Think you know the rules of marketing? Think again. Growth marketing is here to shake things up in the best possible way. Growth marketing, a type of promotion that relies heavily on data and experimentation, is more popular than ever. Learn what it takes to organically grow your business with growth marketing here.
What Is Growth Marketing?
Growth marketing techniques are data-driven. It’s used to find the best method for every stage of the process, including user acquisition, customer engagement and retention, and brand recognition. Growth marketing teams conduct experiments and design new processes to improve results and increase conversion rates.
Growth Marketing is redefining the marketing rule book. So, what exactly is growth marketing? The best way to understand growth marketing is to first look at traditional marketing.
Traditional marketing focuses on activities that will create short-term wins. In the classic marketing funnel model, it focuses on the top. In contrast, growth marketing focuses on the whole funnel.
What Is Growth Marketing Used For?
Growth marketing is a long-term strategy that focuses on building customer relationships and loyalty. Additionally, this type of marketing uses the scientific method to design and carry out specific experiments that determine areas to improve upon.
For example, you may not realize it, but your business may not be keeping your customers engaged. After a few months of following, customers may drop off. This trend can be discovered through growth marketing. You can even discover the exact marketing aspect you should work on.
Some tasks in a growth marketing process include:
- Figuring out which marketing areas to improve upon
- Designing experiments for those methods that can be improved
- Conducting experiments
- Analyzing the results and continuing to conduct more experiments until you’re satisfied
Types of Growth Marketing
There are several types of growth marketing methods you can apply to your business. These are best described as the AAARRR method. It’s also called the pirate method.
The acronym stands for awareness, acquisition, activation, revenue, referral, and retention. Dive into the AAARRR method below.
Awareness. Awareness builds the brand. This part of the AAARRR method focuses on social media marketing and SEO optimization or content marketing. Marketers can experiment with their strategy and test what content works best.
Acquisition. Acquisition refers to acquiring new customers. This can be done through many different means. A marketer experiments here with generating leads and editing those systems that find customers.
Activation. Activation happens when existing customers use the service or product. This process may include customers coming back and continuously using the product or service.
Revenue. This is related to any part of the business that will make money. Marketers will test this strategy by experimenting with pricing. They could introduce different ideas like adjusting prices or even changing how the customer sees the prices on a page.
Retention. Retention is all about how satisfied customers are. Here, a marketer’s goal may be to offer a more personalized experience. If a customer feels that the business cares for them, they may want to come back more often or even encourage their friends and family to use the service or product.
Referral. Referral is when your customer is so pleased with the business, they tell others. Marketers can experiment with this concept by offering referral programs. Many businesses use this method. For example, once a customer buys a product, the business will offer them a discount on their next purchase if they share an emailed code.
Learning Growth Marketing
So, you want to learn growth marketing? Learning growth marketing is an excellent goal for anyone who owns a business, works for a business, or means business. There are various ways to start learning growth marketing, including classes, books, and online resources.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Growth Marketing?
The concept of growth marketing may be relatively quick to learn, but implementing it takes a lot of trial and error. The blog Frac.tl states it could take six months to see results. But, while there isn’t a number set in stone, there are benchmarks to help you set realistic expectations.
Results will vary, but you should see results within six months of starting your content marketing efforts. It’s important to note that you should continue to learn about the subject since the area is evolving quickly.
How to Learn Growth Marketing: Step-by-Step
The best way to learn growth marketing is to first understand the process and then to begin experimenting. Find some steps toward becoming an expert growth marketer below.
1. Learn and understand the framework for growth marketing. Learning about growth marketing and its effective practices is key. This helps you decipher the differences between growth hacking and digital marketing.
2. Brainstorm. Brainstorm ideas for each of your marketing channels. Imagine what success looks like for each. Ensure you are keeping track of data and ideas.
3. Experiment. Begin to run small experiments that don’t cost much money. Figure out if these experiments are working by running multiple versions and iterations.
4. Narrow down what is working. Figure out the best strategy and which channel shows the most promise, then work on this channel to grow it further.
5. Run more experiments. Now begin to execute more extensive experiments. Throughout these tests, you should continuously monitor results. Growth marketing uses the scientific method. Below are the steps of the scientific method.
- Make observations
- Ask questions about the observations
- Form a hypothesis
- Test the hypothesis
- Analyze the data from the experiment
- Lastly, decide whether you need to edit your hypothesis and run more experiments
The Best Growth Marketing Courses and Training
Such a popular marketing topic means there are plenty of classes available for those who wish to learn. There are nearly limitless possibilities to take an online or in-person growth marketing class, or even find a free option. Explore some opportunities below.
Best In-Person Growth Marketing Classes
If you thrive in a traditional classroom setting, then you might want to consider one of the following in-person growth marketing classes. Available for a variety of dates and prices, these are just a few of the in-person options out there.
UCF Digital Marketing Bootcamp
- Provider: University of Central Florida
- Dates: January 25, 2021 (18 weeks)
- Prerequisites: Varies
- Price: Varies
The University of Central Florida invites you to become a digital marketer in just 18 weeks. The program teaches you how to execute a successful marketing strategy and use popular marketing tools. The bootcamp is part-time and three days a week, so students can continue working full-time jobs while attending. Bootcamp students will also benefit from career services that will help them progress with their current career or search for a new opportunity.
"Career Karma entered my life when I needed it most and quickly helped me match with a bootcamp. Two months after graduating, I found my dream job that aligned with my values and goals in life!"
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Digital Marketing L.A. or Online
- Provider: General Assembly
- Dates: Several dates available
- Prerequisites: None, beginner-friendly
- Price: $3,950
Learn how to drive multichannel marketing strategies and campaigns powered by data with the Digital Marketing course presented by General Assembly. Find the secret to driving growth through multichannel campaigns powered by data and customer insight. General Assembly hosts the course for a variety of dates and times throughout the year.
Best Online Growth Marketing Courses
Online classes are some of the most popular to take due to their flexibility and accessibility. Find some online growth marketing classes below.
Growth Hacking With Digital Marketing
- Provider: Udemy
- Dates: Unlimited
- Prerequisites: Must have solid online navigation skills and an understanding of these concepts: SEO, social media, email marketing, online advertising
- Price: $129.99
Taking a growth hacking course may be useful for comparison. Learn this skill at the Growth Hacking with Digital Marketing online course from Udemy. You will explore digital metrics, digital conversion funnels, inbound marketing, email marketing, SEO, and more. Enjoy full lifetime access to the course. This course is currently on sale.
StartUp Growth Program
- Provider: Bell Curve, Demand Curve
- Dates: Varied dates, self-serve option available
- Prerequisites: None
- Price: $1,500-$3,000
Julian Shapiro, a professional growth expert out of Silicon Valley, teaches this program that combines hands-on training, growth playbooks, and a one-of-a-kind curriculum. Nothing about the program is prerecorded meaning everything happens in real-time through guides and Slack.
Best Free Growth Marketing Courses
Not sure what all the hype is about yet? Try one of the following free courses before you commit to anything that’s going to cost you.
Marketing Essentials
- Provider: Learn @Forbes
- Length: Eight courses, 18 hours
- Prerequisites: None
- Price: Free
The unlimited and free Learn@Forbes marketing courses are designed for a variety of learners and professions. Available as a 14-day free trial, Forbes Marketing Essentials features eight different classes.
Customer-Centric Marketing for Entrepreneurs
- Provider: edX
- Length: Four weeks, four to six hours per week
- Prerequisites: Intermediate level
- Price: Free, or certificate available for $149
Learn how to attract engaged customers through the Customer-Centric Marketing for Entrepreneurs class presented by BabsonX on edX. Self-paced and four weeks long, the free course teaches you practical lessons needed to design a customer-centric marketing campaign. If you wish to get a certificate following the course, then it costs $149.
Best Growth Marketing Books
Growth marketing books are an invaluable resource for learning about this rich topic. And there are plenty of books available. Find a few below.
Growth Hacker Marketing: A Primer on the Future of PR, Marketing, and Advertising, Ryan Holiday
Acclaimed business guru Ryan Holiday explains the new rules of marketing in this book. Filled with real case studies, it explores modern tactics and tools of marketing that are testable, trackable, and scalable.
Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth, Gabriel Weinberg
Traction explores ways to build and retain a customer base. Drawing on interviews from successful business founders, it teaches how to reach more customers, the effectiveness of marketing, and SEO among many more topics.
Contagious: Why Things Catch On, Jonah Berger
Written by Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania marketing professor Jonah Berger, Contagious explores the reason why products become popular. The book provides specific examples of techniques for designing and creating content that people will share.
Growth Marketing Certifications
Certifications are an excellent way to prove a skill to potential employers, continue learning, and stand out from others in the field. A few growth marketing certifications can be found below.
eCornell Growth Marketing Certificate
Totally online over two months, eCornell Growth Marketing Certificate teaches practical ways to drive the customer life cycle and redefine marketing approaches. Assistant professor Clarence Lee leads this certificate program.
Online Marketing Certified Professional (OMCP)
Duke offers a digital media and marketing certification course through their Office of Continued Learning. Online and self-paced, the class is designed for anyone looking to enhance their digital marketing skills.
Top Online Growth Marketing Resources
In addition to books and classes, there are additional resources available to those who wish to learn growth marketing. Explore a few resources below.
Hubspot
Hubspot features free courses and certifications on growth marketing. Some of the class topics include: developing a growth marketing mentality, Instagram marketing strategy, and learning Hubspot marketing software.
Growth Tribe
Growth Tribe is an exceptional resource for anyone trying to learn growth marketing. Intended for both individuals and companies, Growth Tribe has a variety of live and online courses. The site helps to prepare you for an ever-changing digital world. Additionally, there is remote training available for teams.
Social Media Today
An excellent resource for anyone in marketing, Social Media Today provides millions of businesses updates on the social media industry. They are a leading publication that provides original analysis.
Should You Study Growth Marketing?
If you’re an entrepreneur, work in a marketing capacity, or are just trying to learn a new skill, you should study growth marketing. Growth marketing continues to evolve and can be applied to any size of business or even at the individual level. It’s also a great additional skill to add to your resume. Grow your skill set or business with growth marketing.
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