Being a relatively new concept, growth hacking has attracted many myths. Instead of getting into growth hacking with doubts wondering what the field holds for you, it’s important to know the truth. If you’ve ever wondered if something you heard about growth hacking was right or wrong, look no further.
This article will focus on debunking some of the most common myths about growth hacking.
Let’s get right into it.
Myth 1: You must be a programmer to become a growth hacker
Most growth hacker definitions on the web are to blame for this myth. If you take a quick look online at most growth hacking definitions, you will find them restrictive if you are not a coder or programmer. The truth of the matter is; most growth hackers don’t actually code.
It is understandable why most growth hacking definitions revolve around coding. This is simply because growth hackers depend on code to achieve most growth hacking goals. This shouldn’t however be mistaken to mean that growth hackers must be programmers.
Although growth hackers need programmers on their teams, they don’t need to be programmers themselves. Some little knowledge can help although not as much as most people would like to imagine.
All a growth hacker needs to do is to sell his vision to the programmer/s in his team i.e. tell them to track product interactions, referrals, signups etc. and then leave the programmers/developers to implement the code. From this fact alone, it’s clear that you don’t need to be a programmer or coder to become a growth hacker.
Myth 2: Traditional marketers can’t become growth hackers
Given the fact that most growth hacking definitions state that growth hackers use new and better marketing methods i.e. they are better than traditional marketers, there has been this notion that traditional marketers can’t become growth hackers. This is far from the truth. Traditional marketers are viewed as opponents instead of close allies of growth hacking. If anything, growth hackers are marketers who have specialised on activities which focus on growth alone.
Although this focus has resulted in a subculture that looks less like marketing, growth marketing isn’t miles apart from traditional marketing as most people would like to think. In fact, the traditional marketer is best placed to be a growth hacker should they choose to provided they have a strong technical and analytical mind. Also, growth hacking pioneers i.e. Sean Ellis among many others still consider themselves marketers since that is the title they feel they are most associated with.
Myth 3: You must be unethical to become a growth hacker
This is another common growth hacking myth that arises from the essence of growth hacking which is growth. It’s important to note that focusing on growth too much can sometimes make growth hackers look like they don’t have the best interests of other people at heart.
This explains why growth hackers must learn to draw the line at some point. It is also important to appreciate the fact that growth hacking is like any other discipline so it is bound to attract bad actors as well.
Although some growth hackers have been accused of using extremely aggressive practices to acquire user contact information, it’s not good to generalize.
Majority of growth hackers out there today build harmless products and get them out through their thorough knowledge of distribution channels. It’s downright smart, not unethical.
