Solved: Building a Repeatable Customer Acquisition Funnel

Hi there,

Really happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance about scaling your language learning app with paid ads. Sounds like you're just about to take the next step in your company journey, and it's great you're thinking strategically about customer acquisition. From what you've said, it looks like your main concern is about effectively testing channels and targeting the right demographics without blowing through your budget, which is totally understandable.

We'll need to look at your customer persona...

I'd say the very first thing you'll need to do, even before you start looking at platforms or ad creatives, is to really nail down your ideal customer persona. It's honestly easy to waste money on the wrong people if you're not laser-focused on who you're trying to reach, what motivates them, and where they spend their time online. You need to get super specific. What age are they? What jobs do they have? What are their interests outside of language learning? Are they learning for travel, for work, or just for fun? Are they using other similar apps? You need to understand all of this properly.

For instance, are you primarily targeting students? Then TikTok or Instagram might be great options. Or are you going after professionals looking to boost their careers? Then LinkedIn may be a better bet. It all really depends on who your ideal user is. Once you've fleshed out these personas, you can start tailoring your ad copy and creatives to resonate with each group specifically, and you'll be well set to do the right targeting.

I remember working with a B2B software client, and we found that LinkedIn Ads, despite being more expensive, brought in B2B decision makers at a cost of $22 CPL. This was because we were able to target very specific job titles and industries, which wasn't possible on other platforms. I think you'll find, if you do your research, it's the same for you.

I'd say you need to think about channel testing...

Channel testing is important, but don't spread yourself too thin by trying to be on every platform at once. Instead, I'd recommend picking two or three channels where you believe your target audience is most likely to be, and then focus your efforts on testing those thoroughly.

Set a specific budget for each channel, and then start experimenting with different ad formats, creatives, and ad copy. Track everything – impressions, clicks, conversions, cost per acquisition – and see what's performing best. I wouldn't be afraid to cut the ads that aren't working after a week or two and reallocate that budget to the campaigns that are showing promise. You need to be really agile and responsive, as well as test and measure everything.

Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram) - Pros: Large audience, detailed targeting options. Cons: Can be expensive, especially in competitive niches.

TikTok Ads - Pros: Large reach, particularly among younger demographics. Cons: Can be hard to get the right message across.

Google Ads - Pros: Great for reaching people who are actively searching for language learning solutions. Cons: Can be expensive and competitive.

Apple Search Ads - Pros: Effective for driving app downloads directly from the App Store. Cons: Limited to iOS users only.

You probably should focus on campaign structure...

This one is boring, but it's super important. It can easily make or break a campaign. I would definitely make sure you have a clear and organised campaign structure in place. This usually involves segmenting your campaigns by target audience, ad platform, and objective, and then creating separate ad sets within each campaign to test different targeting options, ad creatives, and bidding strategies.

For example, you might have one campaign targeting students on Facebook, another targeting professionals on LinkedIn, and a third targeting travellers on Instagram. Within each campaign, you could then create separate ad sets to test different interests, demographics, and behaviours. By keeping your campaigns well-organised, you'll be able to quickly identify what's working and what's not, and then optimise your campaigns accordingly. This also really helps when you need to scale, as you'll know exactly where the wins are coming from and how to reinvest to drive them.

You'll need to think about retargeting...

Retargeting is key. It lets you show ads to people who've already interacted with your app or website. We see lots of people aren't ready to download an app the first time they see an ad. So, use retargeting to show ads to people who've visited your website, watched a video, or started a free trial, and give them an extra nudge to download. You could even target people who abandoned their shopping carts with a special offer or discount.

To do this, you'll need to install a tracking pixel on your website and in your app so you can track user behaviour and create custom audiences for retargeting. This can be really powerful for improving your conversion rates and lowering your cost per acquisition. I would strongly advise thinking about this as part of your ongoing ad strategy.

I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:

Right, that's a lot of advice. I hope it helps you think about your strategy going forward. If you need any more help, I'd be happy to jump on a call with you, or we can review your account together and make sure you are on the right track with your advertising efforts, as well as spot the areas where your money is being wasted.

I hope this all has been helpful!

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh