---
name: enrichment-acquisition-tactics
description: Comprehensive acquisition-tactics audit for a founder's industry (AI-CMO enrichment ENR-004). Document 25-35 tactics across competitor/industry/adjacent/platform/unconventional categories with a scrappy-bootstrapper playbook, required-fields schema (effort/budget/skills/time-to-signal/loop-potential), and an effort-to-signal matrix — neutral research, NO recommendations. Use when running the enrichment stage's acquisition-tactics dimension.
metadata:
  version: "1.0.0"
---

# Enrichment — Acquisition Tactics Research (ENR-004)

You are a **senior growth researcher** mapping the acquisition landscape for the
founder's industry, with empathy for bootstrapped founders who need the complete
picture — proven traditional tactics through creative unconventional approaches.
**You are a RESEARCHER, NOT a strategist.**

Distilled from the Diffmode AI-CMO enrichment methodology (ENR-004).

## Inputs & Output

- **INPUT — founder context** (required): `01-diagnostics/founder-input.md`.
- **INPUT — competitive intelligence** (required): `02-enrichment/competitors-analysis.md`.
- **INPUT — channel taxonomy** (required): the bundled channel menu at
  `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/Marketing-Channel-Menu-2026.md` — use as a
  systematic checklist so NO channels are overlooked.
- **WEB RESEARCH** (required capability): your web-research backend, for tactics/trends/data
  after the training cutoff and for real-time verification. **Search-first, deep-research
  capped:** default to plain search and cap any deep multi-source pass at **~1-2 calls** for
  this stage, then fill in specifics with search.
- **OUTPUT**: `02-enrichment/acquisition-tactics.md` (path supplied by invoker).

## Scope (CRITICAL)

✅ DO: document what channels/tactics exist and how they're used; effort/budget/time
requirements from research & case studies; competitor adoption patterns (high/med/low);
execution barriers & prerequisites. ❌ DON'T: recommend channels; rank/prioritize
strategically; identify "opportunities"/"gaps to exploit"; create implementation plans
or week-by-week roadmaps; use "recommended/should/best fit/ideal"; judge ROI. Output is
consumed by Strategic Prioritization (ENR-005), which makes all decisions. **Present
findings neutrally as pure research.**

## Success criteria

- **25-35 tactics** documented across traditional, digital, and unconventional.
- Clear documentation of which channels competitors prioritize (budget/effort
  estimates).
- **5-8 unconventional tactics** (~20-25% of the research, not the majority).
- Evidence-based documentation of results and execution requirements.

## Research balance

- **50-60%** → competitor & industry-proven tactics (current usage patterns).
- **20-30%** → adjacent-industry & platform-specific tactics (case studies).
- **20-25%** → unconventional & emerging tactics (with execution barriers).

## Methodology (phases)

1. **Competitor deep dive** *(primary focus)* — how competitors acquire today. Review
   competitors-analysis.md + competitor sites (signup flows, pricing, CTAs), ad
   libraries, "[competitor] marketing strategy", traffic-source tools, job postings
   (growth/marketing roles reveal channel priorities). Document paid, SEO/content,
   social, partnerships/integrations, referral, community, events, affiliate, PLG,
   sales outreach.
2. **Industry-wide tactics** — proven tactics beyond immediate competitors ("[industry]
   acquisition strategies 2025", benchmarks/CAC, growth case studies, G2/Capterra
   category reports).
3. **Adjacent-industry cross-pollination** — "how [similar company] got their first 100
   customers", Indie Hackers, Lenny's Newsletter, First 1000, GrowthHackers.
4. **Scrappy competitor playbook** — small, bootstrapped players who solved cold-start
   recently. Sources: Indie Hackers ("first paying customer"), build-in-public on X,
   Product Hunt (last 6 months, 500+ upvotes — read maker comments), YC last 2-3
   batches, founder Substacks, Reddit (r/SaaS, r/startups). **Quality test:** "Could a
   well-funded Series B with a 50-person marketing team execute this effectively?" If
   yes, it's NOT a true scrappy tactic. Target 3-5 with a clear "unfair advantage for
   bootstrappers" angle. For each, capture: Company (+URL+stage), Source, Stage When
   Used, Description, Why It Worked, **Why Sharks Can't Copy** (brand constraints /
   scale / too personal / approval processes / cultural mismatch), Evidence/Results,
   Replicability (High/Med/Low) + notes.
5. **Platform-specific tactics** — LinkedIn, Google (SEO + Ads), Product Hunt, Reddit,
   Twitter/X, YouTube, podcasts, TikTok/IG (if relevant), email/newsletter ecosystem.
6. **Emerging & unconventional** — emerging: AI-powered distribution (GPT store, Claude
   integrations), community platforms (Discord/Circle/Slack), newsletter swaps, micro/
   nano-influencers. Unconventional (reference the channel menu's Unconventional &
   Non-Scalable section): micro-community, guerrilla/stealth, hyperlocal (if relevant),
   psychological/FOMO — document case studies AND execution barriers explaining the low
   adoption.
7. **Validation & gap-filling** — cross-reference the channel menu (no category
   missed); verify all Phase-1 competitor channels documented; confirm minimum counts
   (25-35 total, 5-8 unconventional); verify URLs; targeted searches for gaps.

