Marketing & Sales Funnel

The Reality of Freemium Customer Acquisition

Most co-parenting apps treat customer acquisition like B2B software - expensive ads leading to free trials that hopefully convert. We're taking a different approach because co-parents don't behave like business users. They're dealing with emotional stress, budget constraints, and they need buy-in from someone they might not get along with.

Our Funnel Strategy

The Challenge: Two-Person Decision Making

Unlike most SaaS products where one person can decide to upgrade, co-parenting apps require agreement between two people who are separated for a reason. This fundamentally changes how we think about conversion. Even if Parent A loves our app and wants to upgrade, Parent B might refuse out of spite, budget concerns, or just general resistance to change.

The Community-First Approach

Instead of traditional paid acquisition, we're building around word-of-mouth and community. Co-parents talk to each other - in school pickup lines, divorce support groups, family court waiting rooms, and online forums. One success story where our app helped reduce conflict spreads to dozens of other families.

The Acquisition Funnel

Stage 1: Awareness (Professional Referrals + Community)

Primary Target: Recently divorced or currently divorcing parents - they have no preconceived notions about co-parenting apps and desperately need help during a chaotic time.

Primary Channels:

• Professional referrals: Family lawyers and mediators with 20% first-year commission
• Court mandates: Positioning for mandatory co-parenting app requirements
• Support communities: Fresh divorce forums, recently separated parent groups
• Organic social media: Success stories from newly divorced families

Target: Focus on the "new market" - families entering divorce proceedings or recently divorced (within 6-12 months). This segment is 2-3 million families annually and more open to solutions than long-term separated parents who have established patterns.

Stage 2: Interest (The Research Phase)

Co-parents typically spend 2-4 weeks researching solutions before downloading anything. They're comparing us to OurFamilyWizard, AppClose, and TalkingParents, but also considering just using text messages and shared Google calendars.

Content Strategy:

• Comparison guides: Honest comparisons with competitors
• Success stories: Real families who reduced conflict using our tools
• Free resources: Co-parenting guides, communication templates, custody schedule builders

Expected conversion: 10-15% of people who research us will eventually download the app.

Stage 3: Trial (The Free Experience)

This is where we differ dramatically from competitors. Most co-parenting apps offer limited free trials. We offer a genuinely useful free version powered by Gemma 3n AI that provides real value without requiring payment.

Free User Experience:

• Complete calendar functionality: Both parents can manage custody schedules
• Basic messaging: Organized communication with search
• Document storage: Essential file sharing
• AI features: OtterSnap for document processing, basic OtterChat suggestions

The Hook: Users experience AI-powered features that competitors don't offer, even on paid plans. A parent who takes a photo of a school event flyer and has it automatically added to both calendars with a reminder gets a "wow" moment that keeps them engaged.

Expected engagement: 60-70% of downloads become monthly active users (higher than typical because we solve real, ongoing problems).

Stage 4: Value Realization (The Sticky Phase)

Free users typically take 2-3 months to fully integrate our app into their co-parenting routine. The key moments:

Month 1: Learning the interface, importing existing schedules Month 2: First conflict avoided through better communication Month 3: Both parents actively using the app, seeing measurable improvements

Critical metrics: Users who add more than 5 calendar events and send more than 10 messages in their first month have 80%+ retention rates.

Stage 5: Conversion Trigger (The Pain Point)

Conversion usually happens when free users hit a limitation during a stressful or legal situation:

Primary conversion triggers:

• Legal proceedings: Need court-ready communication logs, documentation, and reports
• Custody modifications: Complex scheduling changes requiring legal documentation
• Conflict escalation: Need advanced AI assistance and professional-grade features
• Court mandates: Judge or mediator requires use of co-parenting platform
• Tax season: Need expense tracking and reimbursement for legal/financial purposes

Timing: For recently divorced families, conversions often happen 2-4 months after signup when initial legal proceedings intensify or when they realize free tools aren't sufficient for court documentation.

Conversion Expectations (Based on Industry Reality)

The Brutal Truth About Freemium

Based on our research, freemium SaaS conversion rates are typically 2-5%. For family apps dealing with budget-conscious users who need spousal agreement, we expect to be on the lower end:

Year 1 Projections:

• Total downloads: 15,000
• Monthly active users: 10,000 (67% engagement rate)
• Free users staying free: 92-95% (9,200-9,500 users)
• Converting to Plus ($9/month): 400-500 users (4-5%)
• Converting to Family ($15/month): 100-200 users (1-2%)

Why Our Conversion Rate Might Beat Industry Average

Unique value proposition: AI features that competitors don't offer Real pain solved: Co-parenting conflict costs thousands in legal fees Network effects: Both parents get value, creating stickiness Court integration: Some families will be mandated to use co-parenting apps

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) Strategy

Target CAC: $40-60 per user

This is significantly lower than the $100-150 typical for SaaS because:

• Word-of-mouth amplification: One happy user tells 3-5 other co-parents
• Community-driven growth: Support groups share success stories
• Professional referrals: Lawyers and mediators recommend effective solutions
• Organic content: User-generated success stories

Channel Breakdown

Professional Partnerships (50% of acquisitions, $45 net CAC):

• Family lawyers with 20% first-year commission ($21.60 commission on $9/month user)
• Family mediators with same commission structure
• Court-mandated usage (judge/mediator requirements)
• Net CAC after commission: $45 ($60 total CAC - $15 average commission)

Organic/Referral (25% of acquisitions, $20 CAC):

• Word-of-mouth from recently divorced users
• Organic social media mentions from new families
• Support group recommendations

Content Marketing (15% of acquisitions, $50 CAC):

• SEO content targeting "recently divorced" and "co-parenting after divorce"
• Success stories from newly separated families
• Legal-focused content about co-parenting documentation

Paid Social (10% of acquisitions, $80 CAC):

• Facebook ads targeting recently divorced parents
• Instagram ads during divorce proceedings
• LinkedIn ads targeting family law professionals

Key Questions for Discussion

1. Professional network building: What's the best approach to reach family lawyers and mediators at scale - conferences, legal associations, or individual outreach?

2. Court mandate strategy: Which family court systems should we target first for mandatory co-parenting app requirements? Are there specific judges or court systems you have connections with?

3. Commission structure optimization: Should we offer higher commissions for lawyers who refer multiple clients, or additional incentives for mediators vs. attorneys?

4. Recently divorced targeting: What are the best ways to identify and reach families within 6-12 months of divorce - legal databases, public records, or partner referrals?

5. Legal documentation features: What specific court-ready documentation features do lawyers most want to see to make referrals more compelling?

6. Measurement for professional partnerships: How should we track lawyer/mediator satisfaction and referral patterns to optimize the partner program?

This funnel is designed around the reality that co-parenting is emotional, budget-sensitive, and requires two-person buy-in. Rather than fighting these constraints, we're building our entire acquisition strategy around them.