong> is a broad category that includes a lot of marketing strategies. These strategies include, but are not limited to: Traditional marketing strategies are strategies that are tried-and-true. This doesn\u2019t mean every strategy or every campaign is guaranteed to work; it means these strategies have been successfully employed in the past and that brands can follow these success stories as blueprints. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Traditional marketing is used by businesses large and small, in just about every industry. Generally, it\u2019s best to stick to strategies with a track record in your industry, like sponsoring events as a beverage brand and email marketing as a housecleaning service. A few more examples of ways brands can effectively use traditional marketing methods include: So, how is growth marketing different from traditional marketing? It\u2019s the overall intent. Traditional marketing focuses on the top of funnel (TOFU),<\/strong> which is the beginning of a customer\u2019s journey with a brand. This could be when they see their first ad for the brand, walk past the business\u2019 storefront or receive a cold email from the brand. The customer (likely) isn\u2019t ready to buy anything yet, but now that they\u2019re aware of the brand, they may make a purchase in the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While the terms growth hacking <\/strong>and growth marketing<\/strong> are sometimes used interchangeably, they aren\u2019t quite the same thing. Growth hacking is solely focused on rapid growth, typically through client acquisition and brand awareness. Here\u2019s how it\u2019s different from traditional marketing: While traditional marketing relies on established strategies like brand marketing and advertising, growth hacking strategies emphasize experimentation and flexibility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Growth hacking strategies also prioritize rapid, repeatable results. They aim to generate near-instant data that the brand can analyze, interpret and leverage in following marketing campaigns.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of positioning growth hacking as separate from growth marketing, it\u2019s actually more accurate to understand it as part of the growth marketing puzzle. Growth hacking strategies are largely part of overarching growth marketing strategies. The difference here is that while growth hacking aims to get more social media follows, more email signups and more traffic to websites and stores, growth marketing aims to hold those followers\u2019 attention and keep them engaged after they\u2019ve made a purchase. In essence, growth hacking refers to the first steps, and growth marketing refers to the entire life cycle of a strategy developed to curate a loyal fan base. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A strong growth marketing strategy is effective for any business, large or small. By design, it\u2019s also how a small business becomes a medium, then large business. Read on for real-life examples of brands that used growth marketing strategies to grow exponentially. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Etsy.com is the world\u2019s leading sales platform for handmade and vintage items. But it didn\u2019t start out that way. In 2005, Etsy was a mere concept and today, it boasts a $6 billion market cap<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s what the company did: Tinder changed the online dating game by introducing the \u201cswipe.\u201d As of 2024, it boasted 60 million monthly active users<\/a> and 9.6 million subscribers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are a few growth marketing strategies Tinder used to become the powerhouse that it is today: Spotify currently boasts more than 600 million users<\/a> and a market cap of $142 billion<\/a>. But how did the company reach these numbers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Initially, Spotify was a disruptor. By offering a seemingly endless music catalog for a low monthly fee, or even free with ads, Spotify changed how we listen to music. But beyond this, Spotify employed growth marketing strategies like: One of the best parts about growth marketing is that it\u2019s fairly inexpensive to do. Generally, it involves the analytics tools built into the business software you\u2019re already using, like Google Analytics and your email marketing client. If you aren\u2019t using a program like this, now may be a good time to invest in one, as they provide the data you need for effective growth marketing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n KPI stands for key performance indicator.<\/strong> KPIs are measurable factors that show how a business or promotion is performing. Take a look at these examples: Before you can start implementing a growth marketing strategy (or a few strategies), you need to have a clear view of your goals<\/strong> and how to measure your progress toward them. <\/strong>These are your goals and KPIs. First, determine what you aim to change, such as increasing engagement with your brand\u2019s content or adding new subscribers to your email list. Then, determine how <\/em>you\u2019ll measure your success (or lack thereof) toward these goals. For the first, KPIs may be the number of videos watched and the average watch time per video. For the second, KPIs may be subscription and unsubscribe rates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After you\u2019ve determined your goals and KPIs, the next step is to determine how you\u2019ll work toward these goals. Sticking with our examples from the previous section, let\u2019s say your goal is to increase the amount of engagement your brand\u2019s videos receive. From here, you can A\/B test different thumbnails and titles. You can also switch up your videos\u2019 format, such as including a call to action earlier in the video or dividing them into chapters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, do the strategy. If it\u2019s A\/B testing video thumbnails and titles, upload the options (many platforms, such as YouTube, include software that makes A\/B testing easy) and allow the data to accumulate. Let your customers speak through their actions. As you collect the data, you\u2019ll see exactly what they like, what they don\u2019t like, what they do and how they engage with your brand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that you have data about your customers, you can make adjustments to future content, offers or simply your brand experience to better match their preferences. You might find that, on average, viewers only watch your videos halfway through. With this information, you might want to try testing shorter videos. Then, test those shorter videos. What does the updated data show you? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Growth marketing isn\u2019t a one-and-done strategy. It\u2019s a continuous, ever-evolving approach to running a business. With traditional marketing, you\u2019re using trusted methods for creating brand awareness and provoking interest. With growth marketing, you\u2019re building relationships and continually changing how your brand shows up in those relationships.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a growing business, whether you\u2019ve just launched or you\u2019ve been in the game for a few years, you know you\u2019re always marketing. As you map out your next marketing campaign, think about your big-picture goals: Are you still growing, or are you at a place where you can comfortably stick to traditional marketing methods? If you\u2019re at a point where building and maintaining an audience is your primary goal, focus on growth marketing. This way, you\u2019ll not only gather valuable data about what works, you\u2019ll also develop a deeper, more effective connection with your customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What is growth marketing? Growth marketing aims to sustainably grow a business over time, rather than overtly drive sales. 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Growth marketing defined<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"analytics](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_1024,h_683,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1753343830\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/analytics-graphics\/analytics-graphics.jpg?_i=AA\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nA\/B testing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Customer journey optimization<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Multichannel experimentation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"storefront](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_1024,h_1024,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1753343746\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/color-scheme\/color-scheme.jpg?_i=AA\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nData-driven decisions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Growth marketing vs. other types of marketing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"two](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_1024,h_1024,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1753343841\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/two-flyers\/two-flyers.jpg?_i=AA\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTraditional marketing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Growth hacking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"smartphones](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_1024,h_1024,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1753343847\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/smartphones\/smartphones.jpg?_i=AA\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nGrowth marketing in action<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Etsy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Tinder<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Spotify<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Getting started with growth marketing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Identify your goals and KPIs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
Determine the best strategies for your brand<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"storefront](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_1024,h_1024,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1753343737\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/donut-day-banner\/donut-day-banner.jpg?_i=AA\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTest and collect data<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Refine and repeat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"hand](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_1024,h_683,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1753343753\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/hand-designing\/hand-designing.jpg?_i=AA\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nReady to scale? Give growth marketing a try<\/h2>\n\n\n\n