Hi Everyone, and Welcome to the another interview session of NOCvoiz. In today’s interview We have CEO – GROWTH HACKERS, Jonathan Aufray who help startups, small medium businesses and fellow entrepreneur through his growth hacking strategies and proven marketing techniques.

In the past 15 years he has done businesses with entrepreneur from more than 70 countries where he helps marketers, businesses and startups to grow with digital marketing, growth hacking, lead generation, conversion rate optimization, and revenue growth.

So if you are an aspiring entrepreneur or growth hacker, read what Jonathan has to say on the topic.

1. When did you first discover your entrepreneurial spirit and How is your entrepreneurial career developing so far?

It’s really hard to pinpoint when and where I discovered my entrepreneurial spirit. Indeed, I believe I always had it with me because since I’m very young, I have always been a doer, trying different projects and things. For instance, I practiced dozens of sports when I was young and once I was old enough to live abroad, I started to travel, work and live in countries like the US, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Australia, Taiwan…

I just needed a trigger to convert this spirit to an entrepreneurial journey. This trigger happened in 2015 when I was working at a startup with a toxic boss. I don’t want to relive this part of my life but it was a tough one, which made me realize that I should start my own path. That’s when I founded Growth Hackers: the goal is to help fellow entrepreneurs grow through user acquisition, lead generation and sales. Things are going well as I have the opportunity to work with

entrepreneurs and business owners from all around the world, which is something I love doing.

2. What is the difference between marketing and growth hacking?

Marketing is an element of growth hacking.

I always found that companies lack the connection between product development and marketing and I think this is what growth hacking is. Growth hacking is at the intersection between marketing and product development. The idea is not only to create marketing campaigns to promote a product. The objective is to work on the pirate funnel (AARRR metrics = Activation – Acquisition – Retention – Revenue – Referral) to test different growth strategies, then gather data and feedback and most importantly act on it. What does it mean? It means not only improving the marketing channels but also optimizing the product to make it more user centric. So, growth hacking is about marketing, data analytics and product development.

3. How can marketers working with startups embrace the magic of growth hacking and increase their growth?

It’s important to be humble and have a growth mindset. Don’t be a “know-it-all” kind of person. Keep learning new strategies, stay up-to-date with trends, experiment, make mistakes, learn from your mistakes, don’t repeat them and grow.

4. What are the tools and techniques which can eventually lead to the growth of startups?

There’s not 1 tool that applies to all the different companies, market and products out there. However, if I had to pick a couple of strategies that work most of the time, those would be:

– Reverse engineering the competition. You don’t always have to reinvent the wheel. Thoroughly analyze what your competitors are doing, learn from them, get inspiration and do better.

– Use referral marketing. If you have happy customers and users, do not hesitate to ask them for a referral.

– Always overdeliver. You don’t need to under promise but you need to deliver more than what’s expected.

5. Are there any certain characteristics that a person needs to possess in order to engage in this field?

There are so many characteristics entrepreneurs and growth hackers need:

– Determination
– Versatility
– Problem-solving skills
– Risk tolerance
– Vision
– Be open-minded
– Self confidence
– Proactive
– Resourceful

6. Being a growth hacker, has it changed the way you look at products and services today?

I don’t think being a growth hacker changed my way to look at products but it definitely changed my way I look at businesses as a whole. I understand the mistakes they’re doing, the struggles they’re having and the solutions they should be implementing.

7. How have Content Marketing and Advertising goals evolved in recent year? Which types of content do well for businesses when it comes to impacting sales and growth?

For content marketing, it’s so important to provide value first. Don’t be too salesy right away. Share insightful information that resonates with your target audience, preferably content helping them solve a problem. About advertising, what has changed over the years is the digital aspect of ads and the fact that we can hyper-target people and gather accurate data. ROI vs ROAS  Before, ROI (Return on Investment) was the holy grail. ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) is now a key metric to track when running digital advertising campaigns.

8. Lastly, Being an Influential person. What piece of advice would you give to the beginners who want to go big in this industry?

To become an influencer in your industry, you need to:

– Share valuable content that resonates with your audience
– Connect with people in your industry
– Be authentic and consistent