Startup Metrics for Pirates:
AARRR!!!
(Startup Metrics for Product Marketing & Product Management)
Dave McClure
Master of 500 Hats
blog: http://500hats.typepad.com/
website: http://www.500hats.com/
slides: http://slideshare.net/dmc500hats/
* reminder: National Talk Like a Pirate Day is Sept 19th
!
Customer Lifecycle: 5 Steps to Success
• Acquisition: users come to the site from various channels
• Activation: users enjoy 1st
visit: "happy" user experience
• Retention: users come back, visit site multiple times
• Referral: users like product enough to refer others
• Revenue: users conduct some monetization behavior
AARRR!
Customer Lifecycle / Conversion Behavior
Website.com
4.REFERRAL
Emails &
widgets
Campaigns,
Contests
5.Revenue$$$
Biz DevAds, Lead Gen,
Subscriptions, etc
2.Activation
Homepage /
Landing Page
Product
Features
1. ACQUISITION
SEO
SEM
Apps &
Widgets
Affiliates
Email
PR Biz
Dev
Campaigns,
Contests
Direct,
Tel, TV
Social
Networks
Blogs
Domains
3.RETENTION
Emails &
Alerts
Blogs,
Content
System Events &
Time-based Features
Example Conversion Metrics
(note: *not* actuals; your mileage may vary…)
Category User Status Conv % Est. Value
Acquisition Visit Site
(or landing page, or external widget)
100% $.01
Acquisition Doesn't Abandon
(views 2+ pages, stays 10+ sec, 2+ clicks)
70% $.05
Activation Happy 1st
Visit
(views X pages, stays Y sec, Z clicks)
30% $.25
Activation Email/Blog/RSS/Widget Signup
(anything that could lead to repeat visit)
5% $1
Activation Acct Signup
(includes profile data)
2% $3
Retention Email Open / RSS view -> Clickthru 3% $2
Retention Repeat Visitor
(3+ visits in first 30 days)
2% $5
Referral Refer 1+ users who visit site 2% $3
Referral Refer 1+ users who activate 1% $10
Revenue User generates minimum revenue 2% $5
Revenue User generates break-even revenue 1% $25
Customer Lifecycle / Conversion Behavior
Website.com
Marketing Channels:
• largest-volume (#)
• lowest-cost ($)
• best-performing (%)
1. ACQUISITION
SEO
SEM
Apps &
Widgets
Affiliates
Email
PR Biz
Dev
Campaigns,
Contests
Direct,
Tel, TV
Social
Networks
Blogs
Domains
Customer Lifecycle / Conversion Behavior
Website.com
Activation Criteria:
• 10-30+ seconds
• 2-3+ page views
• 3-5+ clicks
• 1 key feature usage
Do LOTS of landing page
tests & A/B tests - just
make lots of dumb
guesses & iterate QUICK
2.Activation
Homepage /
Landing Page
Product
Features
1. ACQUISITION
SEO
SEM
Apps &
Widgets
Affiliates
Email
PR Biz
Dev
Campaigns,
Contests
Direct,
Tel, TV
Social
Networks
Blogs
Domains
Customer Lifecycle / Conversion Behavior
Website.com
Automated emails are simple & easy
retention feature
• lifecycle emails @ +3, +7, +30d
• status emails weekly/monthly
• event-based emails as they occur
2.Activation
Homepage /
Landing Page
Product
Features
1. ACQUISITION
SEO
SEM
Apps &
Widgets
Affiliates
Email
PR Biz
Dev
Campaigns,
Contests
Direct,
Tel, TV
Social
Networks
Blogs
Domains
3.RETENTION
Emails &
Alerts
Blogs,
Content
System Events &
Time-based Features
Customer Lifecycle / Conversion Behavior
Website.com
Only encourage users to
refer *after* they have
“happy” user experience;
avg score >= 8 out of 10
2.Activation
Homepage /
Landing Page
Product
Features
4.REFERRAL
Emails &
widgets
Campaigns,
Contests
1. ACQUISITION
SEO
SEM
Apps &
Widgets
Affiliates
Email
PR Biz
Dev
Campaigns,
Contests
Direct,
Tel, TV
Social
Networks
