Growth Hacker Marketing is a relatively new concept that has emerged as the digitalization and the development of the internet occurred. The purpose of the study is to gain an understanding of the meaning of GHM and how it is used, a concept that is widely applied in the marketing industry but not as widespread in theory. The study has been carried out with a qualitative deductive approach, which means that it is based on the investigated theories, continues to the empirical data in the terms of interviews and then lands in the analysis. The study also shows that a growth hacker that works data driven and with the help of tracking tools, achieves growth for the organization, something that is fundamental within GHM. The growth hacking funnel, which is a method within the subject, is widely used by the investigated companies, however, the explicit term is not necessarily applied. The results also show that the work process within GHM can look different depending on the specific organization and its activities, for example if the company works B2B or B2C. In summary, there are both some similarities and differences regarding the meaning of GHM between theory and empiricism, which could be due to the gap between the academic world and marketing industry.

Disruption innovation theory has been the zeitgeist for building globally disruptive tech companies since 1997. One decade later, disruptive tech start-ups are moving away from traditional marketing strategies in favour of growth hacking. There is a seemingly growing consensus by online tech experts, tech entrepreneurs, advisors and investors, that suggests that growth hacking is becoming increasingly important practice for disruption based tech start-ups. Furthermore, Sweden is becoming the Silicon Valley of the Nordics, producing more unicorns per capita than any other country in the world. This case study research is an investigation of the relevance and enactment of growth hacking by disruptive tech start-ups in Sweden. The main objective is to determine whether growth hacking is actually being used and how it is enacted by the start-ups. The goal is to explore how relevant this new term is, if it as popular as suggested in online literature and if so which growth hacks are being used. The study is conducted by carrying out a qualitative case study on five tech start-ups in Sweden: Fidesmo, a smart-chip payment system based on NFC technology that can be implanted into everyday objects such as watches, bracelets and cards, and that allows users to update and add new digital services as well as open doors or pay with a simple tap; TaskRunner, a geo-location based ‘help on demand’ platform that allows people to post ads for help with tasks while nearby task runners can bid to be hired to complete those tasks; Beleco, a unique marketplace for furniture rentals with a modern white-glove approach, that allows people to change or rent, rent-to-own or buy their furniture with the utmost ease; &frankly, a continuous tracking application software that helps create happier and productive workspaces by triggering and measuring engagement and surveys between employees and employers in a non-hierarchical manner; and Wunderino; a Malta-based online casino platform started by Swedish entrepreneurs with the goal of taking the traditional pressures associated with gambling away and replacing it with an element of fun and gaming. Empirical data collection consisted of the interviews and observational study of their innovation on their platform or website. The results were interpreted and contextualized within the disruption innovation theory framework. The results of the study reveal that growth hacking is relevant to disruptive tech start-ups, and is becoming increasingly important to them as their companies develop. Additionally the study reveals that growth hacking occurs organically within these start-up structures, already integrated into their marketing and strategy, without a separate or official definition of the practices. Additionally, growth hacking may have initially been seen as lower cost approach to marketing, however the research reveals that it is not lower cost if there isn’t someone who is highly technical on the founding team. Finally, the results reveal that growth hacking is not fully operationalized or defined as growth hacking to the extent of its popularity online and in popular texts, however it does lay on the horizon as a goal for tech start-ups.

Even though growth hacking is a new concept, it has become a buzz-word among entrepreneurs and start-ups. Various startups that have achieved extensive growth, such as Dropbox, Uber, Airbnb, have been sharing their success stories. However, to date, the focus of this concept was more on the practicalities instead of the theoretical research. With so many start-ups that fail to grow, it is important to research growth methodologies, that can help young entrepreneurs to successfully establish themselves. This paper studies growth hacking concept, by trying to understand how the growth hacking strategy works and how it could be used to retain a user-base in a start-up. With the help of an extensive literature review, interviews with the entrepreneurs and a case study analysis, this research provides (1) insights into the theory of growth hacking and retention marketing,(2) examples of its practices, and (3) an implementation of suggestions made based on the findings. The results of this study indicate that growth hacking is a broad concept and has numerous interpretations. Growth hacking framework has been applied at the early stages of start-ups, however, the growth hacking concept has not been defined as well as it has not been determined whether it is a relevant method to improve user retention. In this study, it was discovered that growth hacking practices can improve to set up theuser retention strategy. However, growth hacking strategies must be tailored and adapted to the entrepreneurial venture’s business model. / Även om growth hacking är ett nytt koncept, har det blivit ett buzz-word bland företagare och nystartade företag. Olika nystartade företag som använt growth hacking och uppnått omfattande tillväxt t.ex Dropbox, Uber och Airbnb har alla förmedlat sina framgångshistorier. Men hittills har fokus legat mer på det praktiska i stället för den teoretiska forskningen. Med så många nystartade företag som inte lyckas växa, är det viktigt att undersöka tillväxtmetodik, som kan hjälpa unga företagare att framgångsrikt etablera sig. Denna uppsats studerar growth hacking konceptet, genom att försöka förstå hur denna strategi fungerar och hur det kunde användas för att behålla en användarbas. Med hjälp av en omfattande litteraturgenomgång, intervjuer med företagare och en fallstudie, ger denna forskning (1) insikter i teorin om growth hacking och retention marknadsföring, (2) exempel på dess praxis, och (3) en implementering av förslag har gjorts baserat på resultaten. Resultaten av denna studie visar att growth hacking är ett brett begrepp och har många tolkningar. Growth hacking ramverk har tillämpats i tidiga stadier på nystartade företag, dock har growth hacking koncept inte definierats, liksom har det inte fastställts huruvida det är en relevant metod för att förbättra användarbevarande. I denna studie upptäcktes det att growth hacking metoder kan förbättra utvecklingen av strategier för bibehållning av användare. Dock måste growth hacking strategier vara skräddarsydda och anpassade till det entreprenöriella företagets affärsmodell.

