ActiveCampaign

How Jason VandeBoom Grew ActiveCampaign to $165M ARR

Monthly Revenue

$20.8M

Founders

Employees

1000 (est.)

Profitable

Yes

Year Started

2003

Customer

B2B & B2C

Founders

Employees

1000 (est.)

Profitable

Yes

Year Started

2003

Customer

B2B & B2C

Who is Jason VandeBoom?

Jason VandeBoom, the founder and CEO of ActiveCampaign, initially pursued a fine arts degree while self-funding the company through consulting work. He later transitioned the business from on-premise software to SaaS, nurturing its growth to over $165 million in ARR.

What problem does ActiveCampaign solve?

ActiveCampaign effectively solves the complex and time-consuming problem of personalized customer engagement for small to mid-sized businesses by providing intuitive, scalable marketing automation tools. This makes it particularly successful as it allows businesses without extensive technical expertise to create meaningful, automated customer experiences, which boosts loyalty and drives revenue growth.

How did Jason come up with the idea for ActiveCampaign?

Jason VandeBoom, founder of ActiveCampaign, initially identified a repetitive problem while doing consulting work: small businesses struggled with effectively communicating with their customers through email. This realization came as he kept building custom email solutions for various clients, which was both time-consuming and inefficient. To streamline his work and create a more sustainable business model while attending art school, he decided to package these one-off solutions into a single, sellable product.

Before fully committing to the idea, Jason observed the market and noticed a lack of comprehensive email marketing tools tailored to small businesses. This insight led him to develop an on-premise email marketing solution that could be easily installed and used by businesses without extensive IT resources. After years of slow but steady growth, he validated the market demand and saw the potential for a more scalable approach.

In the ideation phase, Jason faced the challenge of transitioning from an on-premise model to a SaaS platform, which required convincing his existing customer base to switch to a subscription model. He overcame these hurdles by maintaining close relationships with early adopters and iterating based on their feedback. A key lesson from this journey was the importance of staying close to customer pain points and incrementally validating each step before scaling further. Through this process, Jason learned the value of balancing innovation with practical, user-driven solutions.

How did Jason build the initial version of ActiveCampaign?

Jason VandeBoom, the founder of ActiveCampaign, initially built the product by packaging custom email marketing solutions he'd developed for consulting clients into an on-premise product. The development involved using his own time and money, leveraging his background in software development to create a basic, yet functional solution for SMBs. The first prototype was a downloadable software that customers had to install themselves, which posed significant challenges given that the target users often lacked technical expertise. It took around a year to build this first version, and Jason found the process challenging due to the high friction of on-premise software in the SMB market. However, the hands-on customer feedback and iterative improvements were invaluable in shaping the product into what was eventually transitioned into a SaaS model.

What were the initial startup costs for ActiveCampaign?

Funding: ActiveCampaign raised $20 million in 2016 and an additional $240 million in 2021.

How did Jason launch ActiveCampaign and get initial traction?

Direct Sales Effort

Active Campaign started selling directly by reaching out to small businesses who already needed email marketing solutions. This hands-on approach allowed them to work closely with these initial customers to understand their needs and tweak the product accordingly.

Initial Outreach: They reached out to small businesses, offering a solution to manage their email marketing. This hands-on customer service ensured their customers saw immediate value.
Initial Results: This approach was slow to scale, but it allowed Active Campaign to gather valuable feedback. They slowly grew to around 60,000 customers over several years. In the early days, the company grew organically, largely by word of mouth.

Online Presence

They leveraged online directories at the beginning, which helped to get the word out about their service among small and medium businesses.

Directories and Listings: In the early 2000s, online directories were more prominent. Listing Active Campaign in relevant directories helped them gain visibility among businesses looking for email marketing solutions.
Customer Interaction: Providing exceptional customer service to those who found Active Campaign via these directories helped turn those initial clients into long-term customers.

Transition to SaaS

Moving from on-premise software to a Subscription as a Service (SaaS) model was a crucial part of their growth strategy.

Transition Timeline: This transition took place over ten years. By the time they fully switched to a SaaS model, they had a strong product tailored to customer needs.
Initial Pricing Model: They started with a subscription model as low as $9 per month, which made it easy for small businesses to adopt the service.
Stable Revenue Stream: The SaaS model provided a steadier and more predictable revenue stream compared to their one-time fee model for on-premise software.

Community Building and Expansive Content

Active Campaign engaged heavily with their early adopters to build a community around their product. This helped them refine their service and develop trust.

