Josh Fechter: Growth Hacker Marketing Secrets | E13

Podcast Summary

• From Failures to Success: A Growth Hacker's Journey: Learn from failures, stay focused on growth, and persevere to achieve success in growth hacking.

  Growth hacking is a crucial strategy for predictable, repeatable, and scalable business growth, and it involves a combination of marketing engineering, data analysis, and the mindset of a growth hacker. Josh Vechter, a renowned growth hacker and CEO of Badass Marketers and Founders, shares his journey from struggling with startup failures to becoming a top marketer in the industry. He emphasizes that there's no such thing as an overnight success and that failures are inevitable on the path to success. Josh started interning for startups early in college, experiencing several failures and even working for startups that didn't pay him. He then founded his own startup, which grew to recruit 150 writers using Facebook graph, but couldn't monetize it. He then worked as a VP of marketing for a mobile app with no product market fit. Through these experiences, he learned valuable lessons and eventually found success in growth marketing. Josh's story underscores the importance of perseverance, learning from failures, and staying focused on the goal of growth.

• Learning from Failure: Despite setbacks, valuable skills can be gained and new opportunities found through adaptability, transferable skills, hard work, and persistence.

  Even when faced with failure, there are valuable lessons to be learned. In the speaker's case, they joined a mobile app startup that was doomed to fail due to an impending API shutdown and a lack of clear product market fit. Despite not getting hired by the companies they interviewed with after leaving the startup, the speaker learned valuable skills in copywriting and eventually found success in a Facebook marketing software company. The experience taught them the importance of adaptability and transferable skills, as well as the value of hard work and persistence. It's important to remember that setbacks are a natural part of the journey to success, and each experience, good or bad, can lead to growth and new opportunities.

• Learning from industry experts and building a network through events and online communities: Through a combination of attending industry events, learning from experts, and building an online community, the speaker was able to grow his network and gain valuable knowledge, leading to the creation of BAMF.

  Passion and learning led the speaker to grow in his career and eventually start BAMF. He began by hosting marketing events in San Diego and later in San Francisco, which helped him learn from industry experts and build a network. When he moved to San Francisco and started working for an event subscription company, he applied these event marketing tactics to grow the events he was organizing there. He then expanded his network online by creating a Facebook group for growth hackers, where he shared his knowledge and attracted a large following. Through these experiences, he learned the value of good mentorship and the importance of seizing opportunities.

• Growing a successful online community: To build a thriving online community, attract a large and targeted audience, provide valuable resources, and empower members to contribute.

  Building a successful online community requires both a large and targeted audience, as well as engaging content and experiences for members. The speaker shared his experience of growing a marketing group by emailing potential members from well-known startup programs, eventually leading to over 23,000 members. However, he emphasized that just attracting members isn't enough – providing valuable resources, such as tutorials and books, and empowering members to contribute their own content, is crucial for fostering a thriving community. Additionally, the speaker's story illustrates the importance of seizing opportunities, like joining a VC firm or negotiating a salary, to gain valuable experience and knowledge, even if the initial outcome doesn't go as planned.

• Using opportunities for growth: Staying strategic and open to opportunities can lead to significant income growth. Understand marketing as a science with measurable results, adapt to new frameworks and tools, and maintain a positive mindset to overcome struggles and failures.

  Being strategic and open to opportunities can lead to significant growth. The speaker shared how they used competing job offers to negotiate a better salary and bring on a full-time videographer. This experience led them to name their community "Badass Marketers and Founders," which later became a company. The speaker also emphasized the importance of understanding that marketing is no longer a guessing game, but a science with measurable results. The role of CMOs is evolving, and older CMOs who rely on hunches may struggle to adapt to the new frameworks and tools required for effective marketing. By staying motivated and having the right mindset, one can overcome struggles and failures, and experience rapid income growth.

• Understanding Growth Marketing Before Outsourcing: Founders should grasp growth marketing principles and assets before hiring a CMO or agency to avoid wasting resources and ensure long-term success.