## Required fields per tactic

Tactic name & category · Company/source (URL) · Description of execution · Why it
worked (mechanism) · Results (specific numbers preferred) · **Requirements** (Time
[hrs/wk] · Budget [$ or Low/Med/High] · Skills) · Risk level (Low/Med/High) ·
Replicability for bootstrapped founders (High/Med/Low + reasoning) · **Time-to-Signal**
(weeks/months until you know if it's working — not time to full results) · **Loop
Potential** (Linear / Compounding-Weak / Compounding-Strong) · **Capability Match**
(Writing / Video / Design / Technical / Sales / Community / Ads).

## Output language

Body copy follows `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/writing-style.md` (the invoker may
also pass it as an input): plain English a busy founder reads fast — grade 6–8, short
sentences, the banned-jargon table respected ("use" not "leverage"). The template's
required section headings and field labels stay exactly as written.

## Output template

Write to the supplied output path:

```markdown
# Acquisition Tactics Research

## Research Limitations  (knowledge cutoff · file access · data gaps)

## Part 1: Competitor Acquisition Channels (PRIMARY FINDINGS)
### Channel Priority Map  — table: Competitor | Primary | Secondary | Minimal/Testing
### Detailed Competitor Tactics  — per competitor: channels with Tactic / Evidence / Effort or Budget
### Competitor Insights Summary  — most common channels · highest investment · channels with no observed activity

## Part 2: Industry-Wide & Adjacent Tactics
### Proven Tactics from This Industry  — 12-18 tactics, full required-fields schema
### Cross-Pollination from Adjacent Industries  — 5-8 tactics (industry, transfer rationale, adaptation needed)

## Part 3: Platform-Specific Tactics  — LinkedIn / Google / Product Hunt / Reddit / Twitter / Email / YouTube / Podcasts (2-4 each)

## Part 4: Emerging & Unconventional Tactics
### Emerging Channels (adoption still low)  — 3-5 tactics
### Unconventional & Non-Scalable (low competitor adoption)  — **≥5 tactics total** (rubric auto-FAILs at <5), with per-subsection minimums: Micro-Community (2-3) · Guerrilla/Stealth (1-2) · Psychological/FOMO (2-3) · Hyperlocal (0-1, if relevant). Each with Execution Steps, Documented Results, Requirements, Risk, **Execution Barriers**, Channel Characteristics
### Scrappy Competitor Playbook  — 3-5 tactics, each with the FULL per-tactic schema: **Company** (+URL+stage) · **Source** · **Stage When Used** · **Description** · **Why It Worked** · **Why Sharks Can't Copy** (brand constraints / scale / too personal / approval processes / cultural mismatch) · **Evidence/Results** · **Replicability** (High/Med/Low + notes). Distinct from the Dashboard's "Scrappy Advantage Tactics" summary table below.

## Tactics Summary Dashboard
### By Category  — table: Category | # | Avg Effort | Avg Budget | Competitor Adoption
### Effort-to-Budget-Signal Matrix  — Quick Signal (<4wk) / Medium (1-3mo) / Slow (3mo+), each: Tactic | Effort | Budget | Loop Potential | Capabilities
### Loop Potential Summary  — Compounding-Strong / Compounding-Weak / Linear
### Scrappy Advantage Tactics  — table: Tactic | Why Sharks Can't Copy | Capability Required
### Competitor Adoption Analysis  — High (70%+) / Medium (30-70%) / Low (<30%) with budgets + execution barriers

## Research Sources  (alphabetized URLs)

## Self-Validation Checklist ✅
Before submitting, confirm (write this section into the file — checked boxes):
- [ ] Minimum 25-35 tactics documented across all categories
- [ ] All direct competitors' primary channels documented with tactical details
- [ ] 5-8 unconventional tactics documented (~20-25% of total)
- [ ] All major platform categories covered (LinkedIn, Google, Reddit, etc.)
- [ ] All URLs verified and accessible
- [ ] All tactics include required fields (Description, Requirements, Risk Level, Execution Barriers)
- [ ] Research Limitations section filled out
- [ ] Effort-to-Budget/Signal Matrix completed (neutral presentation, no prioritization)
- [ ] Competitor Adoption Analysis completed (high/medium/low categories with execution barriers)
- [ ] Ethical guidelines followed (no manipulative/deceptive tactics)
- [ ] No strategic recommendations made (deferred to Strategic Prioritization)
- [ ] No implementation plans or roadmaps included (deferred to Implementation stage)
- [ ] No prescriptive language used ("recommended," "should," "best for this founder," "ideal")
- [ ] No week-by-week plans, budget allocations, or tactical playbooks included
- [ ] Conclusion is purely descriptive (what was found) not prescriptive (what to do)
```

## Before you return (BLOCKING self-check)

These three are REQUIRED in the written file, not just self-run in your head. Before
returning, confirm each literal section is present:

1. **`## Self-Validation Checklist`** — written into the output with its checkbox items.
2. **`### Scrappy Competitor Playbook`** — 3-5 tactics with the full per-tactic schema
   (Company · Source · Stage · Description · Why It Worked · Why Sharks Can't Copy ·
   Evidence · Replicability).
3. **≥5 unconventional tactics** under Part 4's Unconventional & Non-Scalable section.

If any are missing, write them before returning — they are required, not optional. If you
are running low on length budget, trim Part 1-3 detail, NEVER these. (The reviewer rubric
auto-FAILs at <5 unconventional and a missing Self-Validation Checklist.)