Blogs
Domains
3.RETENTION
Emails &
Alerts
Blogs,
Content
System Events &
Time-based Features
Customer Lifecycle / Conversion Behavior
Website.com
5.Revenue$$$
Biz DevAds, Lead Gen,
Subscriptions, etc
2.Activation
Homepage /
Landing Page
Product
Features
This is the part *you*
have to figure out…
I don’t know jack about
your business
4.REFERRAL
Emails &
widgets
Campaigns,
Contests
1. ACQUISITION
SEO
SEM
Apps &
Widgets
Affiliates
Email
PR Biz
Dev
Campaigns,
Contests
Direct,
Tel, TV
Social
Networks
Blogs
Domains
3.RETENTION
Emails &
Alerts
Blogs,
Content
System Events &
Time-based Features
Types of Metrics & Measurement
• Qualitative: Usability Testing / Session Monitoring
– Watch what users do, figure out problems & solutions from small # of users
• Quantitative: Traffic Analysis / User Engagement
– Report what users do, track usage & conversion %'s for all or empirical sample #
of users
• Comparative: A/B, Multivariate Testing
– Compare what users do in one scenario vs another, see which copy/graphics/UI
are most effective
• Competitive: Monitoring & Tracking Competitors
– Track competitor activity & compare against yours; if possible compare channels,
keyword traffic, demographic targeting, user satisfaction, etc.
(see slide notes for links to tools & vendors)
Quantitative & Comparative
Measurement
• Conversion Criteria:
– best-performing (%) channels / campaigns / copy
– largest-volume (#) channels / campaigns / copy
– lowest-cost ($) channels / campaigns / copy
Quantitative & Comparative
Measurement
• Conversion Criteria:
– best-performing (%) channels / campaigns / copy
– largest-volume (#) channels / campaigns / copy
– lowest-cost ($) channels / campaigns / copy
• Measurement Components:
– Audience Segment (young women, regional metro, older singles)
– Channel Source (social network, SEM, organic, PR, etc)
– Campaign Theme / Brand Promise (“find a job”, “learn to cook”)
– Landing Page & CTA
– Copy & Graphics
Example Conversion Metrics
(note: *not* actuals; your mileage may vary…)
Category User Status Conv % Est. Value
Acquisition Visit Site
(or landing page, or external widget)
100% $.01
Acquisition Doesn't Abandon
(views 2+ pages, stays 10+ sec, 2+ clicks)
70% $.05
Activation Happy 1st
Visit
(views X pages, stays Y sec, Z clicks)
30% $.25
Activation Email/Blog/RSS/Widget Signup
(anything that could lead to repeat visit)
5% $1
Activation Acct Signup
(includes profile data)
2% $3
Retention Email Open / RSS view -> Clickthru 3% $2
Retention Repeat Visitor
(3+ visits in first 30 days)
2% $5
Referral Refer 1+ users who visit site 2% $3
Referral Refer 1+ users who activate 1% $10
Revenue User generates minimum revenue 2% $5
Revenue User generates break-even revenue 1% $25
Example Conversion Metrics
(note: *not* actuals; your mileage may vary…)
Category User Status Conv % Est. Value
Acquisition Visit Site
(or landing page, or external widget)
100% $.01
Acquisition Doesn't Abandon
(views 2+ pages, stays 10+ sec, 2+ clicks)
70% $.05
Activation Happy 1st
Visit
(views X pages, stays Y sec, Z clicks)
30% $.25
Activation Email/Blog/RSS/Widget Signup
(anything that could lead to repeat visit)
5% $1
Activation Acct Signup
(includes profile data)
2% $3
Retention Email Open / RSS view -> Clickthru 3% $2
Retention Repeat Visitor
(3+ visits in first 30 days)
2% $5
Referral Refer 1+ users who visit site 2% $3
