Growth Hacking.

The term was coined by the marketer Sean Ellis around 2010. He was looking for someone at start-ups whose only job was growth, not brand management or campaigns. The method behind it: collect ideas, prioritise them by expected impact and effort, implement them as a small experiment with a clear metric, evaluate, and scale up what works. Then the next idea.

Typical experiments are not just about advertising. Often the lever lies in the product or on the website: a shorter sign-up form, different wording on the main button, a referral programme, a free tool that attracts prospects. Many experiments are A/B tests, in which two variants run against each other. What matters is that it is settled beforehand how success will be measured.

An example: an online coffee shop tests three ideas in one month. First, free delivery from CHF 50 instead of CHF 80. Second, a subscription offer directly on the product page. Third, an email to customers whose last order was six weeks ago. The email delivers the biggest effect for the least effort and is automated; the other two are dropped or adjusted. (Illustrative example.)

The method reaches its limits where data is lacking. With few visits per week, every test takes too long to be meaningful. The name also tempts people into shortcuts that are legally or ethically questionable, such as bought address lists or misleading scarcity. For SMEs the useful core is simple: small steps, clear measurement, scale up what works. The basis of every experiment is measurement you can trust: clean conversion tracking.