CUSTOMER ACQUISITION COST ANALYSIS: Q3 2026

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
→ Blended CAC: $485 (up 12% vs. Q2)
→ Best-performing cohort: June SMB (CAC $310)
→ Worst-performing cohort: August Enterprise (CAC $920)
→ Primary driver of increase: Paid advertising cost inflation (18% quarter over quarter)

COHORT BREAKDOWN BY MONTH

June Cohort:
→ Total customers acquired: 124
→ Total acquisition spend: $38,440
→ CAC: $310 (best performer)
→ Primary channel: Organic + Referral (68%)
→ LTV estimate: $8,100 (CAC payback: 2.9 months)

July Cohort:
→ Total customers acquired: 98
→ Total acquisition spend: $46,200
→ CAC: $471 (middle)
→ Primary channel: Paid search (52%) + paid social (35%)
→ LTV estimate: $7,200 (CAC payback: 4.2 months) WARNING

August Cohort:
→ Total customers acquired: 67 (lowest volume)
→ Total acquisition spend: $61,640
→ CAC: $920 (worst performer) CRITICAL
→ Primary channel: Paid social + LinkedIn (88%)
→ LTV estimate: $6,800 (CAC payback: 5.5 months) CRITICAL

CHANNEL PERFORMANCE
→ Organic: CAC $180, 35% of total volume
→ Referral: CAC $220, 18% of total volume
→ Paid search: CAC $580, 28% of total volume
→ Paid social: CAC $720, 19% of total volume

KEY FINDINGS
1. Organic + Referral cohorts have 65-75% lower CAC and superior retention
2. Paid channels showing declining efficiency (bids rising, conversion falling)
3. Enterprise segment consistently 2x+ CAC vs. SMB
4. August paid social scale hurting unit economics

RECOMMENDATIONS
→ IMMEDIATE: Reduce August paid social spend by 40%, pause high-cost keywords
→ STRATEGY: Invest 20% of freed budget into referral program (proven $220 CAC)
→ CONTENT: Scale organic with 3 new comparison content pieces (June cohort gold standard)
→ FORECAST: Q4 blended CAC should return to $420-450 range if actions implemented

FINANCIAL IMPACT
Current trajectory: $920 August CAC × expected 85 Q4 customers = $78,200 acquisition spend for Q4
With recommendations: $450 CAC × 95 customers = $42,750 (46% savings)