A Content Marketing Funnel Explained

A content marketing funnel can help potential customers learn about your brand, discover solutions to their problems, and become confident in purchasing from you. Different types of content are more effective in every stage of the funnel.

Checklists, videos and infographics are effective at drawing attention, generating leads and keeping readers engaged. Templates and guides that are gated do well in this stage.

Awareness

At this stage, consumers are aware of the existence of your brand and the solutions you offer. This stage is where content is created to educate and inform potential customers about the issues your solution addresses and its distinct features from competitors.

To identify your content gaps at this stage, you must consider the different types of keywords your audience uses to browse on the internet. Through keyword research, you will find out which terms your audience is searching for and which indicate the need for your product or service. This information can then be used to develop an editorial calendar and decide the content pieces that will be targeted at those specific terms.

Creating content for this stage of the funnel will help you build brand loyalty with your customers. The more consumers learn about your brand, the more trust they'll have in your capability to solve their problems. This results in higher conversion rates, be it newsletter signups, purchases or clickthroughs to your site.

A well-executed strategy for content can help you close the gap in conversion. If, for instance you find that most of your content is aimed at raising awareness, but nothing influence consumers to make a buying decision, then you can increase the amount you spend on advertising campaigns targeting middle-funnel keyword phrases.

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

You can also use existing content to push buyers to the bottom of the funnel for a lower cost, such as blog posts or case studies. For instance, if write a post about why your product is better than the competition's and you want to post it on social networks and encourage readers to sign up to your mailing list for more information. You can also encourage conversion at this point by asking your followers to include your name in their social media posts after using your product. This will inspire others to follow suit and spread the word about your brand.

Then there is the consideration

A successful content strategy will consist of a variety types that draw customers in each stage of the funnel. Brand awareness campaigns, for instance, might include ad copy as well as blog posts and infographics addressing common objections and concerns. These content pieces can be shared via email and social media platforms to increase organic traffic.

As consumers progress through the decision-making process and begin to look for specific features of the product which will assist them in making the purchase decision. This is the perfect time to make use of FAQ pages. Use tools for keyword research such as Ubersuggest or search popular hashtags for your industry to find people who are asking. Develop answers to these questions, and then put them on your content funnel map.

During this phase it is crucial to present an unambiguous proposition that demonstrates how your product or service can solve their problems and earn them more money. The content should also emphasize the uniqueness of your brand compared to your competitors.

This is a simple stage to gauge because the consumer is making a purchase decision. To determine whether you're getting the job done, look for metrics like conversion rate or the number of payments made and click-through rates.

When consumers reach the advocacy stage your brand is becoming more and more important to them. They will share your content with others because they are so passionate about it. This is a powerful method to increase the number of people who follow your brand. However, you must focus on creating content that encourages people to share, instead of focusing on only engagement metrics. Use Sprout Social, for example, to track social shares that result from your marketing efforts with content. This will give you an accurate image of your impact.

Decision

At the point of making a decision, people are looking for content that confirms their purchase and outlines how to utilize the product. At this stage they want to make certain that your product will solve their issue and justify the cost. At this point the need for high-quality content such as product guides and case study videos and customer success tales are essential. Your customers also want to be able to ask questions and get answers from your support team. It is a great way to please your customers and to encourage them to share their experiences.

You're hoping that by this point, the customer will be an advocate for your brand and spread the word about it to their friends and co-workers. To turn these advocates into enthusiastic customers, you'll need to provide them valuable information that will help them get the most from your product or service. Personalized newsletters tutorial videos, free trial offers, and loyalty programs are great ways to do this.

After your audience has changed from leads into paying customers, it's time to focus on retention. The conventional content marketer marketing funnel models tend to view revenue as the end of the journey, however it's crucial to keep in mind that customers will continue to engage with brands after they have completed a purchase. It's crucial to reimagine funnels as a dynamic structure that includes revenue, rather than static models.

While conventional content marketing funnels can help you plan your strategy but they don't take into account the complexity of the buyer journey. Instead, reimagining the funnel as a loop model will assist you in developing a more holistic and effective content marketing strategy. You can create content that is engaging your audience and drives conversions by planning for each stage of the process. Then, you can use the information from these conversions to optimize your strategy and ensure that it's working. Are you ready to see the difference that this approach can make to your company? Contact us today to request a free Content marketing playbook!

Retention

A funnel for content marketing can be a powerful tool for helping brands plan and execute their strategy. It can also help them identify the weaknesses in their strategy. For example the case where a brand has a significant amount of content that is geared towards increasing awareness and generating interest, but few pieces targeted towards the middle of the funnel, they should prioritize creating content for this stage.

A great way to see how targeted your content is to use tools such as Ahrefs to analyze the average time on the page and bounce rate of each piece. The higher these numbers, the more effective your content.

It's important to keep up-to-date the content you write to be at the top of your funnel. This will ensure that your audience remains interested and engaged in your brand and its products or services. This can be done by creating new content that is focused on key words, addresses questions your audience is likely to search for, and provides the most current information about your product or industry.

When your customers enter MOFU, they will be looking for more information about your product or services as well as solutions to their problems. It's important to build trust by giving honest reviews and demonstrating your value.

In the final stage of your content marketing strategies marketing funnel your customers will decide whether or not to buy. This is accomplished through gated content that requires an email or another form registration to access. This content is designed to turn the interest and awareness you've created at the top of your funnel into qualified leads. Your sales team can follow up.

You can still influence your customers' journeys through your brand, even if the support and sales 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 helpful resources, behind-the-scenes information and special promotions that only your target audience will have access to. If you can establish a relationship of trust to your customers, they will be your greatest advocates and will help reduce the time to sell.