A Content Marketing Funnel Explained

A content marketing funnel can help potential customers learn about your company, find solutions to their problems, and then feel comfortable buying from you. Content is more appropriate for each stage of the funnel.

At the top of the funnel informational videos, infographics and checklists attract attention, bring in leads, and keep customers interested. Templates and guides that are gated work well at this stage.

Awareness

At this point, consumers are only aware of your brand and the services you offer. In this stage the content should provide answers and educate prospects about the issues your solution solves and how it differs from competitors.

To determine the gaps in your content for this stage, consider the kinds of keywords that your customers use to search online. Keyword research can be used to find out what is content in marketing terms your target audience is using when searching online. This will assist you in determining whether your product or service is in demand. These data can be used to create a content calendar and then decide which content pieces are targeted at these terms.

Creating content for this stage of the funnel will help you build brand affinity among consumers. The more consumers learn about your brand, the more confidence they'll have in your ability to solve their issues. This leads to higher conversion rates for newsletter signups and purchases as well as clickthroughs on your website.

A well-planned content strategy can aid in closing the conversion gap in this stage. For instance, if find that the vast majority of your content is targeted at gaining awareness, but not enough of it is influencing buyers towards a purchase decision, you may increase your advertising budget to focus on middle-funnel keywords.

Social media is yet another method to increase your bottom-of funnel conversion. Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook let you interact directly with your customers, giving you an opportunity to showcase your customer service. This can range from retweeting positive reviews to promoting exclusive offers.

You can also make use of existing content to lure customers to the bottom of the funnel, such as blog posts or case studies. If you write a blog post explaining why your product is superior to a competitor's you can share it on social media and encourage your customers to join your email list to receive more details. You can also encourage a conversion at this stage by asking your followers to tag you on their social media posts after they have used your product. This will encourage other people to do the same, and spread the word about your brand.

Consideration

A good content strategy will consist of a variety types that capture consumers at each stage of the funnel. Brand awareness campaigns, for instance may include ads as well as blog posts and infographics to address common concerns and objections. These pieces of content can be distributed via email and social media to increase organic traffic.

As consumers move through the consideration stage, they start looking for specific characteristics of products that can help them make a purchase decision. Frequently asked questions (FAQ) pages are a great type of content for this stage. Utilize keyword research tools such as Ubersuggest or search popular industry hashtags to find the questions your readers are asking. Then, you can write answers to these questions and place them in your content funnel map.

In this phase, it's important to provide an unambiguous value proposition that demonstrates to potential customers how your product or service will solve their issue and make them more money. This content should also highlight your brand's uniqueness when compared to your competitors.

This is an easy step to evaluate because the customer is making a purchase. To see whether you're getting it completed, check out metrics like conversion rate as well as the number of transactions and click-through rates.

As consumers move into the advocacy stage, they become loyal followers of your brand and are more likely to share your content because they feel strongly about it. This is a good way to increase your audience. But you'll have to focus on creating content that inspires people to share it, instead of focusing solely on engagement metrics. Use Sprout Social, for example, to track social shares that are a result of your marketing efforts with content. This will give you a much more accurate view of your influence.

Decision

People are looking for content during the decision-making phase that validates the purchase and provides instructions on how to use the product. At this point, they want to be certain that your product will solve their problem and justify the cost. Quality content is essential at this stage, including product guides, case studies, videos and customer success stories. Customers also want to be in a position to ask questions and receive answers from your support team. Sending them customized emails and 24 hour customer support is a great way to please your customers and encourage them to share their experience with others.

At this stage you're hoping that your customer will become a brand ambassador and promote your product to their friends and colleagues. In order to convert these advocates into raving fans, you'll need to provide them with relevant content that will help them get the most out of your product or service. Personalized newsletters videos, tutorials, free trial offers, and loyalty programs are all great ways to do this.

After your audience has changed from leads into paying customers, it's time to focus on retention. Content marketing funnels tend to focus on revenue as their final goal. However, customers will remain in contact and interact with brands after making an purchase. It is crucial to redefine the funnel as a dynamic structure that incorporates revenue, not a static model.

While conventional content marketing funnels can help you develop your strategy but they don't take into account the complexities of the buyer's journey. Reimagining the funnel of content marketing as a circular model can assist you in creating a more holistic strategy. By planning for every step of the process, you'll be able to create content that will engage your audience and generate conversions. You can then use the information from conversions to enhance and test your strategy. Are you ready to see the difference that this strategy can bring to your company? Contact us today to request a free Content marketing playbook!

Retention

A content marketing funnel can be a powerful instrument to aid brands in planning, execute and measure their strategy. It can also help them identify the areas where they are lacking in their strategy. If a brand has lots of content geared towards the public's attention but only few pieces aimed at middle of funnel, it must create content specifically for this stage.

Utilize tools such as Ahrefs, which examine the average time on the page and bounce rate of each piece to determine how targeted your content is. The higher these numbers, the more efficient your content.

It's important to update and keep relevant the content you create to be at the top of your funnel. This will ensure that your audience remains engaged and curious about your brand and its products or services. The best method to accomplish this is to create new content that is focused on specific keywords, addresses questions that are likely to be asked by your customers and includes the most recent information on your industry or product.

When your audience arrives at the MOFU stage, they'll be looking for more information on your product or service as and ways to resolve their issues. It's important to build confidence by giving honest reviews and demonstrating your worth.

The final stage of the content marketing funnel is where your audience will make a purchasing decision. This is achieved through gated content that requires an email address or other form of registration to gain access. This content is designed to convert the interest and awareness you've created at the top of your funnel into qualified leads. Your sales team will then follow to follow up.

You can still influence your customers' journeys through your brand, even if the sales and support teams are the primary ones responsible for retention of customers. Create content that will delight your customers throughout the entire process of content marketing. This can include useful sources, behind-the-scenes information and special deals that only your audience has access to. If you can establish a relationship of trust to your customers, they will become your best advocates and help to reduce your sales cycle.