From scattered marketing to a repeatable acquisition engine in 60–90 days.
A practical framework for early-stage startups to clarify their demand gen strategy, run CAC-driven experiments, and build a lightweight performance system — so you know exactly where to invest your next marketing dollar.
Request scopeSee the SprintIdeal for early-stage startups (pre-seed to Series A) where:
Core stakeholders:
Founder / CEOHead of Growth / MarketingPerformance / Paid AcquisitionRevenue / Sales LeadBy the end of the 60–90 day sprint, you have:
A focused set of channels that match your stage and resources.
Simple rules for allocating spend across channels — not guesswork.
Structured tests that show which channels can scale and which to pause or kill.
Tracking, reporting, and rituals your team can manage without a large growth function.
Three definitions that keep everything concrete and measurable.
Demand generation creates and captures demand across the entire journey (content, events, partnerships, PLG). Performance marketing focuses on measurable, paid direct-response (search ads, paid social, affiliates, retargeting).
Objective: Balance brand-building and measurable acquisition from day one.
CAC = total sales + marketing cost to acquire one paying customer. Payback Period = how long it takes to recover CAC from gross profit.
Objective: Establish economic guardrails so you can make confident scale-or-kill decisions.
Design a small portfolio of structured experiments across a few channels, then reallocate budget toward what proves efficient and scalable.
Objective: Build a learning machine that compounds channel knowledge over time.
How AAJ approaches demand gen and performance marketing for startups.
2–3 well-chosen channels, tested systematically, beat dabbling in 8–10.
Even if rough, define acceptable CPA/CAC ranges so you can decide what to scale or stop.
Design campaigns so you get directional signal in 2–4 weeks, not 6–12 months.
Channel tests include landing pages, offers, and onboarding — not just ad clicks.
Use a simple measurement stack and a spreadsheet-friendly framework before investing in complex attribution.
Four phases from foundation to a repeatable acquisition engine.
Weeks 1–2
Foundation, objectives, and economics.
Weeks 3–4
Channel strategy and experiment design.
Weeks 5–8
Launch and optimize experiments.
Weeks 9–12
Scale / kill decisions and next-iteration roadmap.
Weeks 1–2: Understand your current situation, define success, and establish basic economic constraints.
Weeks 3–4: Select a focused channel mix and define the first wave of experiments.
Weeks 5–8: Run the first wave of experiments, gather directional results, and improve quickly.
Weeks 9–12: Use data to refine the channel mix, adjust budget, and define the next 90 days.
Keep measurement structured but simple enough for a small team.
| Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| Impressions, Clicks, CTR | Track per campaign |
| Leads / Trials / Demos | Track per channel |
| Cost per Lead / Trial / Demo | Below target CPA |
| Qualified Opportunities / PQLs | Track down-funnel |
| Customers Acquired | +20–40% over baseline |
| Cost per Opportunity / Approx CAC | Below acceptable range |
| CAC vs ARPU / ACV | Positive unit economics |
| Payback Period | Directional improvement |
Clear ownership ensures nothing falls through the cracks.
| Client Typically Owns | AAJ Typically Owns |
|---|---|
| Provide access to ad accounts and analytics | Facilitate strategy sessions and goal setting |
| Share past campaign data and results | Design experiment portfolio and channel mix |
| Approve budgets and channel selections | Set up tracking and reporting framework |
| Provide creative assets or brand guidelines | Draft campaign structures and copy |
| Attend weekly performance reviews | Run weekly review and surface insights |
| Execute outbound and internal campaigns | Deliver budget allocation and next-cycle roadmap |
| Provide optimization recommendations |
Three steps from strategy to a repeatable acquisition system.
Step 1Clarify goals, define CAC/CPL targets, and audit current channels in a focused 1–2 week sprint.
Step 2Select 2–3 core channels, design the experiment portfolio, and launch campaigns with clear success criteria.
Step 3Run structured weekly reviews, make scale/fix/kill decisions, and deliver a 90-day demand gen roadmap.
If you want to start immediately:
1Set a simple target: e.g., "Add 20 new paying customers in 3 months at <$X CAC."
2Pick 2–3 channels to test first (e.g., Google Search + one social channel + founder outbound).
3Define 3–5 experiments with basic hypotheses, budgets, and CPA targets.
4Launch quickly with minimum viable creatives and landing pages.
5Review weekly: track spend, leads, and approximate CPA. Shift budget to what's working.
6After 8–12 weeks: classify channels into scale / iterate / kill. Build your next 90-day plan.
Send a short brief and we'll scope your Demand Gen Sprint.
Request scope