  Before outsourcing marketing tasks to an agency, founders should ensure they have a solid understanding of growth marketing frameworks and execution. Hiring a CMO or an agency without this foundation can lead to wasted resources and potentially bankrupt the startup. Growth marketing involves testing different marketing strategies through a framework that includes investment cost, expected result, and time frame. Compounding and transferable assets are crucial in growth marketing, with the former building an audience or following that can benefit future endeavors and the latter being assets that can be taken from one job to another. Founders should focus on building these types of assets for long-term success. It's essential to have hands-on experience and a deep understanding of growth marketing concepts before delegating tasks to others. While it may take time and effort to learn, the knowledge gained will be invaluable in the long run.

• Challenging the status quo with innovative tools and strategies: Using Shopify for selling various types of products online and in person, managing multiple investment accounts on Yahoo Finance, and engaging with valuable content on LinkedIn and Quora can lead to significant impact in business and finance.

  Breaking the norm and challenging the status quo can lead to significant impact, as demonstrated by Appam's experience with LinkedIn's algorithm and his successful use of Shopify for his business. Shopify provides an all-in-one solution for selling various types of products online and in person, making it easier for entrepreneurs to focus on growing their businesses. Additionally, managing multiple investment accounts can be simplified by using a platform like Yahoo Finance, which offers a unified view of one's wealth and various tools for analysis and decision-making. Appam's accidental discovery of LinkedIn's responsiveness to engaging content and his extensive Quora presence led to viral success on the platform, highlighting the importance of sharing valuable content and being active online. Overall, these tools and strategies can help individuals maximize their potential in both business and finance.

• Discovering the power of storytelling on LinkedIn: Effective storytelling through status updates on LinkedIn can lead to massive engagement and influence, but staying ahead of the curve and refining your approach is crucial as the platform evolves.

  Identifying unique content strategies and executing them effectively can lead to massive engagement and influence on professional social media platforms like LinkedIn. The speaker discovered that storytelling through status updates was an untapped resource, and by capitalizing on it, he gained significant reach with over 200 million views. However, as more people began to adopt this strategy, the platform responded by changing its algorithm to prioritize authentic, original content. This highlights the importance of staying ahead of the curve and continuously refining one's approach to social media marketing. Additionally, the speaker emphasized the rarity of skilled storytellers and the value of investing in this skill to build a personal brand and connect with audiences.

• Effectively distributing content is crucial for growth, but automation tools come with challenges on LinkedIn: Up-and-coming influencers can use automation tools like Mailshake for email campaigns, but LinkedIn poses challenges. Micro-targeted paid advertising and collecting customer data are effective alternatives.

  Creating high-quality content is essential for growth, but it's equally important to effectively distribute that content. For up-and-coming influencers, automation tools can be a game-changer for community building. For instance, automating email campaigns using tools like Mailshake has been effective in growing the BAMF group. However, the use of automation tools for social media platforms like LinkedIn comes with challenges as many of them are getting banned. Instead, micro-targeted paid advertising can be an alternative to reach potential customers at the right time and place. By collecting specific data on customer personas, businesses can effectively market to them and close sales cycles faster. While there are still some automation tools available for LinkedIn, it's crucial to start with building the necessary skills before relying on them.

• Maximizing Growth with Automation: Balancing Tools and Human Connection: Automation tools can enhance growth hacking and content distribution, but strong content creation skills and authentic human connection are essential. Understand sales cycles, provide value, stay informed, and use automation wisely.

  While automation tools can be effective for growth hacking and content distribution, they are not a substitute for strong content creation skills and authentic human connection. The speaker emphasizes the importance of having a solid understanding of sales cycles and providing value to potential customers before trying to sell to them. He also mentions the importance of staying informed about changing perceptions and expectations on social media platforms and being mindful of how automation is perceived by users. Additionally, the speaker shares his experience creating custom extensions and using virtual assistants to help with tasks, but emphasizes that design skills and an understanding of the underlying technology are necessary for these projects. Overall, the key takeaway is that while automation can be a powerful tool, it should be used in conjunction with strong content and authentic human interaction to maximize its effectiveness.