Referral Refer 1+ users who activate 1% $10
Revenue User generates minimum revenue 2% $5
Revenue User generates break-even revenue 1% $25
Example Conversion Metrics
(note: *not* actuals; your mileage may vary…)
Category User Status Conv % Est. Value
Acquisition Visit Site
(or landing page, or external widget)
100% $.01
Acquisition Doesn't Abandon
(views 2+ pages, stays 10+ sec, 2+ clicks)
70% $.05
Activation Happy 1st
Visit
(views X pages, stays Y sec, Z clicks)
30% $.25
Activation Email/Blog/RSS/Widget Signup
(anything that could lead to repeat visit)
5% $1
Activation Acct Signup
(includes profile data)
2% $3
Retention Email Open / RSS view -> Clickthru 3% $2
Retention Repeat Visitor
(3+ visits in first 30 days)
2% $5
Referral Refer 1+ users who visit site 2% $3
Referral Refer 1+ users who activate 1% $10
Revenue User generates minimum revenue 2% $5
Revenue User generates break-even revenue 1% $25
Example Conversion Metrics
(note: *not* actuals; your mileage may vary…)
Category User Status Conv % Est. Value
Acquisition Visit Site
(or landing page, or external widget)
100% $.01
Acquisition Doesn't Abandon
(views 2+ pages, stays 10+ sec, 2+ clicks)
70% $.05
Activation Happy 1st
Visit
(views X pages, stays Y sec, Z clicks)
30% $.25
Activation Email/Blog/RSS/Widget Signup
(anything that could lead to repeat visit)
5% $1
Activation Acct Signup
(includes profile data)
2% $3
Retention Email Open / RSS view -> Clickthru 3% $2
Retention Repeat Visitor
(3+ visits in first 30 days)
2% $5
Referral Refer 1+ users who visit site 2% $3
Referral Refer 1+ users who activate 1% $10
Revenue User generates minimum revenue 2% $5
Revenue User generates break-even revenue 1% $25
Example Conversion Metrics
(note: *not* actuals; your mileage may vary…)
Category User Status Conv % Est. Value
Acquisition Visit Site
(or landing page, or external widget)
100% $.01
Acquisition Doesn't Abandon
(views 2+ pages, stays 10+ sec, 2+ clicks)
70% $.05
Activation Happy 1st
Visit
(views X pages, stays Y sec, Z clicks)
30% $.25
Activation Email/Blog/RSS/Widget Signup
(anything that could lead to repeat visit)
5% $1
Activation Acct Signup
(includes profile data)
2% $3
Retention Email Open / RSS view -> Clickthru 3% $2
Retention Repeat Visitor
(3+ visits in first 30 days)
2% $5
Referral Refer 1+ users who visit site 2% $3
Referral Refer 1+ users who activate 1% $10
Revenue User generates minimum revenue 2% $5
Revenue User generates break-even revenue 1% $25
Marketing
Q: what channels / who do you market to?
• Design & Test Multiple Mktg Channels
• Select & Focus on Channels with:
– High Volume
– High Conversion
– Low Cost
• Measure *deeper* down the conversion funnel,
not just to website / landing page
• Segment & Select channels & customers by
conversion @ deepest possible level (ideally $$$)
Product
Q: how do you choose what to build?
• Choose features for conversion improvement
– 80% on existing feature optimization
– 20% on new feature development
• Just guess, then A/B test… A LOT
• Measure conversion improvement
• Rinse & Repeat
Founder/CEO
Q: What metrics do you choose to watch?
• Hypothesize Customer Lifecycle & Refine
– Choose 5-10 conversion steps
– Less, not More is better
• BUT measure & iterate
• Focus on conversion improvement
• Delegate each Metric to someone to OWN

Startup metrics for pirates long version463

  • 1.
