Stop Falling for the “Growth Marketing Snake Oil”

Build a System That Works Instead

Growth marketing isn’t a magical hire. It’s not a quick fix. And it’s definitely not some snake oil that will instantly turn your business into a revenue machine.

Yet, many CEOs unknowingly buy into the hype:

• "Let’s just scale up our ads!"

• "We need a viral TikTok strategy!"

• "Should we hire someone who’s good with AI?"

Here’s the truth: chasing trendy tactics and shortcuts is like sipping snake oil—it might feel like progress, but it won’t deliver the sustainable growth you’re after.

Growth marketing isn’t about chasing hacks. It’s about building a repeatable system that aligns your marketing efforts with your company’s long-term goals. And in this post, I’ll show you how.

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Why the Snake Oil Mindset Fails

Quick fixes are appealing, but here’s why they rarely work:

1. Ads Aren’t a Magic Bullet.
   Ads can drive traffic, but without strategy, they’re just another expense. When costs rise or creative goes stale, your growth grinds to a halt.

2. AI Won’t Replace Strategy.
   AI tools are powerful, but they can’t replace a deep understanding of your audience or a clear plan for growth.

3. Hacks Are a Short-Term Crutch.
   Growth hacks might deliver a quick boost, but they’re Band-Aids—not scalable solutions to structural problems like poor retention or misaligned teams.

What Real Growth Marketing Looks Like

True growth marketing is about creating and refining a system that delivers measurable, repeatable results. To succeed, you need to:

1. Adopt a Holistic Approach.
   Growth marketing isn’t about individual tactics—it’s about optimizing the entire customer journey, from acquisition to retention to referral.

2. Use Proven Frameworks.
   Frameworks like the Pirate Funnel (AARRR: Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Revenue, Referral) help map the customer lifecycle, identifying gaps and opportunities.

3. Commit to Experimentation.
   Structured testing, learning, and iteration drive growth—not guesswork.

4. Align Cross-Functional Teams.
   Growth happens when sales, marketing, and product teams work together toward shared goals.

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How to Build a Growth Marketing Engine That Works

If you’re ready to move beyond snake oil and build something real, here’s where to start:

Step 1: Map Your Customer Journey

• How do customers find you?

• What’s their first meaningful interaction?

• Where do they drop off?

Using frameworks like the Pirate Funnel, you can pinpoint where your growth efforts will have the most impact.

Step 2: Assemble the Right Team

Hire or train growth marketers with T-shaped skills:

• Deep expertise in one or two areas (e.g., SEO, content marketing).

• Broad knowledge across complementary disciplines (e.g., product management, analytics).

Your team should have both the strategic vision to see the big picture and the technical chops to execute.

Step 3: Build an Experimentation Culture

Growth marketing is driven by testing, analyzing, and learning. Follow this framework:

1. Generate ideas from customer insights.

2. Prioritize based on potential ROI.

3. Test small, fail fast, and scale what works.

Step 4: Align Teams for Growth

Growth marketing isn’t a silo. Your sales, marketing, and product teams need shared goals, open communication, and access to the same data.

What Success Looks Like

When you ditch the snake oil and focus on building a real growth system, you’ll:

• Predict outcomes. Decisions will be data-driven, not based on hunches.

• Drive sustainable growth. Efforts will deliver consistent, scalable results.

• Unite your organization. Growth goals will align teams around what matters most.

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Avoiding the Snake Oil Trap

Let’s break down the “Growth Marketing Snake Oil” and why it doesn’t work:

• Ingredients: Shiny tools, empty promises, and superficial strategies.

• Side Effects: Wasted budgets, team burnout, and flat results.

If you want real growth, put down the snake oil. It’s time to roll up your sleeves and build a system that works.

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Final Thoughts

Growth marketing isn’t a magic potion—it’s a deliberate, disciplined approach to scaling your business.

So, CEOs, the question is simple:
Are you ready to stop chasing trends and start building a sustainable growth engine?

Let’s talk: comment with your biggest growth challenge or subscribe for deeper dives into frameworks, strategies, and case studies.