How to go From $0 to $3.6M in Less than 2 years - The BufferApp Success Story

Reverse EngineeringBufferApp’s Success

@LucasEWalllinkedin.com/in/lucasewall#WhatDoesItMean

Why Reverse Engineer BufferApp?

● Jan 2011 - Launched web app● Oct 2011 - 55,000 users ($150K sales)● Jan 2012 - 100,000 users ($288K sales)● Jan 2013 - 1,000,000 users ($3.6M sales)

How Did BufferApp Become a $3.6M Website in Two Years?● What Do They Write About?● What Are Their Main Sources of Traffic?● Is There an 80/20 Effect Traffic/Articles?● How Often Do They Write and Share?● How Do They Structure Their Articles?● Why Does it Work?

They Write About

● Thier Subject Matter (tweets, fb, social media): 43%● Lists, how-tos, and about their own brand: 37%, 21 and 18% resp.● They don’t mix it that much: list & subjmat (17%), list & brand (3%),

brand & howto (3%)● Action oriented: Make (7%), Get (8%), Use (7%)● Containing: Tips (7%), Ways (7%), Tools (6%), Guides (3%), Science

(6%)● Positive: New (8%), Most (6%), Successful (4%), Better (4%), Great

(4%)

Example: 10 Simple Things You Can Do Today That Will Make You Happier, Backed By Science

Take a Wordle For it

Main Sources of Traffic

Dec-13 Nov-13 Oct-13

Unique Visitors 493,253 529,184 547,339

Top 3 Referral Sites fb & m.fb (58,471) ~12%

Reddit (25,349) ~ 5%

StumbleUpon (15,819) ~3%

fb & m.fb (70,173 uniques) ~13%

Fast Company (12,596)

Twitter (10,149)

fb & m.fb (84,374 uniques) ~15%

Twitter (36,761) ~7%

Fast Company (15,127) ~3%

Top 3 Keywords “how to make yourself happy”

“best time to post on facebook”

“best time to post on Instagram”

“how to make yourself happy”

“best time to post on facebook”

“habits of successful people”

“how to make yourself happy”

“sunday – best of the web”

“habits of successful people”

Facebook & Twitter are Stable #1 and #2. Others Vary Month to MonthMix of Keywords Associated and Not Associated to Subject Matter Are Main Source of Traffic

80/20 Relationship Traffic/Articles

Dec-13 Nov-13 Oct-13

Unique Visitors 493,253 529,184 547,339

Top 3 posts

10 Simple Things You Can Do Today That Will

Make You Happier, Backed By Science: 70,334

(~14%) (August)

Why We’re More Creative When We’re Tired

and 9 Other Surprising Facts About How Our

Brains Work: 55,900 (~11%) (November)

8 Surprising New Instagram Statistics to Get

the Most out of the Picture Social Network:

40,160 (~8%) (October)

10 Simple Things You Can Do Today That Will

Make You Happier, Backed By Science: 94,623

(~18%) (August)

10 Things To Stop Doing Today to Be Happier,

Backed by Science: 34,038 (6%) (November)

8 Surprising New Instagram Statistics to Get the

Most out of the Picture Social Network: 28,147

(5%) (October)

10 Simple Things You Can Do Today That Will

Make You Happier, Backed By Science: 137,260

(25%) (August)

8 Common Thinking Mistakes Our Brains Make

Every Day and How to Prevent Them: 42,300

(8%) (September)

A scientific guide to posting Tweets, Facebook

posts, Emails and Blog posts at the best time:

28,040 (5%) (August)

Concentration 3 / 430 posts (.6%) = ~33% of Uniques 3 / 415 posts (.7%) = ~29% of Uniques 3 / 400 posts (.8%) = ~38% of Uniques

On Average, 1% of Articles Produce 30-38% of Unique VisitorsIn other words, Yes, there is such a thing as a diamond article out there!!!

Articles Per Month & Guest Blogging

Dec-13 Nov-13 Oct-13

Unique Visitors 493,253 529,184 547,339

Post Published 13 15 15

Posts Republished 13 12 4

Republished On TheNextWeb, Lifehacker, Fast Company, Huffington Post, Business Insider

TheNextWeb, Lifehacker, Fast Company, Huffington Post, Business Insider

TheNextWeb, Lifehacker, Fast Company

Articles Are Original & Re-Published On Other Websites.

Articles Fuel GrowthFirst year published ~17 per month, then between 7-12, recently ~15.

Launched

55K users$150K Revenue

100K users$288K Revenue

1M users$3.6M Revenue

Structure of Their Best ArticlesTitle 10 Simple Things You Can Do Today

That Will Make You Happier, Backed By Science

8 Surprising New Instagram Statistics to Get the Most out of the Picture Social Network

Why We’re More Creative When We’re Tired and 9 Other Surprising Facts About How Our Brains Work

Words ~3,200 ~1,600 ~3,360

Links 37 9 42

Words/Links ~86 ~177 ~80

Pictures 5 10 8

Sections (H1, H2) 11 9 10

Numbered Sections?

Yes Yes Yes

Bullet Points No No No

#WhatDoesItMean● BufferApp employs an organic traffic strategy to reach potential customers.● Their content is not directly related to their product all the time, but…● Their content provides useful information to readers, which in turn…

○ Creates rapport about the authors and therefore…○ Makes readers want to learn more about what BufferApp is, and…○ Makes visitor-to-user conversion very affordable.

Why Does it Work?● It leverages pre-established behavior, such as…

○ Target population uses the Internet as a source of knowledge, and...○ Is already actively using social networks, and…○ BufferApp feeds on the desire of having more followers & becoming

more connected.

BBA (Ops & Finance)

About Lucas E. Wall

Born in Misiones, Argentina.

1980s 2000s 2010s

Managed $30M Cash-Flow during Argentine Financial Crisis.

Turned around $4M non-profit without laying-off staff, cutting salaries or discontinuing services.

Big-four consultant. Advised major corporations across industries.

#resilient #passionate #inspiring#funny #determined #committed(Adjectives people used to describe Lucas throughout the years)

Programming since age eleven.

MBA (Finance)

In the USA since 2002. Permanent Resident & National Interest Waiver recipient.Work explaining the financial crisis of Argentina gained me the recommendation of experts in the field and subsequent declaration of national interest.

FoundedROIchecker.com

@LucasEWalllinkedin.com/in/lucasewall#WhatDoesItMean