Strategy State’s Power 9 Growth Hacking Tactic

We know that marketing activities can sometimes be a drag. It can often be hit and miss, all over the place and you occasionally don’t know what you’re doing.

It’s really important that you have a “Marketing Process” that is simple, effective and most importantly streamlined for efficiency.

This is even more important if you have a small business that doesn’t have its own marketing department or dedicated marketing person.

In a previous article, we’ve put together a guide to the best marketing tactics for 2019 – click to read.

To shed more light on how to improve your marketing efforts, let us tell you one of the marketing tactics we recommend at Strategy State.

Today we’re going to show you a VERY effective growth hacking marketing tactic.

It’s called the Power 9 Growth Hacking Tactic.

The goal of this marketing tactic is to spread your message as far and wide as possible and to squeeze as much value as possible from your marketing efforts.

Strategy State’s Power 9:

The power 9 growth hacking tactic

1. Create a Resource / Free Tool

This could be a chart, template, white paper, checklist, eBook, how to video, etc.

2. Create a “Free Download” landing page of the Resource/tool you have created

Insert an email opt-in to collect email addresses.

3. Write an article about it

In that article, you need to add a link to the free tool or resource.

4. Email Marketing – Add the links to your article and free resource

This helps drive traffic to your website.

5. Create a short video (up to 5mins) about your free resource

Show people the benefits and how to use it. Add this to your YouTube channel and other platforms.

6. Post your free Tool / Resource in Social Media

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest & other social platforms you’re on.

7. Repost your content 4 – 6 times per year.

This will give your content the maximum amount of exposure.

8. Post it on other people’s sites/platforms

Identify as many other sites and platforms where you can share your content

9. Continue to create multiple free resources and repeat

I.e. 1 X Free tool + 1 X Free Download + 1 X article + 1 X Email Marketing + 1 X Video + Post on Social Accounts + Post 4 – 6 times per year+ Post on other platforms + Create additional resources

This is how it works:

1. Create a Free Resource / Free Tool

Your free tool can be a chart, template, white paper, checklist, eBook, how to video, etc.

Time Analysis Exercise

Free Tool example: Time Efficiency Tracking Tool

Now, what is the point in giving away free resources? Isn’t that what you are meant to be selling?

Well yes and no. Firstly, it’s important to know that you need to give away A LOT of value in order to receive value in return.

One of the goals of creating free content is that it helps brands you as an authority within the industry. If prospects go to your website or social page and see you have dozens of posts, content, articles, freebies, etc. They’re typically going to view you as someone who knows what they’re talking about. Especially if the content is good.

Additionally,

Many people think that if they give “free stuff” away, then prospects won’t buy their products or services. This is not true.

The people that just use your free tools and don’t convert, will most likely never be your customers. They may be time rich and cash poor. While those who are cash rich and time poor will consume your products.

What free resources should I create?

Well, that really depends on the type of business you have.

The best way to find out what free tools to use would be by conducting keyword research. You can do this by using software such as Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, and Keywords Everywhere.

This will tell you how popular certain keywords are.

You’ll then know what free tools and resources people are searching for within your industry.

Here are a few examples of free resources that have worked well for others.

  • Lighting and ceiling fan shop = How to switch your fan to winter mode.
  • Marketing Agency = Free website audit tool.
  • Beauty Salon = 10 x DIY hairstyles you can do at home.
  • Car mechanic = How to maintain your care video/checklist.

 2. Create a “Free Download” of the Resource

As discussed earlier in step 1 this tactic involves creating a free downloadable resource for prospects.

For this to work, we need to Insert an email opt-in to collect email addresses.

Time Analysis Opt-in Form

Email opt-in form example: Free download the Time Efficiency Tracking Tool

Once you have created your free downloadable resource and uploaded it to your website.

You can add a simple feature to your website that enables prospects to download the resource once they have entered their email and contact details.

The goal of this step in the process is to increase your email subscribers list. The reason being is that the backbone of many marketing initiatives revolves around email marketing, as email marketing can get the highest return on investment compared to other marketing initiatives.

3. Write an article about your resource

When writing an article, you want to describe the issue and the solution you are offering with your free tool.

In that article, you’ll add a link to the free tool or resource.

Blog articleBlog article example: The 5 Deadly Sins of Business

The benefits of writing an article are multifold.

Firstly, an article supports your SEO efforts. This helps you rank higher and makes it easier for prospects to find your products and services.

Secondly, an article will help educate your prospects on the benefits of your free tool and push them further down the sales funnel. It also helps build trust and your relationship.

For best results articles should be around 2,000 words in length, contain your main keywords and 3-5 high-quality images. Make sure you keep your paragraphs short and add subtitles and lists to make it more readable. Be sure to add a clear call to action.