    Startup Metrics forPirates: AARRR!!! (Startup Metrics for Product Marketing & Product Management) Dave McClure Master of 500 Hats blog: http://500hats.typepad.com/ website: http://www.500hats.com/ slides: http://slideshare.net/dmc500hats/ * reminder: National Talk Like a Pirate Day is Sept 19th !
  • 2.
    Customer Lifecycle: 5Steps to Success • Acquisition: users come to the site from various channels • Activation: users enjoy 1st visit: "happy" user experience • Retention: users come back, visit site multiple times • Referral: users like product enough to refer others • Revenue: users conduct some monetization behavior AARRR!
  • 3.
    Customer Lifecycle /Conversion Behavior Website.com 4.REFERRAL Emails & widgets Campaigns, Contests 5.Revenue$$$ Biz DevAds, Lead Gen, Subscriptions, etc 2.Activation Homepage / Landing Page Product Features 1. ACQUISITION SEO SEM Apps & Widgets Affiliates Email PR Biz Dev Campaigns, Contests Direct, Tel, TV Social Networks Blogs Domains 3.RETENTION Emails & Alerts Blogs, Content System Events & Time-based Features
  • 4.
    Example Conversion Metrics (note:*not* actuals; your mileage may vary…) Category User Status Conv % Est. Value Acquisition Visit Site (or landing page, or external widget) 100% $.01 Acquisition Doesn't Abandon (views 2+ pages, stays 10+ sec, 2+ clicks) 70% $.05 Activation Happy 1st Visit (views X pages, stays Y sec, Z clicks) 30% $.25 Activation Email/Blog/RSS/Widget Signup (anything that could lead to repeat visit) 5% $1 Activation Acct Signup (includes profile data) 2% $3 Retention Email Open / RSS view -> Clickthru 3% $2 Retention Repeat Visitor (3+ visits in first 30 days) 2% $5 Referral Refer 1+ users who visit site 2% $3 Referral Refer 1+ users who activate 1% $10 Revenue User generates minimum revenue 2% $5 Revenue User generates break-even revenue 1% $25
  • 5.
    Customer Lifecycle /Conversion Behavior Website.com Marketing Channels: • largest-volume (#) • lowest-cost ($) • best-performing (%) 1. ACQUISITION SEO SEM Apps & Widgets Affiliates Email PR Biz Dev Campaigns, Contests Direct, Tel, TV Social Networks Blogs Domains
  • 6.
    Customer Lifecycle /Conversion Behavior Website.com Activation Criteria: • 10-30+ seconds • 2-3+ page views • 3-5+ clicks • 1 key feature usage Do LOTS of landing page tests & A/B tests - just make lots of dumb guesses & iterate QUICK 2.Activation Homepage / Landing Page Product Features 1. ACQUISITION SEO SEM Apps & Widgets Affiliates Email PR Biz Dev Campaigns, Contests Direct, Tel, TV Social Networks Blogs Domains
  • 7.
    Customer Lifecycle /Conversion Behavior Website.com Automated emails are simple & easy retention feature • lifecycle emails @ +3, +7, +30d • status emails weekly/monthly • event-based emails as they occur 2.Activation Homepage / Landing Page Product Features 1. ACQUISITION SEO SEM Apps & Widgets Affiliates Email PR Biz Dev Campaigns, Contests Direct, Tel, TV Social Networks Blogs Domains 3.RETENTION Emails & Alerts Blogs, Content System Events & Time-based Features
  • 8.
    Customer Lifecycle /Conversion Behavior Website.com Only encourage users to refer *after* they have “happy” user experience; avg score >= 8 out of 10 2.Activation Homepage / Landing Page Product Features 4.REFERRAL Emails & widgets Campaigns, Contests 1. ACQUISITION SEO SEM Apps & Widgets Affiliates Email PR Biz Dev Campaigns, Contests Direct, Tel, TV Social Networks Blogs Domains 3.RETENTION Emails & Alerts Blogs, Content System Events & Time-based Features
  • 9.
