What You'll Learn Today

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

1. How to Scale an Idea to 8-Figures (23 Step Process) [Event]
2. The 2025 Digital Marketing Trends Shopify Brands Can’t Ignore
3. How Shopify’s First Brand Campaign Made It a Household Name​
4. ​How We Use Custom GPTs for Our Brand – Neat [PODCAST]​
5. The AI Admaker That Replaces $30K in Costs [TOOL]

What did everyone enjoy last week?

The most clicked link was ... Become a Super-Powered CEO [PODCAST]​

Cheers,

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

My Take of the Week​
​AI Is Here to Help, Not Replace - Here’s How to Leverage It​

Marketers, stop stressing about AI replacing you.
​
Instead, start focusing on how you can master it.
​
Think of AI like learning the Facebook ad manager, or picking up Figma.
​
At first, it feels overwhelming, but those who lean in quickly gain an edge.
​
Here’s how to make AI your ally:
​
✅ Use AI to speed up repetitive tasks—think campaign reports or initial drafts of content.
✅ Get creative with tools that help brainstorm ad copy, headlines, and even audience targeting.
✅ Stay irreplaceable by blending AI’s strategic capabilities with your company-specific context.
​
The reality is, AI isn’t here to take your job.
​
It’s here to take the busywork out of your day so you can focus on what truly matters.
​
The marketers who succeed tomorrow are the ones who master AI today.

💡 Want to see AI in action? We’ve built an AI-powered Custom Growth Agent that helps brands scale smarter, automate key workflows, and unlock next-level marketing performance.

👉 Book your free AI consultation and let’s talk about how AI can give your business a competitive edge.

Special Find: Team Pick

​A Masterclass in Curiosity-Driven Ads​

This week, we’re spotlighting an ad from Cloaked—a perfect example of simple, yet highly effective ad creative.

✅ Minimalist Design: No clutter—just a bold message and a clear visual.

✅ Curiosity-Inducing Headline:“Find out whose fault this is… and stop them.”—it instantly makes you want to click.

✅ CTA That Feels Like a Hook: Instead of the usual “Sign Up” or “Try Now,” this ad makes you want to take action.

Takeaway for brands:

Ads don’t need to be loud or complex to drive action. A clean design + curiosity-driven messaging = a winning formula.

Would love to hear—what’s the best ad you’ve seen this week? 🚀

Credit to Dominique Houston, our Senior Paid Ads Manager, for finding this gem!

GrowthHit Class: How We Use Custom GPTs for Our Brand – Neat

​How to Scale an Idea to 8-Figures (23 Step Process)​

💡 What does it take to turn a great idea into an 8-figure business?

In this live session, I’ll be breaking down the exact 23-step process we use at GrowthHit to help founders scale smarter and faster. You’ll learn how to:

✅ Identify high-impact growth opportunities

✅ Build scalable systems that drive long-term success

✅ Avoid common pitfalls that stunt business growth

This isn’t just another webinar—it’s a roadmap packed with real, actionable insights we’ve used to help brands hit 8-figure milestones.

📅 March 12, 11:00 AM Pacific Time

🚀 Spots are limited!

Curated Growth Tips of the Week ​
​2 Growth Tips to Grow Your Biz

Featuring growth tips and insights sourced from other publications.

​1/ The 2025 Digital Marketing Trends Shopify Brands Can’t Ignore​

Ecommerce is evolving fast, and the brands that stay ahead don’t just follow trends—they capitalize on them. We dug into GemPages’ latest report on 2025 digital marketing trends and pulled out the top strategies Shopify brands need to focus on.

Here’s what’s shaping the future of Shopify growth 👇

1️⃣ Human-First Content (Because AI Alone Won’t Cut It)

AI is powerful, but customers crave authenticity. With so much AI-generated content flooding the internet, human-driven storytelling is now a competitive advantage.

💡 How to Apply This:

✅ Put a face behind your brand. Feature team stories, founder insights, and customer experiences.

✅ Use AI for efficiency, not authenticity. AI can help research and structure content, but your voice and expertise should shine through.