• Providing value and helping others builds personal brand and acquires customers: Effectively providing value through creative means can lead to job opportunities and establish expertise.

  Providing value and helping people is the foundation for building a personal brand and acquiring customers or users. This can be done at scale by effectively and creatively providing value, rather than focusing solely on marketing strategies. A powerful example of this is the use of social media tools to connect with influential individuals and offer assistance, leading to job opportunities. Additionally, the concept of "broetry," a mobile-optimized writing style, highlights the importance of making content easily digestible and accessible to a wide audience. By focusing on providing value and helping others, individuals can build strong relationships and establish themselves as experts in their field.

• Effective copywriting principles like vulnerability, controversy, and pain make stories engaging: Use vulnerability, controversy, and pain to make stories relatable. Focus on clear and concise language to make your stories pop online, avoiding adverbs.

  Effective copywriting principles, such as vulnerability, controversy, and pain, have remained consistent for centuries. These elements make stories engaging and relatable, whether they're shared on Quora, Facebook, or LinkedIn. For instance, a LinkedIn post that goes viral might begin with a controversial career statement and then delve into the pain points of hiring. By using a powerful hiring platform like Indeed, businesses can save time and resources by attracting, interviewing, and hiring all in one place. Indeed's data shows that over 80% of employers receive perfect resume matches when they sponsor a job, and they only pay for applications that meet their requirements. With features like these, it's no wonder Indeed delivers 4 times more hires than all other job sites combined. To improve copywriting skills, reading books like "The Elements of Style" is a great start. This short book outlines essential principles for writing compelling sentences and stories. However, it's important to note that using adverbs can weaken your writing. Instead, focus on clear and concise language to make your stories pop online. For example, instead of saying "I was very happy," say "I was happy." Avoiding adverbs can make your writing more impactful and engaging. By applying these principles, you'll be well on your way to crafting effective and compelling copy.

• Bring your message to life with vivid language and personal experiences: Using descriptive and emotional language, sharing personal stories, and understanding yourself can help create authentic and engaging content.

  Being descriptive and emotional in your writing or communication can help bring your message to life and connect with your audience. Using vivid language and sharing personal experiences can evoke emotions and create a more engaging experience for the reader. Additionally, it's important to know yourself well and identify what you're passionate about in order to create authentic and meaningful content. This can help you stay inspired and motivated, without relying on external sources like social media or influential figures. Finally, reading biographies and understanding the different types of entrepreneurs can provide valuable insights and help you identify which path aligns best with your strengths and goals.

• Understanding yourself and your passion is key to building a successful business and online community.: Authenticity, relationships, and understanding your audience are crucial for success in both business and online communities. Prioritize customers over your own vision for sustainable growth. YouTube is recommended for artists, LinkedIn for business growth due to targeted networking opportunities.

  Understanding yourself and your passion is key to building a successful business and online community. Building authentic relationships with customers and community members is essential for discovering new ideas and monetizing a community. Founders who prioritize their customers over their own visions are more likely to build sustainable businesses. For millennials looking to invest their efforts, YouTube is recommended for artists looking to build a brand, while LinkedIn is suggested for those focused on business growth due to its targeted networking opportunities. Authenticity, relationships, and understanding your audience are crucial elements for success in both business and online communities.

• Facebook groups: A powerful tool for engagement: Facebook groups offer businesses opportunities for engagement through features like Messenger and large audiences, while YouTube is predicted to become increasingly important for B2B content creation in 2019.

  While Twitter may no longer be the most active social media platform for building online communities and generating responses for businesses, Facebook groups remain a powerful tool for engagement. With features like Messenger and Facebook groups, businesses can reach large audiences and receive significant feedback. Josh also predicts that YouTube will become an increasingly important platform for B2B content creation in 2019 due to its relatively unsaturated nature and the ability to rank for keywords quickly. To learn more about Josh's insights and resources, listeners can join his Facebook group, Badass Marketers and Founders, and check out his upcoming book and software product.