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is 1016779444 growth hacking concept largeThe word “hacks” is everywhere. From Pinterest teaching you how to paint wedding centerpieces to learning how to "hack" Facebook ads.

But the only kind of "hacks" we're interested in is growth hacks: tips that help your business. And as much as we'd like to tell you we found a magic hack – we didn't.

We are sharing some of our growth hacking tips that are easy to put in place AND that will set you apart from the competition. We have detailed those, for you, below.

Improve from the Inside Out

There's an expression that goes "Clean your own house first."

This isn't to say we don't think you know how to run your business. It's to point out that when you come from a point of internal success, everything else gets better, or should. Stick with us for how a strategy of improving from the inside works; it may not seem like it will cause outward growth, but it will.

is 1021671284 growth hackers in action largeIncreasing Employee Satisfaction: Why and How

Though there was that unfortunate bout with sexism and abuse that came to light last year, Google is generally a high employee satisfaction company.

They offer their employees high pay – they can afford to, they pretty much own the internet – but also a well thought out workspace. Their new office space in Boulder, Colorado has a climbing wall that the public can see looking in.

When employees feel stuck at their desk or have a creative block, they can go do some casual indoor bouldering. But that's not all. They also have nap pods and game rooms.

It's kind of like the idea of when you stop saying "A, B, and C" are off limits, they become less attractive. [sidebar]So instead of Google's employees goofing off all the time, they only use those benefits if they really need them. [/sidebar] Studies constantly show that a short nap of even 15 minutes when you’re dog tired will recharge your energy and make you far more productive than working while exhausted.

Happy Employees Lead to...

When you have happy employees, they have better interactions with customers. One marketing strategy from 2017 was to let your employees act as brand ambassadors, singing your praises.

But that's not all. More job satisfaction leads to less turnover, which leads to people doing better. They stay on longer and can perform with more experience/consistency.

All this to say when employees are happy, they'll do a better job and be more willing to help your company grow.

Treat Your Brand as a Person

This sounds like a strange concept, but it's not. Think about brand influencers. They're people, right? People who put their face behind a brand and interact with others.

[quotes]Well, the best brands do the same thing.[/quotes] Consider Wendy's. They're just a burger chain, right? They could have gone the easy way when creating their brand content and Twitter feed.

But instead, they gave their Twitter feed a distinct personality. It's catty, fun, and a little bit out there, but people L-O-V-E it. Seriously, one search of "Wendy's Twitter" brings up a first page full of articles about the brand's tweets and personality.

Part of that charm is that they interact with others as a brand. Yes, their way is to call other people and brands out, but that doesn't have to be your way.

The goal is to establish a voice for your brand that's so strong it both sounds and seems like a person to your followers.

And if you think this is trivial, check out this statistic from an article discussing Wendy’s social media success: Net income was $159.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2017 compared to net income of $28.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2016.

is 147205287 strategic planning largeDo a Yearly Strategic Planning Rewrite

We know, for a fact, that companies change a little bit each year. Who they are, who they target, and who their employees are is changing about 5 percent each year.

Your strategic long-term plan should change as well. Maybe last year you decided part of your businesses vision was to include customers in decisions via focus groups. Maybe that didn't work.

Every year rewrite your vision, your purpose, and your core values. Allow them to change and track what stays the same.

This will help you develop the kind of authentic brand with a human personality we were discussing before. People change with time as well. They may not differ a ton year to year, but no one stays 100 percent the same: Neither should your company and your brand.

And if something didn't work – for gracious sakes – change or stop it! There's no reason to keep investing and hoping a failed tactic will magically deliver results. That's not how life – or business – works.

Use Better Software

There's just about anything you want available when it comes to business software. You can get CRM solutions and work with a program that posts or schedules social media content.

These programs cost money, but they're worth the consistency they help you give your clients. Consistency is key since we're using well-known products that deliver results.

[sidebar]One of the most customer-friendly software trends right now is the chatbot add-on. [/sidebar] These are either AI (artificial intelligence) enabled or real people that are available to answer questions on every page of your site.

Customers don't have to go digging for your contact me link, they have someone live and ready to help. Chatbots not only deliver consistent answers to your clients, they provide value to your website visitors. And website value improves SEO results and creates more loyal customers.

Growth Hacking

If you expected this article to be full of crazy life-hack like tips, like storing your water bottle in the freezer sideways, we're sorry. The truth about growth hacking is that there isn't a short cut. You have to do good, consistent work.

Yes, you can focus and capitalize on trends, but there's no magic pill. Have a clear plan and only work with quality partners; that's the real key to success.

Want to discover more ideas, tactics and strategic ideas for growing your business?

Let’s talk, we’re experts in helping growing companies.  Contact USA: 877.433.6225 feedback@focalpointcoaching.com