How to use Strategic Onboarding throughout your AAARRR Funnel
How you introduce a first-time visitor to your product plays a critical part in how long they stay and whether they'll come back soon- or ever.
An excellent onboarding process feels a lot like a gentle dance. It is natural and delightful, requires participation from the user, and makes the user feel like they're getting what they came for. But the process begins way before they join you on the dance floor (i.e engage with your product).
Decoding the Onboarding AAARRR Funnel
Before we hit the floor, let's break down the AAARRR funnel of user engagement:
Awareness
Acquisition
Activation
Retention
Revenue
Referral
1. Awareness: How they spot you
Your product onboarding journey begins even before users sign up. It's all about creating that initial spark of interest.
Speak to the user's problem: make it sound like you see through their specific desires and you've come with a solution. A prayer answered so to speak. You need to know your users and their problem (that you're solving) very well to leverage the most out of this.
Optimize for SEO: Ensure your website content is discoverable when potential users search for solutions to their problems.
2. Acquisition: Making the First Move
You've caught their eye, now it's time to reel them into your dance floor
Streamline the sign-up process: Make it so easy that even your grandma could do it blindfolded. Okay, maybe not blindfolded, but you get the idea.
Offer a free trial: Let users dip their toes in the water before diving in headfirst. Whether or not you'll ask for a credit card here depends on your specific strategy.
3. Activation: The "Aha!" Moment
This is where the magic happens. They are delighted by how much of a good partner you are. It's time to turn those casual browsers into die-hard fans. Focusing on the Job(s) To Be Done:
Roll out the red carpet: Send a personalized welcome email that makes users feel like VIPs. Hopefully, you have some personalised info about them so your email feels like it was sent to just them.
Guide them to the promised land: Create an engaging product tour or sweet checklist that leads users to easily get through their Job To Be Done. The sooner they can unlock the most value from your product (ie the JTBD), the higher the likelihood that they'll keep tangoing with you.
4. Retention: Keep 'Em Coming Back for More
You've hooked them, now it's time to keep them on the line.
Stay in touch: Send follow-up emails that aren't just "Hey, we miss you!" but actually provide value.
Announce new features: Keep the excitement alive by regularly introducing new and improved functionalities.
Explain use cases: Show users how your product can solve problems they didn't even know they had.
5. Revenue: Show Me the Money!
Time to turn those happy users into paying customers.
Monetization awareness: Subtly introduce premium features during the onboarding process. It's like leaving breadcrumbs that lead to your pricing page.
Onboarding for premium features: Give users a taste of the good life with limited-time access to premium features.
6. Referral: Spreading the Good News
The holy grail of product success – when your users become your marketing team.
Referral program introduction: Weave your referral program into the onboarding process. Make it so irresistible that users can't help but spread the word.
The Onboarding Omnipresence
Fan fact – product onboarding isn't just a one-and-done deal. It plays a crucial role throughout the entire AAARRR funnel. It's like the Swiss Army knife of product management – always useful, no matter the situation.
By crafting a stellar onboarding experience, you're not just teaching users how to use your product; you're setting the stage for long-term success, higher retention rates, and a user base that's more evangelical than a Sunday morning preacher.
Question Time :)
Where does the onboarding process fit within the overall AAARRR funnel?
It is a one-time event at the beginning of the user journey
It is only relevant for the Acquisition and Activation stage
It plays a crucial role throughout the entire AAARRR funnel