Growth Hacker for Hosting Website
The Marketing Evolution
Back in the day, marketers were like the people you see on Mad Men. Then, the Internet happened. With the Internet can Search Engine Optimization, and with that came a bunch of people putting on the ‘SEO Expert!' hat. So, companies began to replace VPs of Marketing with SEO experts. Now, there's a new label in town.
The newest marketing job or term (depends on how you look at it) is a growth hacker. As the name suggests, a growth hacker looks at every possible way to maximize growth. Not through traditional methods, but through methods that maybe haven't been thought of yet. Stuff like what AirBnB did to achieve its fame way back in the company's starting days.
Do You Need a Growth Hacker?
Hiring one of these Internet gurus is really not a bad idea. But, don't go the traditional route. You don't want someone with ten years of marketing experience. You want someone green with ideas. Someone that's analytical, can put things in order and think in lists. Someone that can imagine and create ways to market to your target. Someone that's part hacker and part James Bond.
Where do you find such people? Most growth hackers have engineering backgrounds – but you don't want these types. Why? Go for someone that's coming from a creative angle. Someone that has copy writing skills, say, or other skills that challenge that person to constantly think differently. People that see the colors between the black and the white. Those are your growth hackers, and those are the people that will change your marketing outlook.
Where To Find Them
Almost all of the best growth hackers out there were discovered by higher ups. Someone noticed that these people had the potential to grow, and that's how they morphed into being the amazing growth hackers that they are today. You can look at your own company to see if anyone fits this bill. If not, you can start by looking for people with the growth hacker title through the usual channels.
But, again, you want someone that thinks differently. Someone that's offbeat. Does that person have to know how to code? Not so much. However, that person does have to know how to market analytically. That's my definition of growth hacker: someone that can look at marketing in an analytical fashion. So, a cross between an artist and an analyst. Do you need one? It can't hurt.
What do you think about growth marketers? Are you going to hire a growth hacker to help your cheap hosting startup grow, or are you already looking for ways to market without the use of a hacker? Let me know what you think below.