✅ Build authority with expert-led content. Feature industry leaders, case studies, or real-life examples (not just SEO-driven fluff).

Example: Pipcorn’s blog includes “Black Founder Spotlights,” celebrating real entrepreneurs and adding human depth to their brand story.

2️⃣ Hyper-Personalization: Give Customers What They Want (Before They Ask)

81% of customers prefer brands that deliver personalized experiences (Forbes). With AI and real-time data tracking, Shopify brands can customize offers, messaging, and experiences at a deeper level than ever before.

💡 How to Apply This:

✅ AI-powered product recommendations (Think Amazon-style “You might also like” suggestions).

✅ Personalized email sequences based on browsing behavior—cart abandoners see different emails than repeat customers.

✅ Custom homepages & landing pages that change based on user activity (Shopify apps like ReConvert make this easy).

3️⃣ Mistrust in Advertising: Why Customers Are More Skeptical Than Ever

Consumers are tuning out generic ads. With AI-generated promotions and spammy marketing on the rise, trust is the new currency. Brands that focus on transparency and relationship-building will dominate in 2025.

💡 How to Apply This:

✅ Showcase real customer stories—UGC, unfiltered reviews, and behind-the-scenes content.

✅ Ditch stock images in ads. Raw, authentic creative outperforms polished, ad-agency-style content.

✅ Own your audience.Email > social media (you control your list, not the algorithm).

4️⃣ Social Media as the New Search Engine

Google isn’t the only way customers discover brands anymore. TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest are becoming search engines, with Gen Z and Millennials using social platforms to research brands before buying.

💡 How to Apply This:

✅ Optimize social content for search. Use keywords in captions, video descriptions, and hashtags.

✅ Create bite-sized educational content. Tutorials, comparisons, and quick how-to videos perform best.

✅ Leverage short-form video. TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts are driving massive discovery.

5️⃣ Zero-Click Marketing: Winning in a World Where Google Gives Answers (Without Clicks)

Google’s AI-generated Search Overviews, featured snippets, and “From sources across the web” sections mean that users can often get answers without ever clicking on a website.

This shift challenges Shopify brands to stay visible in search results while driving engagement elsewhere.

💡 How to Apply This:

✅ Target featured snippets by structuring content with clear headings, bullet points, and direct answers to common customer questions.

✅ Use schema markup to help Google understand and display key product details (pricing, reviews, availability) directly in search results.

✅ Follow Google’s EEAT guidelines (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) to improve rankings in zero-click searches.

✅ Optimize for long-tail, intent-driven keywords—users searching “best Shopify apps for CRO” are more likely to convert than those just searching “Shopify CRO.”

Source: 10+ Top Digital Marketing Trends 2025 [eCommerce Special]​

​2/ How Shopify’s First Brand Campaign Made It a Household Name​

Shopify is now synonymous with eCommerce, but just five years ago, that wasn’t the case. Despite being founded in 2004, launching an IPO in 2015, and serving 800K+ businesses, Shopify didn’t invest in brand awareness until 2019.

That year, they launched their first-ever brand campaign, “Let’s Make You a Business,” to position themselves as the go-to platform for entrepreneurs. The goal? Elevate Shopify beyond performance marketing and into mainstream recognition.

📌 The Brief: Shifting from Performance to Brand Awareness

Before 2019, Shopify focused on product-driven digital ads but saw the need for a broader brand-building play.

💬 “We want to be a household name people associate with entrepreneurship,” said CMO Jeff Weiser.

Their messaging was simple: “Shopify is the difference between making something and making something a business.”

📢 The Execution: Making Entrepreneurship Aspirational

Shopify launched an April–July campaign across TV, radio, digital, social, and out-of-home (OOH) ads in 12 key U.S. & Canadian markets.

🛍️ Key Creative Highlights:

✅ Aspirational messaging like: “Let’s make your family proud. Or prove them wrong.”

✅ OOH Ads on vacant storefronts:“That business you think could be huge, could be here.”

✅ “Your Business Hours” copy that reinforced independence:

• Mon: Whenever you want
• Tue: For as long as you want
• Wed: Start early, or end late?

