Facebook (now called meta) is one of the greatest success stories in the business world. They were established in 2004 as a social network with a handful of users from Harvard University. By 2012 they became the first social network in the world to connect with over 1 billion users.
Today they are one of the largest companies in the world, and they are way more than a social network, but in this growth hack story, I’m focusing on how they hack the social network growth.
The Growth Hack
One of the strategies they utilized was using their users’ Gmail and Hotmail contacts list. They recommended users to connect with their contacts list on Facebook by inviting them to the platform with a click of a button.
Another approach was the clever use of notifications. In essence, the platform sends you notifications regarding the activities of your contacts, encouraging you to re-enter the app and build a relationship with it over time.
Another strategy they took in the relatively early days was buying service providers in third-world countries. Initially, no one understood why, but they did this for the users’ data and emails.
The Results
As mentioned in the beginning, they’ve reached over 1 billion users in less than 8 years.
