A Content Marketing Funnel Explained

A content marketing funnel can let potential customers learn more about your brand, discover solutions to their problems, and become confident in purchasing from you. Content is more appropriate for every stage of the funnel.

At the top of the funnel, infographics, videos, and checklists grab attention, create leads, and keep customers engaged. Gated content, such as templates and guides is effective at this point.

Awareness

At this point, customers are aware of the existence of your brand and the solutions you offer. In this stage, content is meant to provide information and help prospects on the problems your solution tackles, as well as what makes it different from competitors.

To identify your content gaps at this point, think about the kinds of keywords your target audience uses to search on the internet. Using keyword research, you can find out what is a content marketer terms your customers are searching for that indicate an interest in your product or service. These information can be used to create an editorial calendar and determine which content pieces should be targeted at these terms.

As a bonus, creating content for this stage of the funnel helps to build brand loyalty with your customers. If your customers are more informed about your brand, they will trust you more in your ability to solve their problems. This translates into higher conversion rates, whether it's newsletter signups, purchases or click-throughs to your website.

A well-executed strategy for content will aid in closing this conversion gap. For instance, if find that the vast majority of your content is targeted at awareness but not enough is influencing buyers towards a purchase decision, you could increase spending on advertising campaigns to target middle-funnel keywords.

Another way to boost your bottom-of-funnel conversion is through social media. Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook allow you to interact with your customers directly giving you the opportunity to showcase your commitment to customer service. This can range from tweeting good reviews to promoting special deals.

You can also leverage existing content to lure buyers to the bottom of the funnel like blog posts or case studies. If you write a blog post explaining the reasons why your product is superior to that of a competitor, you can share it via social media and invite your readers to join your email list to receive more information. You can also encourage conversion at this point by asking your followers to tag you in their social media posts after using your product. This will encourage others to follow suit and spread the word about your brand.

Then there is the consideration

A good content marketing services strategy will include a variety of content types that draw customers in each stage of the funnel. Brand awareness campaigns, for instance may include ads, but also blog posts and infographics addressing the most common issues and objections. The content can then be distributed via social media and email to drive organic traffic.

As consumers move through the process of considering they begin to search for specific product features which will assist them in making a purchase decision. This phase is a great time to create FAQ pages. Use tools for keyword research such as Ubersuggest or search popular industry hashtags to find the people who are asking. Create answers to these questions, and then add them to your online content marketing funnel map.

During this stage it is essential to present an unambiguous proposition that shows the way your product or service can solve their problems and make them more cash. This content should also highlight your brand's distinctiveness in comparison to your competitors.

This is a straightforward step to evaluate since the consumer is making a purchase decision. Consider metrics like conversion rate, payment figures and click-through rate to determine if your efforts are working.

When consumers reach the point of advocacy and become advocates for your brand, it grows increasingly important to them. They will be sharing your content with their friends because they are so enthusiastic about it. This is a powerful method of growing your audience. However, you must focus on creating content marketing agency that entices people to share it, instead of focusing on only engagement metrics. Use Sprout Social, for example to track social shares that result from your content marketing efforts. This will give you a clear picture of your influence.

Decision Making

People are looking for content in the decision-making process that substantiates the purchase and provides instructions on how to use the product. At this point, they want to know that your product will solve their issue and make the investment worth it. At this point, high-quality content, like product guides as well as case study videos and customer success stories are crucial. Your customers should also be capable of asking questions and get answers from your support team. It is a great way to delight your customers and to encourage them to by sharing their experiences.

It is your hope that by this point, the customer will become an advocate for your brand and will promote it to their coworkers and friends. To convert those who are advocates to raving fans, you'll be required to provide them with useful information that will allow them to get the most out of your product or service. Personalized newsletters, tutorial videos, free trial offers, and loyalty programs are excellent ways to do this.

After your audience has changed from leads to paying customers, it's time to focus on retention. Content marketing funnels typically concentrate on revenue as the end goal. However, customers will remain in contact and interact with brands after they make an purchase. It's crucial to reimagine a funnel as a dynamic model that includes revenue, not static models.

While conventional content marketing funnels can aid in planning your strategy however, they do not take into account the complexities of the buyer journey. Reimagining the content marketing funnel as a circular model can aid in developing an overall strategy. By planning for every step of the process, you'll be able to create content that is engaging your audience and increase conversions. You can then utilize the data from conversions to improve and test your strategy. Are you ready to experience the impact that this strategy can make to your company? Contact us today to request a no-cost content marketing playbook!

Retention

A content marketing funnel can be a useful tool for helping brands plan and implement their strategy. It can also help them identify the gaps in their strategy. If a brand has a lot of content geared towards awareness and interest but very few pieces aimed at middle of funnel, it should create content specifically for this stage.

One of the best ways to gauge how targeted your content is to utilize tools such as Ahrefs to analyze the average time on page and bounce rate of each piece. The higher the number, the more effective your content.

Once you've created content to be the top of your content marketing funnel, it's important to keep it up-to-date and relevant. This will ensure that your audience stays engaged and curious about your brand and its products or content marketing funnel services. This can be done by creating new content which is focused on keywords, addresses questions your audience is likely to look for, and highlights the latest information regarding your product or industry.

When your customers enter MOFU and MOFU, they'll be looking for more information about your product or services as well as solutions to their issues. At this stage it is crucial to establish trust by providing honest reviews and demonstrating the value.

In the final stage of your content marketing funnel your audience will decide if or not to buy. This is done by gated content, which requires an email or another form of registration to access. This content is meant to convert the engagement and awareness you've built at the top of your funnel for content marketing into leads that are qualified for your sales team to follow up with.

You can still influence the customer journeys through your brand, even if the sales and support teams are responsible for retention of customers. Create content that delights your customers throughout the entire process of content marketing. This can include helpful sources, information behind-the-scenes and special offers that only your audience will have access to. If you can create a sense of loyalty with your audience they'll be able to serve as genuine advocates for your brand and reduce your sales cycle time.