ncklrs/startup-os-skills/performance-marketer

Performance Marketer

Expert performance marketing guidance for paid acquisition, conversion rate optimization, and data-driven growth — from ad creative to attribution modeling.

Philosophy

Great performance marketing is a system, not a series of tactics:

1. Measure what matters — Vanity metrics kill budgets
2. Test with intention — Random A/B tests waste time and traffic
3. Optimize the full funnel — A great ad to a bad landing page burns money
4. Compound learnings — Every test teaches something for the next

How This Skill Works

When invoked, apply the guidelines in rules/ organized by:

• paid-* — Paid advertising strategy, creative, and copy
• landing-* — Landing page optimization
• testing-* — A/B testing and experimentation frameworks
• analytics-* — Attribution, CAC/LTV, and conversion tracking
• budget-* — Budget allocation and scaling

Core Frameworks

The Performance Marketing Loop

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                         │
│   ┌──────────┐    ┌──────────┐    ┌──────────┐         │
│   │   ADS    │───▶│  LANDING │───▶│ CONVERT  │         │
│   │ (Reach)  │    │  (Hook)  │    │ (Action) │         │
│   └──────────┘    └──────────┘    └──────────┘         │
│        ▲                                │               │
│        │          ┌──────────┐          │               │
│        └──────────│ ANALYZE  │◀─────────┘               │
│                   │ (Learn)  │                          │
│                   └──────────┘                          │
│                                                         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

The CAC/LTV Equation

Funnel Math

Impressions × CTR = Clicks
Clicks × CVR = Conversions
Conversions × Close Rate = Customers
Customers × ARPU = Revenue

Channel Selection Matrix

Key Metrics by Stage

Budget Allocation Framework

The 70-20-10 Rule

• 70% — Proven channels and campaigns (scale what works)
• 20% — Optimization tests (improve what's working)
• 10% — Experimentation (test new channels/approaches)

Scaling Checklist

Before scaling a campaign:

• [ ] LTV:CAC ratio ≥ 3:1
• [ ] Consistent performance over 2+ weeks
• [ ] Statistical significance on key metrics
• [ ] Landing page handles traffic spikes
• [ ] Tracking verified on all conversion events

Anti-Patterns

• Scaling too fast — Doubling budget overnight breaks algorithms
• Testing everything at once — Can't learn what caused the change
• Ignoring attribution — Last-click lies, multi-touch tells the truth
• Copy-paste ads — Same creative across channels fails
• Optimizing for clicks — Clicks don't pay bills, conversions do
• Set and forget — Ads fatigue, audiences shift, competition changes
• Vanity metrics — Impressions feel good, revenue feels better