1. It’s the product, silly Finally, it should be noted that growth hacking, when spread out to promote a bad product, is a waste of time and energy. Sorry, it requires to be put that openly. It is a noble idea to provide engineering growth for something important and meaningful. Promoting an idle idea, with idle execution, does not deserve your efforts . No matter what your charts are in the short term, your results won’t be permanent. Time destroys all hockey sticks that are not possessed by good products. 2. Growth is not mere science Growth can appear hidden and inconceivable, an instrument to be handled only the Silicon Valley elite. Actually, growth can be achieved by mortals. Growth involves a combination of good people, the good solutions they make, the good information they handle, and the good pieces of advice they get. Growth is partly creativity, partly haste, partly common sense, and in some cases - luck. Growth is incredible, but always possible to achieve. 3. Growth favors the agnostic There is a multitude of well-known ways how to promote growth. Proud businessmen arbitrarily determine that some ways of growth are better than others (i.e., they prefer viral loops to PPC). The fact is that every startup needs its own growth mechanisms due to their team DNA product. If you reject certain effective growth mechanisms at will, then you greatly reduce your chances of reaching scale. 4. Metrics don’t suggest any decision The main drawback of metrics is their impossibility to suggest any decision. For example, an A/B test doesn’t give you A and B. You, the maker, the businessmen, must develop your business with A and B. The test just informs you about which of the two options you’ve made is actually better. This applies to all of data, which is just numbers. For every hour you spend looking at reports and dashboards, spend at least 2 hours ideating and brainstorming . 5. Customer development involves swindle Customer development is an integral part of lean methodology. It involves the process of talking to your users and market before you create something in reality. If you are good at this, it will be like swindle, because users will show you the way to their soul. Kevin Mitnick was a well-known hacker (a real hacker, who was in prison), and to perform his hacks he used social engineering but not digital invasion. Perhaps we should take after him. Speak to people instead of using a keyboard . It’s the shortest way to growth because you’ll be creating something according to people’s demands. 6. Demolish cognitive overhead Product complexity is a drawback. Users desire things that have fewer features and steps and take less time. Nevertheless, we regard cognitive overhead as a basic source of disagreement. David Demaree describes cognitive overhead as “ how many logical steps your mind has to make in order to comprehend or contextualize the thing you see” . Growth hackers commonly create products that are easily taken in beyond the niche tech multitude . 7. One metric that is essential Now we wish to concentrate on everything as we can trace everything. However, for any startup, there exists one metric that is essential at any time . The fact is that this metric changes subject to what your startup specializes in and what stage of development it is found in. Look through Lean Analytics by Alistair Croll and Ben Yoskovitz to discover the one metric that is essential for your startup. Or all your efforts in optimizing will be in vain. 8. Interconnection is good, but causality is still better Judging by data, we can see when things are interconnected. When A rises, so does B. These are good guesses to collect. But there exists a more powerful thing – causation . A and B both occur in tandem, but does B induce A? Does A induce B? Does C induce both A and B? When you observe interconnections, then you should conduct experiments to discover the causal relationships. While interconnection gives you insights, causation gives you strength. 9. Profound growth can’t be destroyed You can take certain steps to retain users. You can take certain steps to drive traffic. You can take certain steps to hack growth at a surficial level, but profound growth cannot be easily manipulated. Create those products that are closely connected with the lives of people, become their addictions and habits– aim at something that is inherent to the human psyche . Facebook-esque, LinkedIn-esque and Twitter-esque growth cannot be destroyed. There are deep things at play. 10. Data-informed is more reasonable than data-driven Data is useful, but there is a trap. Data shouldn’t dictate our deeds, it should inform our solutions. The successful development of any startup is determined by the profound ability of the people who participate in it. When people are “informed” by data, they are sure to generate something worthy. However, when humans are “driven” by data, they start thinking in the way machines do and making solutions that do not please ordinary customers. 11. Language matters much Startups are commonly connected with design, and it’s quite right, but it is difficult to exaggerate the influence of our language on consumer acquisition. Don’t be afraid to play with words and alter them. Your written masterpieces do much useful work, help you to sell and achieve a success. Language is the oldest and the most reliable growth hack of humanity. The right choice of words, in the correct order, at the right time, can work wonders.
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