Hands-On Support: They provided extensive support to understand their customers' pain points and deliver value. Interaction with early customers helped in refining the product.
Content Marketing: Over time, they expanded their content marketing efforts by providing educational material that demonstrated how small businesses could best use their product. This not only attracted new clients but also helped in retaining existing ones.

These focused efforts on direct sales, leveraging online presence, transitioning to a SaaS model, and community engagement were foundational in Active Campaign's initial customer acquisition journey.

What was the growth strategy for ActiveCampaign and how did they scale?

LinkedIn

ActiveCampaign has leveraged LinkedIn as a significant growth channel. They focused on three main strategies: team mobilization, voice of the customer, and paid amplification.

Team Mobilization: The team at ActiveCampaign created what they called "Operation LinkedIn", encouraging employees to share topical posts related to marketing automation, AI, and owned assets. By gamifying the process with goals like the "10K club" (achieving 10,000 views per week), they motivated employees to contribute content and share the top-performing ones to increase engagement and visibility.

Voice of the Customer: They engaged customers to share their experiences with ActiveCampaign. They identified their biggest advocates through NPS scores and provided specific guidelines and days for posting. They also reciprocated by promoting their customer’s content, thus creating a mutually beneficial relationship.

Paid Amplification: ActiveCampaign promoted the best-performing organic content, whether created by their team or customers. By paying to amplify this content on LinkedIn, they achieved broader reach and higher engagement. This content was educational and focused on industry best practices, which helped build brand authority.

Earned Media

ActiveCampaign actively sought out earned media opportunities to broaden their reach and establish credibility.

Podcast Guesting: Jason VandeBoom and other key team members frequently appeared on industry-relevant podcasts. Jason used Listen Notes to find top-rated podcasts in the email marketing and SaaS niches, providing hosts with personalized pitches based on research. This strategy allowed ActiveCampaign to quickly reach large, targeted audiences without the slower growth curve of building their own podcast from scratch.

Customer Stories: In company all-hands meetings, the Chief Customer Officer interviewed customers to discuss their success stories using ActiveCampaign. These stories were then leveraged in marketing materials and shared across various channels to highlight real-world success and build credibility.

Influencers

ActiveCampaign utilized influencer marketing by working with relevant thought leaders in the marketing and SaaS industries.

Performance-Oriented Deals: ActiveCampaign structured deals where influencers were paid based on performance metrics, such as the number of new paid accounts they brought in. This created aligned incentives between the company and the influencers, ensuring that both parties worked towards the same goals. Influencers were given clear targets and deliverables, such as social media posts, videos, and conference mentions.

Notable Influencers: Influencers like Raj from Startup Hypeman and Ashley Stahl were effectively integrated into their strategy. This not only helped in reaching a broader audience but also in creating high-quality content that informed and influenced potential customers.

These strategies combined helped ActiveCampaign achieve significant growth, making efficient use of resources and maximizing their reach in both direct and indirect ways.

What's the pricing strategy for ActiveCampaign?

ActiveCampaign employs a tiered pricing strategy with plans starting at $29 per month for Lite, $49 for Plus, $149 for Professional, and custom pricing for Enterprise, offering a free trial to attract potential users.

What were the biggest lessons learned from building ActiveCampaign?

Customer-Centric Focus: ActiveCampaign thrived by keeping customer experiences front and center. This focus on customer pain points and value creation helped them grow sustainably while retaining close relationships with their clients.
Gradual Growth and Adaptation: They transitioned from on-premise software to SaaS slowly and thoughtfully, which enabled them to remain profitable and retain their customer base. ActiveCampaign didn't rush; they adapted and iterated based on customer feedback and market needs.
Team Mobilization and Culture: By engaging employees in initiatives like "Operation LinkedIn," where team members contribute to content and share successes, ActiveCampaign built a strong internal community that aligns with customer-focused goals. This nurtured a culture of mutual support and growth.
Innovative Marketing Strategies: Utilizing a mix of LinkedIn campaigns, earned media, and influencer partnerships, ActiveCampaign demonstrated the importance of diversified and innovative marketing tactics. This multi-channel approach helped them reach wider audiences and build credibility.
Scaling with Purpose: They maintained their commitment to SMBs even as they scaled. By focusing on creating accessible automations and innovative tools, they stayed true to their purpose of helping small businesses succeed, rather than shifting focus to larger, more lucrative markets.

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