🎥 Video ads depicted people opening empty products before declaring:

“The world could love your business, but first, it needs to exist.”

​

📊 The Results: Measurable Growth & Market Recognition

Shopify was already bringing in over $1B in annual revenue, but this campaign pushed them further:

📈 Near doubling of unaided brand awareness in key markets

📈 Spike in brand consideration among SMBs

📈 Q4 2019 revenue hit $505.2M (+47% YoY)

📈 Total 2019 revenue: $1.578B (+47% YoY)

💬 “It feels like the brand is at the precipice of a tipping point… this is the nudge to top it over the edge.” — Weiser

💡 Takeaways for Shopify Brands

🔹 Brand Awareness Matters

Shopify successfully transitioned from a product-first strategy to a brand-led approach. Even small Shopify brands should experiment with brand-focused initiatives beyond performance ads.

🔹 Scaling Takes Time

It took Shopify 15 years to justify a major brand push. Growth is a long game—build it brick by brick instead of rushing for overnight success.

🔹 Think Beyond Digital

Despite being an eCommerce platform, Shopify saw massive success with OOH, radio, and TV ads. Not every audience is exclusively online—find new channels to reach them.

Source - Shopify: Entrepreneurial dreams 💭​

TOOL OF THE WEEK: ​
​The AI Admaker That Replaces $30K in Costs​

Producing high-quality ads at scale is a challenge. Writing unique scripts, selecting the right clips, editing, and A/B testing across platforms can drain both time and budget. That’s where ICON comes in—a tool designed to streamline ad creation using AI.

How It Works:

• Uses AI-powered scriptwriting to generate ad concepts in minutes.
• Tags and organizes video libraries so the right clips are matched to each scene automatically.
• Edits at scale by producing multiple variations for testing without manual effort.

Traditional ad production is time-consuming and fragmented. AI-powered tools streamline the process, helping teams scale faster without losing quality.

PODCAST: IF I WAS STARTING TODAY

​How We Use Custom GPTs for Our Brand – Neat​

Jim is joined by Craig Swanson as they delve into the world of custom GPTs and their applications. They discuss how to utilize AI for tasks like copywriting and strategy development, and learn about the advancements in AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude. They also showcase practical implementations, from setting up knowledge bases to effective prompt engineering. Tune in to see real-world examples of how custom GPTs can enhance productivity and creativity, and get insights on upcoming AI innovations and tools.

TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S EPISODE

• Development of AI Tools
• Selecting Appropriate AI Tools
• Custom GPTs: Adding Personalization to AI
• Techniques for Effective Prompt Engineering
• Uses of Custom GPTs
• Creating a Knowledge Base for GPTs
• Examples and Case Studies from Real-World Scenarios
• Advanced AI Functions and In-depth Research
• Expanding AI in Teams and Future Strategies
• Conclusion and Future Perspectives

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

• ​Influencer Oops: My not-so-shiny moment ​

November 2023

• ​Why Neat?: All about the IP intrigue ​

December 2023

• ​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.​

February 2024

• ​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 ​

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!​

June 2024:

• ​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​

August 2024:

• ​Neat Sweatproof Shirts: Gone But Not Forgotten​

September 2024:

• ​How We Kept Conversion High with Low Stock​

October 2024:

• ​Neat: Lessons Learned from a Sold-Out Summer​

November 2024:

• ​NEAT’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday Email Campaign​

December 2024:

• ​110% Growth, 1000% Exhaustion: Our Biggest NEAT Sale Yet​

January 2025:

• ​Meet Neat’s AI Intern (and How It’s Changing the Game)​

Feb 2025:

• ​Stop Leaving Money on the Table: Abandoned Cart Emails​

What's new this week?

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:

• Looking for your next great business idea? Check out this FREE download of 40 profitable business ideas for March 2025 🔥
• 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​
• My AI Operating System: AI GrowthMarketingOS​
• AI Growth Audit - Book a Meeting ​
• Podcast - If I Was Starting Today​
• My Book: The Growth Marketer's Playbook​