Den här studien diskuterar metoder som startups kan använda sig av vid förvärvande av nya användare för sina produkter eller tjänster. Studien utgörs av en fallstudie baserat på en startups perspektiv och jämför denna med andra verksamheter. Då många startups är under framväxt söker de kostnadseffektivametoder för att få sin verksamhet att växa. Företag som Airbnb och Facebook använde "growth-hacking" under sina inledande faser då de saknade resurser. Många bloggar har skrivit om fenomenet, men det saknas ännu vetenskaplig forskning kring vad som är nödvändigt att utföra och ta hänsyn till. Den här studien ämnar bidra med insikter som saknas rörande förvärvande av användare. Under sex veckor testades flera olika strategier på Locallife. Dessa strategier har sedan tidigare varit beprövade av andra företag. Insamlad data blev analyserad och använd för optimering. Growth-hacking-strategier blev utförda på Facebook för att identifiera vilka metoder som åstadkom tillväxt av användare. Resultaten visade att kalendrar på sociala medier knappt ledde till några konverteringar: efter tre veckor av utförande och observation var antalet nya användare inte tillfredsställande. Däremot var lokalt anpassat marknadsföringsinnehåll effektivt och gav tillfredsställande resultat. Innehåll som användare kan relatera till är mer sannolikt att attrahera användarens uppmärksamhet än generell information om produkten eller tjänsten. Dessutom är den inte enbart kampanjens ton som påverkar åhörare: sättet att uttrycka sig på för att uppmana personer till handling påverkar individers beslut om att ansluta sig till produkten eller tjänsten. Dessa resultat är betydelsefulla då de erbjuder nybörjare och företag ett perspektiv på vilka frågor och problem som måste tas hänsyn till när de avser att utöka antalet användare. Dessutom, trots att många metoder är diskuterade i bloggar är det ytterst få som förklarar vilka justeringar som genomfördes för att nå ett specifikt resultat. Detta har fått det att framstå som att höga resultat har åstadkommits omedelbart. Den här studien ämnar utforska konceptet growth-hacking och framhäva ansträngningarna som krävs för att en startup ska nå hållbar tillväxt. / This study discusses several methods that startups can use to acquire new users for their product or service, from the perspective of a startup that forms the case study of this research and in comparison to other companies. As many startups are currently emerging, they seek cost-efficient ways for their company to grow. Companies such as Airbnb and Facebook used growth hacking when they started and lacked sufficient resources. Many blogs have been written about this phenomenon, but there is a lack of scientific research examining what needs to be done or considered. This research aims to contribute to filling that gap in relation to user acquisition. For six weeks, several strategies adopted by companies were tested at Locallife to determine which ones worked. The collected data were analysed and used for optimisations. Growth-hacking practices were performed on Facebook to identify which hacks lead to growth. The results show that the social media content calendar barely led to any conversions: after three weeks of execution and observation, the number of people that onboarded was unsatisfactory. However, local targeting content yielded satisfying results. Content with which the user can associate is more likely to attract the user's attention than general information about the product or service. Further, not only the tone of the campaign makes a difference for the audience; also the call to action influences people’s decision to onboard and the performance of the product or service. These findings are significant because they offer beginners and companies a perspective on which issues to consider when they decide to growth hack. Also, while many methods are discussed in blogs, only a few explain which adjustments were made before reaching a particular result, making it seem as if everything happened in one go. This research aims to explore the concept and show the efforts that need to be made for a startup to reach sustainable growth.

Rapid digital transformation, accelerated by covid-19 and a younger, more digital workforce, has changed the B2B sales environment affecting customer behavior, business practices and technologies. To adapt to this change B2B companies need to create new endeavors that connect marketing and sales activities, and identify how these can be efficiently enhanced by technology and digital tools. There is a need to identify effective tactics in different phases of the marketing and sales process. Consequently, more academic research is needed to investigate critical issues that technology may have in the B2B buying process. This paper thereby aims to establish a framework for B2B companies on how to optimize the customer journey by supporting the sales process with digital inbound marketing. This is examined by looking at how B2B companies can optimize the sales process by targeting customers’ needs with relevant actions throughout the customer journey with the help of technology and digital means. The results of this exploratory single case study demonstrates that the customer journey is complex with several touchpoints, and to create optimized processes, the customer journey must be adapted to each specific customer segment. Further, the study also contributes to the literature by demonstrating the importance of the marketing and sales departments being integrated and working together to create efficient processes. The presented framework for a customer journey can be used by managers to visualize the sales process, and identify at what stages the process can be made more efficient by digital means.