Growth Hacking 
The Human Operating System for 
Marketing Technology 
@seanellis 
Sean Ellis 
Aug 20th 2014 
CEO of Qualaroo, 
GrowthHackers.com 
Twitter @seanellis
Origin: Desperate Startups 
• Aggressive targets, tight resources 
• Traditional approach not realistic 
• Had to think of something else… 
@seanellis
Growth Hacking 
• Experiment with all available growth levers 
• Understand what’s driving growth, test to improve 
• Heavy focus on product and optimization 
@seanellis
Potential Growth Levers 
• Engineered user-get-user 
• Massive platforms 
• Onboarding 
• Product 
@seanellis
Engineer User-Get-User 
@seanellis
Leverage Massive Platforms 
@seanellis
Onboarding: Optimize for Habits 
@seanellis
Distribute Via Product Levers 
@seanellis
The Growth Team 
“Growth team” complements existing marketing team 
• Multi-disciplinary 
• Cross functional 
• Evangelize growth culture 
@seanellis
Growth Hacking is Experiment 
Driven Marketing 
@seanellis
Goal: Increase Units of Gratification 
@seanellis
Experimentation Process 
1. Ideas 
@seanellis 
2.Prioritize 
5.Optimize 
4.Analyze 3.Test
Inspiration for Ideas 
• Knowledge Sharing, Voice of Customer, Referral Data… 
@seanellis
Insights Help Prioritization 
• Quantitative/Qualitative insights 
• Understand what’s driving growth, 
double down. 
• Prioritize high potential, high 
probability, low effort 
@seanellis
Dropbox Example 
• Freemium reduced allowable CPA 
• Natural advantages to grow with 
collaboration and sharing 
• Catalyze sharing with double sided 
referral program 
• Optimize conversions on sharing loops 
• 300 million users with no traditional 
marketing 
@seanellis
10 Other Growth Engine Breakdowns 
@seanellis 
Download on Kindle
Questions? 
Thank You. 
Sean Ellis 
CEO of Qualaroo 
& GrowthHackers.com 
Twitter: @seanellis 
@seanellis

Growth Hacking: The Human Operating System for Martech (Marketing Technology)

  • 1.
    Growth Hacking TheHuman Operating System for Marketing Technology @seanellis Sean Ellis Aug 20th 2014 CEO of Qualaroo, GrowthHackers.com Twitter @seanellis
  • 2.
    Origin: Desperate Startups • Aggressive targets, tight resources • Traditional approach not realistic • Had to think of something else… @seanellis
  • 3.
    Growth Hacking •Experiment with all available growth levers • Understand what’s driving growth, test to improve • Heavy focus on product and optimization @seanellis
  • 4.
    Potential Growth Levers • Engineered user-get-user • Massive platforms • Onboarding • Product @seanellis
  • 5.
  • 6.
  • 7.
    Onboarding: Optimize forHabits @seanellis
  • 8.
    Distribute Via ProductLevers @seanellis
  • 9.
    The Growth Team “Growth team” complements existing marketing team • Multi-disciplinary • Cross functional • Evangelize growth culture @seanellis
  • 10.
    Growth Hacking isExperiment Driven Marketing @seanellis
  • 11.
    Goal: Increase Unitsof Gratification @seanellis
  • 12.
    Experimentation Process 1.Ideas @seanellis 2.Prioritize 5.Optimize 4.Analyze 3.Test
  • 13.
    Inspiration for Ideas • Knowledge Sharing, Voice of Customer, Referral Data… @seanellis
  • 14.
    Insights Help Prioritization • Quantitative/Qualitative insights • Understand what’s driving growth, double down. • Prioritize high potential, high probability, low effort @seanellis
  • 15.
    Dropbox Example •Freemium reduced allowable CPA • Natural advantages to grow with collaboration and sharing • Catalyze sharing with double sided referral program • Optimize conversions on sharing loops • 300 million users with no traditional marketing @seanellis
  • 16.
    10 Other GrowthEngine Breakdowns @seanellis Download on Kindle
  • 17.
    Questions? Thank You. Sean Ellis CEO of Qualaroo & GrowthHackers.com Twitter: @seanellis @seanellis

Editor's Notes

  • #2 Thanks Scott, Good afternoon everyone. Great to be back in Boston! So the web offers some really interesting growth opportunities.  Growth hacking is about tapping into these opportunities. Today I’ll be sharing the key growth opportunities of the web how you can take advantage of those opportunities. So why did growth hacking begin in startups?
  • #12 This is the key to sustainable growth… Vanity number growth doesn’t mean much.