You want a marketer, not a growth hacker

It’s intriguing to witness how the term “growth hacking” has taken over startups over the past few years.

Every emerging VC-backed company seems eager to secure one of these infamous individuals.

The term “hacking” alone carries an air of excitement and potential—implying the capability to rocket launch your company growth through shortcuts!

Why wait for a marketer to take years, if a growth hacker can do it in months?

After speaking to numerous individuals and assessing their hiring preferences, I have made a simple conclusion:

What you actually want is a skilled, modern marketer who is good with software.

To avoid any misinterpretation, allow me to quickly define some terms:

• Marketing: promoting the product or service you offer
• Growth: expanding the company’s presence in a particular domain, often towards profitability
• Growth marketing: marketing that is tailored to scaling existing marketing operations
• Growth hacking: employing specialized techniques that lie outside conventional marketing practices to gain a competitive edge

Of course, getting everyone to agree on exact definitions is difficult.

The life changing growth hack any growth hacker embarks upon is often in their own career: positioning themselves as a growth hacker rather than a marketer.

While I previously identified as a growth hacker, my current stance is to simply state that I possess the capability to growth hack or boast growth hacking skills.

By this, I mean that my experiences have enabled me to: 1) identify gaps within marketing processes, 2) capitalize on existing internal resources, 3) conceive smart methods for enhancing the lead journey and conversion rates.

Growth hacking infers that the groundwork for marketing processes has already been laid within a company.

I always advocate for companies to establish a foundational level of marketing operations prior to expanding specific channels through new hires.

Thus, when people tell me that their early-stage company with a single marketer seeks a growth hacker, I wish they would free themselves from the false expectation that such unicorns exist.

A more precise term for what most companies are truly seeking is:

• Full stack marketer: an individual adept in all areas of marketing
• Technical marketer: an expert specializing in tools and software

CEOs, very few people will be able to find real shortcuts for you.

Should your aim be to market much better, don’t just search for “growth hackers”, include all marketing titles, and search for someone who:

1. Has experience in your niche
2. Has experience with the channels you want to double down on
3. Has a genuine passion for what you’re doing - these people will figure it out at all costs