What You'll Learn Today

In 5 minutes, you'll be learning about the following:

1. How Slack Turned Rejection Into Virality
2. Top 3 Ad Design Predictions for 2024
3. ​11 AI Tools We're Using to Grow Our Clients & Our Own Brands [PODCAST]​
4. The Future of Networking
5. Your one-stop shop for all things AI

What did everyone enjoy last week?

The most clicked link was ... our Neat Build in Public updates​

Cheers,

Jim Huffman, GrowthHit CEO
​(Want a friend? Let's connect on Twitter or LinkedIn)

WHAT IS YOUR NEXT BIG IDEA? ​
​3 Startups to Inspire Your Own

1/ Pair Eyewear: One Pair of Glasses, Infinite Possibilities​

The Takeaway: These guys blend personalization with affordability, a recipe for success. Uniquely customizable eyewear lets you change your look with magnetic frame tops that you design.

2/ Cadence: Carry any routine, everywhere​

The Takeaway: Durable travel containers with a stylish design that resonates with modern travelers, marketed with a focus on sustainability and convenience, setting them apart in a crowded market.

3/ Mem: AI Note Taker​

The Takeaway: An AI-powered note taker that not only helps you take notes but also organizes them, digs up answers when asked, and summarizes insights for you to share with others—very powerful.

SPONSORED BY: SIDEBAR​ The Future of Networking is Sidebar Leadership is demanding, and finding the right advice when you need it can be a challenge. Enter Sidebar, where 93% of users have transformed their leadership paths. Our curated network connects you with top leaders from companies like Amazon and Microsoft, and innovative startups like Gusto and Canva, handpicked just for you. Through our sophisticated matching engine and rigorous vetting process, we ensure that every interaction is impactful. Join Sidebar today and start leading with confidence. Join Sidebar Today

​

HOW TO GROW YOUR STARTUP ​
​2 Growth Tips to Scale Your Biz

Here are the growth tactics, hacks, and stunts to help you grow your startup:

​1/ How Slack Turned Rejection Into Virality​

After initially rejecting Slack, Sandwich, a video agency, reconsidered once Slack gained popularity.

Upon trying the tool, Sandwich’s founder, Adam Lisagor, praised its positive impact on his company, leading to a successful collaboration and the creation of promotional videos for Slack.

The Execution:

After adopting Slack, Sandwich created a humorous video, “So yeah, we tried Slack,” showcasing its positive impact on their communication.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, they made another video, “Sandwich works from home — in Slack,” entirely from home, emphasizing Slack as a tool for staying connected during isolation.

The Results:

The first Sandwich video for Slack garnered 1.3 million views, and the second 15,000. More importantly, the story behind the videos became a persuasive tool, with many using them to convince their management to adopt Slack.

Takeaway:

1. Address Objections: Effective marketing, like Slack's, directly addresses customer hesitations, showing how the product improves their lives.
2. The Right Agency Matters: Butterfield’s persistence in partnering with Sandwich highlights the importance of finding an agency that aligns with your business.
3. Show, Don’t Tell: Video marketing is powerful, especially for novel concepts. Slack's video demonstrated the value of their product in a way that words alone couldn’t.

Read more here​

2/ Top 3 Ad Design Predictions for 2024 and The Definitive Guide to Digital Ad Design​

In the ever-evolving world of digital advertising, staying ahead is key.

Here are the top three ad design predictions for 2024, curated by Superside’s CEO, Fredrik Thomassen:

1. More Creativity, Less Targeting: With privacy laws tightening and third-party cookies phasing out, brands will need to test more ad concepts and get creative. Broad targeting will make it harder to capture attention, so innovative design will be crucial.
2. Rise of Illustrations & Motion Graphics: As ads become more generic, unique visuals like illustrations and motion graphics will be in high demand, especially with tighter budgets pushing for cost-effective solutions.
3. AI as a Creative Accelerator: AI won't replace human creativity but will enhance it. Expect AI to speed up processes, helping teams brainstorm, visualize, and validate ad concepts more efficiently.

If you'd like stay ahead in ad design, I recommend checking out this comprehensive guide.

It's a fantastic resource filled with best practices and case studies for advertising on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Amazon, and more.

Worth bookmarking for future reference!

TOOL OF THE WEEK: ​
​The Best AI Websites & Tools​

This is your one stop shop for all things AI.

20,000 AI-powered tools for productivity, education, sales, marketing, and more—both free and paid.

