Instagram has copied some of the features that Snapchat and TikTok have pioneered in order to stay ahead of the competition. In addition to Stories and Reels, Instagram has added a new feature called ‘Lenses’. Lenses are camera filters that users can add to their photos after they’ve been taken. This gives Instagram an edge over its competitors because users can create more interesting, photo-based content than they can on Snapchat or TikTok.
However, if you’re not imitating what the growth marketing industry leaders are doing in your vertical, you’re going to be adding months and possibly years of unnecessary testing to your timeline. To be clear, I’m not stating that you should be copying your competitors’ website designs and print copy word for word. There’s a clear line between copying everything a competitor does exactly and using frameworks outside while adding your own flavor. Instead, use these eleven Growth Hacks to get started without wasting time and money on needless testing:
As a startup, it can feel like there is an abundance of advice out there when it comes to growth marketing. But with so many different tactics and strategies available, it can quickly become difficult to know where to start.
Starting a business is hard. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and sometimes luck to make something successful. But it’s even harder when your competitors are taking advantage of imitation tactics to gain an edge over you.
However, the best way to overcome these challenges is by using imitation yourself! By learning from the best practices and successes of other businesses, you can create a unique brand that will stand out from the crowd. And if even the major players are using imitation tactics strategically, it’s even more important for startups to imitate than established players because the pockets just aren’t as deep.
While trying to gain traction in the early years, most of your time and attention should be focused on imitating successful marketing tactics.
Creating a unique and engaging marketing plan can be daunting, but luckily there are plenty of successful tactics to emulate. A good place to start is by investigating your competitors and learning what works for them. Then, create a strategy that fits your own company and personality. By relying on tried-and-true techniques and making sure everything is customer-focused, you’ll be on the right track to success.
Specifically, startups will likely experience a steep ramp up in growth rates in their early stages, as they test and iterate on their business model. This is especially true for companies that are attempting to replicate or build off of an existing product or service. As these startups implement new strategies and tactics, they’ll see increased demand for their product among potential customers. However, this burst of activity will eventually slow down as the startup establishes itself as a top player in its respective market space.
Triple I Model
Innovation is arguably the most important pillar of the Triple I Model. As a startup, you’ll have opportunities to do all three pillars, but how you emphasize each will be crucial in the early stages. Imitating successful companies and models is an important way to generate initial traction and awareness for your new venture. However, it’s important not to rest on your laurels – keep iterating and innovating to stay ahead of the competition. Ultimately, it’s these continual innovations that will set your business apart from its competitors, establishing you as a trusted name in your industry.
Because you’re so early in your startup’s development, you should focus most of your time and attention on imitating successful marketing tactics. This means looking to your competitors for inspiration on their ads, emails, website, and other consumer touchpoints. By doing this early on in the game, you can set yourself up for a successful future.
Different types of testing are needed over time as the product evolves and changes. Initially, developer testing is key to verifying the correctness of coding and checks for broken functionality. However, as the product becomes more popular, user feedback is essential to ensure that users find what they need and enjoy using it. Finally, support
It’s important to remember that iterating is a continuous process. Even when you achieve success with an imitation, there is always room for improvement. Keep testing your ideas and metrics to see how they can be further improved.
While trying to gain traction in the early years, most of your time and attention should be focused on imitating successful marketing tactics.
Pioneering new marketing tactics can be difficult to emulate, but it’s important to do so if you want to gain traction in the early years. This requires putting in a lot of time and effort, but it ultimately yields more successful results. So be sure to mimic successful marketing techniques as soon as possible – it’ll pay off BIG TIME!
It’s easy to get caught up in the uncertainties of innovation, but it’s important to focus on high-probability tests that you’re excited to try. This way, you can conserve your resources and invest them in more innovative ventures later on.
Attempting to pull off a home run swing without enough time or resources to experiment can often result in disappointment. When the opportunity arises, it is best to take full advantage and try out as many different swings as possible in order to find the one that works best for you.
Imitating on paid acquisition
As Postmates scaled, it became clear that we lacked the design resources to keep up with our competitors. To stay ahead of the curve, I was constantly monitoring our competition and their ad libraries on a weekly basis. This allowed us to stay one step ahead of the pack, which ultimately resulted in Postmates becoming the largest delivery service in America.
