Sean Ellis – renowned startup marketer – coined the term and pioneered in growth hacking. Growth hacking strategies are the use of smart tactics in marketing methods for instant growth and action in results. You can read more about it here.

There are many examples of growth hacking techniques that helped startups and businesses in getting instant results, sales and success. Like TunnelBear. If you download the application, and log into it, you will see its latest offer – Tweet for a FREE GB’. That’s plain intelligent. Who wouldn’t want that, right!

Today, we will talk about content hacking.

What is content hacking?

Content Hacking = Content Marketing Strategies + Growth Hacking Methods.

Through content marketing, you can boost traffic, increase sales and revenue, build brand value, increase social media connection and develop a strong communication point between you and your customers.

The key is to create shareable, informative, relevant and simple content for your target audience. It can be through blogs, videos, landing pages, voicing it out on social media, etc.

Here are few formats you can use for developing content strategies for your business:

1. Blog posts
2. Ebooks
3. Podcasts
4. Videos
5. Vlogs
6. Webinars
7. Guest blogging
8. Cold Emails

Content hacking is backed with great SEO strategies, as well as, content that leverages the user behavior. Guest blogging is not a new method, but it is definitely a great way to acquire backlinks and traffic to your website or blog. All in all, you can get the word out about your business/product/brand/service via guest blogging. In fact, combine cold emailing methods with blogging and viola – you are rooted with backlinks.

Email requests for blogging on preferred sites or forums – but make sure to be straightforward and simple in your approach.

Another awesome content hacking method is creating vlogs and videos. I really love Casey Neistat’s vlogs (watch awesomeness) He shares his daily routine by filming it. That’s a great storytelling method. It’s fun, interesting, keeps you hooked and looking forward to more.

You can create videos related to your product, yourself, personal experiences, tutorials etc. to connect with the audience. If your video content is communicative and fun – your audience will definitely stand by you and your agenda.

Podcast is yet another actionable content hacking/growth hacking method to leverage brand value, sales and overall customer connection. Dan Norris – founder of WPCurve – is one passionate and out-there kinda entrepreneur. He started WPCurve as a platform to solve WordPress website/blog issues (These guys also do the same http://tweakabit.com/) through a continuous process of content marketing. And podcasting was one of his content hacking methods.

Podcasts are a great way – cost-effective one – to share information directly with your target audience. They keep conversation and communication personal, effective and fast.

Content Hacking is all about putting forth the right message, at the right time and right place. It’s about touching the nerves of your audience, sharing the experience through stories that they can relate to and recollect when necessary.