PODCAST: IF I WAS STARTING TODAY

​11 AI Tools We're Using to Grow Our Clients & Our Own Brands​

Yonathan joins Jim to chat about how AI is and will continue to impact the marketing and e-commerce world. They discuss some of their favorite new tools as well as tips on how to stay relevant as AI continues to get better.
​
​TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S EPISODE

• Will AI take your job?
• Differentiating in an AI world
• AI strengths
• Usable skillsets
• Interactive AI
• 11 Best tools available

Would you like to be featured on my podcast? Email me at newsletter@growthhit.com​

BUILD IN PUBLIC​
​NEAT BUILD IN PUBLIC - RECAP!

We acquired Neat, the sweat-proof apparel brand, in September 2023, and it's been a whirlwind ever since!

​Here's a speedy scoop ​

September 2023

• ​Big News: We snagged Neat Apparel ​

October 2023

• ​Growth Magic: Unveiling My Hack for Neat's growth ​
• ​Influencer Oops: My not-so-shiny moment ​
• ​Growth Secret: Neat's No-Brainer Offer ​

November 2023

• ​Sale Scoop: Neat's Black Friday & Cyber Monday wins ​
• ​Sneaky Peeks: Neat's fresh look & feel, from products to cart​
• ​Why Neat?: All about the IP intrigue ​

December 2023

• ​Do Ugly Ads Work? You tell us ​
• ​90 Days Since Acquiring NEAT: Here’s What We’ve Learned​
• ​How Do You Make Good UGC Ads? (Examples from Neat) ​

January 2024

• ​Flew 2,856 miles for the ultimate photo shoot, ended up spilling coffee on our model.​
• ​Will This Sweat-Proof Shirt Ad Convert? (Let's see )​

February 2024

• ​The Ad That Could Change Everything for Neat’s Clothing ​
• ​Oops, We Ran Out! The NEAT (Accidental) Marketing Magic of Low Inventory ​

March 2024

• ​The 5 Pillars of Growth: A Sneak Peek at Neat™’s Growth Plan ​
• ​Paid Search: Can We Optimize Neat’s Google Ads for Success? ​

April 2024

• ​We Did It! The All-New Neat’s Website is Here (and It’s Awesome!) ​

May 2024

• ​Neat hits 4 figures in one day!​
• ​Neat is running out of stock (again). Preorder or Waitlist?​

June 2024:

• ​The $153 Mistake vs. the $24 Miracle: What We Learned About Paid Ads​
• ​Crushing it : 3.64 ROAS for Neat (Last 7 days)​
• ​Zero to Sold Out: How We Aced Our Core Shirt Launch!​
• ​How we took Neat’s conversion rate from 0.6% to 3.4%​

July 2024:

• ​Neat Reveals: The Email Welcome Flow for 50% Repeat Purchases​
• ​What color shirt do you want​
• ​Head-to-Head: A Preview of Neat’s Social Media Ads​
• ​Investing in the Right Move: A Recipe for 10X Growth​

August 2024:

• ​Neat Sweatproof Shirts: Gone But Not Forgotten​
• ​Pre-Order Test: From $100 to $1000 – Scaling for Success​
• ​Neat Feat: Our New Ad is a Total Knockout​
• ​Email Pop-up Showdown: Discount vs. Scarcity​

What's new this week

Jim Huffman @JimWHuffman How much ad creative are you testing? Are you cycling through videos, GIFs, and static images? Do your creatives include professional shots, native content, fun & technical assets? And how dialed in is your language? Are you using power words like “Stop,” “No,” or “Today”? We… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1831327366326391236 4:44 PM • Sep 4, 2024 0 Retweets 1 Likes

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(Need help growing with paid ads? Hit us up at @growthhit )

Want more updates on how we're growing Neat?

A BONUS FOR YOU ​
​Something Fun . . .

Top Growth Tools & Resources​
​Tools and Resources

Here are some tools we find helpful:

• Best Testing Tool - Convert​
• Best Ad Creative Tool - Ad Creative AI​
• Best Email Marketing Tool - Ripple AI​
• Best Growth System - GrowthMarketingOS​
• Best Copywriting Tool - Smartwriter.ai​
• Best Cold Email Outreach Tool - Smartlead​
• Best CRM Tool - PipeDrive​
• Best Communication Tool - Slack​
• Best Project Management Tool - Asana​

LOOKING FOR MORE?​
​How Can I Help?

• My Agency - GrowthHit​
• One Off Task: Growth Task​
• My Operating System: GrowthMarketingOS​
• Podcast - If I Was Starting Today​
• My Book: The Growth Marketer's Playbook​