Growth hacking is a method rather than a trick: run cheap experiments, measure what happened, keep what worked and discard what did not. Stripped of the startup vocabulary, it is simply testing before committing, and that part transfers to any small business. The parts that do not transfer are the ones assuming a product that spreads by itself.
Take the method and leave the assumptions.
The method that transfers
Pick one thing you believe will bring customers, do it small enough to be affordable, measure whether it produced enquiries, and decide based on the result rather than on how it felt.
Change one variable at a time or you learn nothing about which change worked. Most marketing money in small businesses is spent on several things at once, which makes the result unattributable.
Measure the thing that matters
Enquiries and customers, not impressions, likes or traffic. A change that triples visits and produces no enquiries has made things worse, because you are now paying for the wrong visitors.
Know what a customer is worth in profit. That number is the ceiling on what you can pay to acquire one, and without it no experiment can be judged.
The cheap experiments worth running first
Asking existing customers for referrals, following up lapsed quotes, completing a free local business listing and gathering reviews, emailing people who already gave you their address, and a referral arrangement with a business serving the same customer.
All are free or nearly free, and all start from someone who already knows you. Most businesses skip them and buy advertising to reach strangers instead.
What does not transfer
Tactics assuming a product that spreads by itself, free trials at large scale or investor money to absorb losses while growing. A business with real delivery costs cannot give the product away to acquire users.
Where experiments involve customer data or paid promotion, obligations apply: data protection under the Information Regulator, and disclosure and substantiation of claims under the code administered by the Advertising Regulatory Board.
Frequently asked questions
What is growth hacking, practically?
Running cheap measurable experiments, keeping what works and discarding what does not. It is testing before committing.
What should I measure?
Enquiries and customers. Traffic and likes can rise while enquiries fall, which means the change made things worse.
Why change one thing at a time?
Because changing several makes the result unattributable, which is how most small business marketing money is wasted.
Which experiments should I run first?
Referrals, following up lapsed quotes, a complete free business listing with reviews, and email to existing contacts.
What does not apply to an ordinary business?
Tactics assuming a self-spreading product or investor money to absorb losses while acquiring users.
Originally published in April 2018. Updated September 2026 to explain what growth hacking means for an ordinary small business.