    Customer Lifecycle /Conversion Behavior Website.com 5.Revenue$$$ Biz DevAds, Lead Gen, Subscriptions, etc 2.Activation Homepage / Landing Page Product Features This is the part *you* have to figure out… I don’t know jack about your business 4.REFERRAL Emails & widgets Campaigns, Contests 1. ACQUISITION SEO SEM Apps & Widgets Affiliates Email PR Biz Dev Campaigns, Contests Direct, Tel, TV Social Networks Blogs Domains 3.RETENTION Emails & Alerts Blogs, Content System Events & Time-based Features
  • 10.
    Types of Metrics& Measurement • Qualitative: Usability Testing / Session Monitoring – Watch what users do, figure out problems & solutions from small # of users • Quantitative: Traffic Analysis / User Engagement – Report what users do, track usage & conversion %'s for all or empirical sample # of users • Comparative: A/B, Multivariate Testing – Compare what users do in one scenario vs another, see which copy/graphics/UI are most effective • Competitive: Monitoring & Tracking Competitors – Track competitor activity & compare against yours; if possible compare channels, keyword traffic, demographic targeting, user satisfaction, etc. (see slide notes for links to tools & vendors)
  • 11.
    Quantitative & Comparative Measurement •Conversion Criteria: – best-performing (%) channels / campaigns / copy – largest-volume (#) channels / campaigns / copy – lowest-cost ($) channels / campaigns / copy
  • 12.
    Quantitative & Comparative Measurement •Conversion Criteria: – best-performing (%) channels / campaigns / copy – largest-volume (#) channels / campaigns / copy – lowest-cost ($) channels / campaigns / copy • Measurement Components: – Audience Segment (young women, regional metro, older singles) – Channel Source (social network, SEM, organic, PR, etc) – Campaign Theme / Brand Promise (“find a job”, “learn to cook”) – Landing Page & CTA – Copy & Graphics
  • 13.
    Example Conversion Metrics (note:*not* actuals; your mileage may vary…) Category User Status Conv % Est. Value Acquisition Visit Site (or landing page, or external widget) 100% $.01 Acquisition Doesn't Abandon (views 2+ pages, stays 10+ sec, 2+ clicks) 70% $.05 Activation Happy 1st Visit (views X pages, stays Y sec, Z clicks) 30% $.25 Activation Email/Blog/RSS/Widget Signup (anything that could lead to repeat visit) 5% $1 Activation Acct Signup (includes profile data) 2% $3 Retention Email Open / RSS view -> Clickthru 3% $2 Retention Repeat Visitor (3+ visits in first 30 days) 2% $5 Referral Refer 1+ users who visit site 2% $3 Referral Refer 1+ users who activate 1% $10 Revenue User generates minimum revenue 2% $5 Revenue User generates break-even revenue 1% $25
  • 14.
    Example Conversion Metrics (note:*not* actuals; your mileage may vary…) Category User Status Conv % Est. Value Acquisition Visit Site (or landing page, or external widget) 100% $.01 Acquisition Doesn't Abandon (views 2+ pages, stays 10+ sec, 2+ clicks) 70% $.05 Activation Happy 1st Visit (views X pages, stays Y sec, Z clicks) 30% $.25 Activation Email/Blog/RSS/Widget Signup (anything that could lead to repeat visit) 5% $1 Activation Acct Signup (includes profile data) 2% $3 Retention Email Open / RSS view -> Clickthru 3% $2 Retention Repeat Visitor (3+ visits in first 30 days) 2% $5 Referral Refer 1+ users who visit site 2% $3 Referral Refer 1+ users who activate 1% $10 Revenue User generates minimum revenue 2% $5 Revenue User generates break-even revenue 1% $25
  • 15.