For more details on how to write amazing articles, check out Neil Patel’s guide here.

4. Email Marketing – Add the free tool to your email marketing campaign

We have now completed steps 1 through 3:

Step 1. You have created a free resource.

Step 2. You have added the free resource to your website.

Step 3. You have written an article that supports the resource.

Now we can move on to combining it with email marketing.

Email marketing

Email Marketing example

If you don’t use email marketing, it’s a good idea to consider it. As discussed, earlier, email marketing can be really effective and have a high return on investment. It’s a great way to keep prospects informed and help business owners and consumers stay connected.

There is a wide range of email marketing platforms available. Many of them are free up to a set number of subscribers. These free accounts will be more than enough to get you going if you’re starting out.

Some of the most popular include: MailChimp, AWeber, Constant Contact, ConvertKit and GetResponse to name a few.

Keep your email marketing clean simple and to the point.

People are constantly bombarded with emails and are reluctant to read long-winded newsletters. To increase your open rates, use a title that will entice people to open the email. Like: “Free Tool”.

For this tactic to work, we suggest you make the email about the free tool.

Here is an example of one we have created.

Always ensure that it is super easy for your subscribers to share the free resource and or articles.

5. Create a short video (up to 5mins) about your free resource.

The next step is to create a video that will help you reach potential customers and drive traffic to your website. A video is a highly-engaged form of media that works well with your social initiatives.

Short Video example: Time Analysis Exercise Instructional Video 

According to Animoto Video was consumers’ #1 favorite type of content to see from brands on social media in 2018.

Animoto

To read the full article click on the link below: https://animoto.com

The video you create can be in a format of a “How to” video. It can showcase the article you’ve written about and introduce the benefits of your free tool.

Add your video to YouTube or any other video platform you use. You can also add the video to your website, as additional content to your landing page or article.

The goal of creating the short video is to use another form of media to help drive awareness and leads for your business.

6. Post your free Tool / Resource on Social Media platforms

Now it’s time to post your free tool or article on social accounts. The most popular platforms are Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest.

instagram

Social Media example: Instagram

Again,

The goal here is to spread your content as far and wide as possible and to engage with as many people across different platforms. You may not know which platforms your ideal customers are on, so you’ll need to test and measure to see which platforms work best.

When posting on social platforms, take into consideration: When you post, what day of the week and how you can create content that people want to engage with.

When posting on social platforms, quality and consistency is the key.

7. Post your content 4 – 6 times per year.

To maximize the effectiveness of this strategy, we recommend that you post your content 4 to 6 times per year.

This will give you the best chance for all your potential prospects to consume your content. Often people may need to see your content a number of times before they engage with you. Always ensure you’re adding value with your content. Don’t post for the sake of it. Quality is king!

For more information on this specific tactic check out your Neil Patel’s video here.

This should run in conjunction with your content marketing plan.

If you would like a free social content plan template – Click here.

Ideally, you should automate your content marketing by using tools such as Hootsuite. This will enable you to preschedule and organize your social media in advance.

8. Post your content on other people’s social accounts/sites/blogs.

In this step, we will talk about two ways to create leverage using other people’s social accounts, sites, blogs.

The first way is to leverage your contents exposure is to use guest blogging. As the name suggests, you publish your content on other websites. It’s a common practice in digital marketing and is very helpful for SEO.

This involves identifying relevant sites and blogs where you can share your content. You need to find other sites that have a similar target audience to your own. Your content will need to compliment what that website is focused on.

Another way to leverage your content is to use social influencers. Influencers have a dedicated niche of followers who are passionate about a particular interest.

Influencers have built up trust and authority with their follows. If your product or service aligns with the influencer’s audience, it can be a great way to start a conversation and build a relationship with your brand.

To find influencers that might be useful to your business, try using tools like:

Social Blade.com. This tool enables you to search for popular influencers across many different platforms.

9. Create multiple Free tools and repeat

I.e. 1 X Free tool + 1 X article + 1 X Free Download + 1 X Email Marketing + 1 X Video + Post on Social Accounts + Post 4 – 6 times per year.

Now that you’ve gotten to the stage, you’re starting to become a real marketing Pro.

thumbs up

To make this marketing strategy fly you need to consistently create additional free tools, articles, email marketing, videos, etc. Then post them across all your different platforms, while leveraging off other platforms that get lots of traffic.

As time goes on, you’ll get much quicker at creating an organizing content.

This strategy does take effort but is designed to squeeze every last drop out of your marketing efforts. Over time you’ll see great results as your influence and brand grows.

Your ranking will improve, your inquiries will increase, and you’ll gain authority which will lead to additional sales.

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