Tested every acquisition channel we could find: SEO, paid ads, content, social, partnerships, communities. Real CAC data, conversion rates, and the 5 channels driving 92% of our growth.
TL;DR
Most advice: "Try every channel, see what works."
We did exactly that. Tested 23 acquisition channels over 12 months. Spent £85K. Tracked everything.
5 channels worked brilliantly. 18 failed expensively.
This is the complete breakdown: what we tested, exact spend, CAC for each channel, and the 5 we're doubling down on.
| Channel | Spend | Customers | CAC | LTV | LTV:CAC | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winners (5) | ||||||
| SEO content | £24K | 350 | £68 | £840 | 12.4:1 | Scale ⭐ |
| Community (Reddit, IH) | £2K | 24 | £82 | £1,200 | 14.6:1 | Scale ⭐ |
| Content partnerships | £8K | 84 | £95 | £720 | 7.6:1 | Scale ⭐ |
| Product-led (free tier) | £12K | 265 | £45 | £680 | 15.1:1 | Scale ⭐ |
| Referral program | £3K | 135 | £22 | £840 | 38.2:1 | Scale ⭐ |
| Failures (18) | ||||||
| LinkedIn ads | £12K | 14 | £840 | £420 | 0.5:1 | Stop ❌ |
| Facebook ads | £8K | 6 | £1,240 | £320 | 0.3:1 | Stop ❌ |
| Podcast sponsorships | £6K | 3 | £2,100 | £680 | 0.3:1 | Stop ❌ |
| Influencer marketing | £4K | 6 | £680 | £540 | 0.8:1 | Stop ❌ |
| [14 more channels tested...] |
Total investment: £85,000 Total customers: 920 Blended CAC: £92 Average LTV: £740 Blended LTV:CAC: 8.0:1
Channel concentration:
The lesson: Focus matters more than diversification.
"The data is clear - personalisation at scale drives 2-3x better engagement than generic campaigns. But it only works when you have the right systems and processes in place." - Michael Torres, Chief Growth Officer at Amplitude
Strategy: Publish 40 blog posts/month targeting long-tail keywords
Investment:
Results:
Time to first customer: 90 days (SEO takes time)
Why it worked:
Strategy: Generous free tier, let product sell itself
Investment:
Results:
Why it worked:
Strategy: Give £50 credit for each referral, referred friend gets £50 too
Investment:
Results:
Why it worked:
Investment: £12,000 Customers: 14 CAC: £840 Why it failed: B2B ads expensive, low conversion
Investment: £8,000 Customers: 6 CAC: £1,240 Why it failed: Wrong audience (consumer-focused platform)
[Continues with other failures...]
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Related reading:
Q: How do I measure content marketing ROI effectively?
Track both leading indicators (engagement, time on page, shares) and lagging indicators (leads generated, pipeline influenced, revenue attributed). Attribution modelling helps connect content touchpoints to business outcomes over multi-touch journeys.
Q: What's the ideal content publishing frequency?
Consistency matters more than volume. For most B2B companies, 2-4 quality pieces per week outperforms daily low-quality content. Focus on maintaining quality standards while building a sustainable production rhythm.
Q: Should I prioritise SEO or social media distribution?
Both have value, but SEO typically delivers more compounding returns over time. Social generates immediate visibility but requires constant effort. Most successful strategies combine SEO-first content with social amplification.