    Example Conversion Metrics (note:*not* actuals; your mileage may vary…) Category User Status Conv % Est. Value Acquisition Visit Site (or landing page, or external widget) 100% $.01 Acquisition Doesn't Abandon (views 2+ pages, stays 10+ sec, 2+ clicks) 70% $.05 Activation Happy 1st Visit (views X pages, stays Y sec, Z clicks) 30% $.25 Activation Email/Blog/RSS/Widget Signup (anything that could lead to repeat visit) 5% $1 Activation Acct Signup (includes profile data) 2% $3 Retention Email Open / RSS view -> Clickthru 3% $2 Retention Repeat Visitor (3+ visits in first 30 days) 2% $5 Referral Refer 1+ users who visit site 2% $3 Referral Refer 1+ users who activate 1% $10 Revenue User generates minimum revenue 2% $5 Revenue User generates break-even revenue 1% $25
  • 16.
    Example Conversion Metrics (note:*not* actuals; your mileage may vary…) Category User Status Conv % Est. Value Acquisition Visit Site (or landing page, or external widget) 100% $.01 Acquisition Doesn't Abandon (views 2+ pages, stays 10+ sec, 2+ clicks) 70% $.05 Activation Happy 1st Visit (views X pages, stays Y sec, Z clicks) 30% $.25 Activation Email/Blog/RSS/Widget Signup (anything that could lead to repeat visit) 5% $1 Activation Acct Signup (includes profile data) 2% $3 Retention Email Open / RSS view -> Clickthru 3% $2 Retention Repeat Visitor (3+ visits in first 30 days) 2% $5 Referral Refer 1+ users who visit site 2% $3 Referral Refer 1+ users who activate 1% $10 Revenue User generates minimum revenue 2% $5 Revenue User generates break-even revenue 1% $25
  • 17.
    Example Conversion Metrics (note:*not* actuals; your mileage may vary…) Category User Status Conv % Est. Value Acquisition Visit Site (or landing page, or external widget) 100% $.01 Acquisition Doesn't Abandon (views 2+ pages, stays 10+ sec, 2+ clicks) 70% $.05 Activation Happy 1st Visit (views X pages, stays Y sec, Z clicks) 30% $.25 Activation Email/Blog/RSS/Widget Signup (anything that could lead to repeat visit) 5% $1 Activation Acct Signup (includes profile data) 2% $3 Retention Email Open / RSS view -> Clickthru 3% $2 Retention Repeat Visitor (3+ visits in first 30 days) 2% $5 Referral Refer 1+ users who visit site 2% $3 Referral Refer 1+ users who activate 1% $10 Revenue User generates minimum revenue 2% $5 Revenue User generates break-even revenue 1% $25
  • 18.
    Marketing Q: what channels/ who do you market to? • Design & Test Multiple Mktg Channels • Select & Focus on Channels with: – High Volume – High Conversion – Low Cost • Measure *deeper* down the conversion funnel, not just to website / landing page • Segment & Select channels & customers by conversion @ deepest possible level (ideally $$$)
  • 19.
    Product Q: how doyou choose what to build? • Choose features for conversion improvement – 80% on existing feature optimization – 20% on new feature development • Just guess, then A/B test… A LOT • Measure conversion improvement • Rinse & Repeat
  • 20.
    Founder/CEO Q: What metricsdo you choose to watch? • Hypothesize Customer Lifecycle & Refine – Choose 5-10 conversion steps – Less, not More is better • BUT measure & iterate • Focus on conversion improvement • Delegate each Metric to someone to OWN

Editor's Notes

  • #11 Qualitative: SurveyMonkey (surveys), CrazyEgg (heatmap), TechSmith Morae / UserVue (ux recording), RobotReplay, TapeFailure. Quantitative: Google Analytics (free), MyBlogLog, ClickTracks, Index Tools, Visual Sciences / Webside Story, Omniture, WebTrends, etc. Comparative: Google Website Optimizer, SiteSpect, Optimost, Offermatica, Vertster, Kefta. Competitive: Quantcast, Compete.com, Alexa, Hitwise, Comscore, Nielsens. see more info at: http://webanalyticsassociation.com/ (WAA) http://kaushik.net/ (Avinash Kaushik) http://grokdotcom.com/ (Eisenbergs) http://www.emetrics.org/ (Jim Sterne)