Completely new to growth marketing or a veteran to the trade? We’ve rounded up the top 5 must read resources to get you started!
Otherwise known as ‘growth hacking,’ growth marketing is a term that describes the process of driving demand and attracting new customers. Growth marketing is a fairly new term that has changed the way marketers grow their business and maintain retention.
There are plenty of online and print resources written by people who have experience transforming a start-up into a million dollar venture. Some of these resources are free to access including blogs, articles, podcasts, and videos, while others are available to purchase online as e-books or hardcover copies.
If you’re a budding entrepreneur yourself, it can be hard finding the time to learn about the success stories and strategies that have worked for others. With so many options to choose from, how do you know who is worth reading or not?
That’s why we’ve saved you the trouble by compiling a short list of the most popular and insightful resources about growth marketing. These include a range of blogs and books touching on topics about growth marketing, team management, customer retention, starting a business and self-improvement.
It’s worth remembering these people have been on perhaps the same journey you’re taking now.
By listening to their stories and taking on board their advice on growth marketing, team management, customer retention, starting a new business and self-improvement – you can save yourself from making certain mistakes and accelerating the growth of your business.
With that being said, let’s take a look at Top 5 Resources for Growth Marketing and learn more about these successful entrepreneurs.
1. Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth
Written by: Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares
Average Reading Time: Approximately 5 hours.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your business is getting enough traction – this book will answer all your questions.
Written by Gabriel Weinberg (creator of Duck Duck Go) and Justin Mares (co-founder of Kettle & Fire), Traction is an engaging analysis on the common issues that companies face when launching new products.
The book draws on the real-life experiences of both writers, who talk about their initial attempts to gain traction and the eventual strategies that helped build their multi-million dollar empires.
Why it’s a Must Read
The most unique feature of Traction is a 3-step strategy called the ‘bullseye’ approach.
Don’t worry, this isn’t a wishy washy ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.
It’s a framework designed to help businesses identify the right distribution channels to instigate growth and sustain it to reach their business goals. From email marketing to search engine optimisation, video content and social media campaigns – you’ll find it all here.
3 Key Takeaways
- The pros and cons of 19 different online and offline distribution channels
- Choosing the right distribution channels to build your customer-base
- How to boost the results of email marketing campaigns and search engine rankings
2. Smartcuts: How Hackers, Innovators, and Icons Accelerate Success
Author: Shane Snow
Average Reading Time: 5 and ½ hours
Are overnight successes purely based on luck? According to journalist, entrepreneur, author and founder of Contently, Shane Snow – possibly not.
Smartcuts is an analysis into the people and companies who achieve success in an unbelievably short amount of time.
Shane pinpoints the idea of lateral thinking as the key to accelerating growth. This logic can be applied to not just business but in politics, music and the entertainment industry. The book also challenges the traditional approach to success and how ‘paying your dues’ can actually stagnate your growth.
By using real-life examples and studies to back up his claims, Smartcuts is an engaging read that’ll change your perception of running a business.
Why it’s a Must Read
Smartcuts draws a clear distinction between taking a ‘shortcut’ and a ‘smartcut.’ Shane emphasizes that shortcuts are often short-term gains that compromise quality, while a ‘smartcut’ is an ethical decision that’s made to increase the efficiency of your business.
3 Key Takeaways
- Encourages entrepreneurs to adopt lateral thinking to overcome problems
- Challenges the idea of ‘paying your dues’ to achieve success in life
- Identifies the key difference between the short-term gains of a shortcut and the proven methods of a ‘smartcut.’
3. OkDork Blog
OkDork is a blog run by Noah Kagan, the founder of sumo.com.
Here, Noah shares his tales on marketing, starting a business, self-improvement and boosting your productivity. OkDork is an insightful and entertaining read for those who want a generous mix of storytelling and down-to-earth business advice.
Why it’s a Must Read
With experience on both sides of the corporate sector – a cubicle monkey and successful entrepreneur – Noah’s insight into the world of advertising is entertaining and deeply personal.
Noah believes in chasing your passions and not simply pursuing financial gain. He even uses his own company Sumo as an example, which on the surface sells marketing tools – but with the intention of helping people run a successful business and be financially secure.
3 Key Takeaways
- Noah believes in the power of communicating with people and collaborating to help each other grow.
- Noah’s blog has a lot of variety which makes it appealing to people who want to go beyond just growth marketing. It focuses on improving your mindset, staying social in isolating businesses and making time for yourself.
- The blog is easy to digest and most importantly – fun to read. Noah speaks in bite-sized chunks and uses lots of bullet points to maintain your interest. It’s entertaining and reveals the human side you don’t often get to see from people who run big businesses.
4. Bob Bly Blog
Robert W. Bly is a well-known direct response Copywriter with over 30+ years of experience in freelance writing and marketing. He’s published over 90 books on marketing, business writing, copywriting and much more.
As a specialist in B2B marketing, Bob is highly skilled in all forms of marketing including online marketing, sales letters, email marketing campaigns, brochures, articles, press releases, white papers and more.
Why it’s a Must Read
During Bob’s 35 years of experience, he has witnessed the steady transition from print to web copywriting. His blog shares valuable insight into a variety of topics including business writing, communicating with clients, digital marketing, customer service experiences, and branding.
Bob is also an avid reader and regularly shares snippets of advice and quotes from what he’s currently reading.
3 Key Takeaways
- With over 30+ years of experience, Bob often shares valuable insight into the pros and cons of today’s Copywriting industry.
- Bob’s website is good example of simple web design done right – proof that you don’t need flashy design to run a successful business.
- Bob has been blogging since 2004 and has literally hundreds (if not thousands?) of blog posts that’ll keep you engaged for hours.
5. Casey Accidental
Casey Winters is a former marketer at GrubHub and growth leader at Pinterest. He’s currently an advisor in residence at Greylock Partners. His blog is a combination of posts discussing MBA theory, growth strategies, startup execution, marketing, management and team building.
Why it’s a Must Read
Casey is an experienced marketer who helped GrubHub grow from a few thousand users to several millions, while working on several growth elements to help Pinterest reach 150 million monthly active users.
Casey goes into incredible detail about growth strategies, team management and overcoming the problems that come with scaling a business. His calculated approach to business management involves analysing all the possible avenues, asking the right questions and making decisions to encourage the adoption of new customers.
3 Key Takeaways
- Casey makes sure to share advice that is applicable to a range of scenarios and businesses – so you’re sure to find something relevant to your business.
- Casey often hosts his own podcast, which is ideal if you don’t have the time to read his more in-depth articles.
- Check out his ‘Selected Quora Answers’ for his response to questions he’s been asked by everyday people.
Starting a new business is one of the most challenging things you can possibly do. However, that doesn’t mean you have to go alone.
There’s a wealth of valuable insight out there from people who have been through the ups and downs of running a business. By taking on-board their advice and following their proven strategies, you can develop a tailored strategy to encourage growth and stability for your business.
Have you found any of these resources helpful with running your business?
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