A Content Marketing Funnel Explained A funnel for marketing content helps potential customers learn more about your brand and solve their issues. They also be confident about buying from you. Content is better suited to each stage of the funnel. At the top of the funnel, infographics, videos, and checklists draw attention, generate leads, and keep readers entertained. Gated content, such as guides and templates, also performs well at this stage. Awareness At this point, customers are aware that your brand exists. They are also aware of the solutions you provide. This is the stage where content is created to educate and inform prospects about the issues your solution addresses and also the differences from competitors. Consider the keywords that your audience uses when searching online. Keyword research can be used to determine the terms your audience uses when they search online. This will aid you in determining if your product or service is in demand. These data can be used to develop an editorial calendar and determine which content pieces are specifically targeted to these terms. As a bonus, creating content for this stage of the funnel helps to build brand loyalty with customers. The more people learn about your brand, the more confidence they'll have in the ability of your company to solve their problems. This translates into higher conversion rates, be it subscriptions to newsletters, purchases or clickthroughs to your site. A well-planned strategy for content can help you close this conversion gap. If, for example, you observe that the majority of your content is targeted at increasing awareness, but not enough is influencing consumers to make a buying decision, then you can increase the spending on advertising campaigns targeting middle-funnel keyword phrases. Social media is yet another method to boost your bottom-of-the-funnel conversion. Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook allow you to interact directly with your customers giving you the opportunity to show your commitment to customer service. This can include tweeting good reviews to promoting special offers. You can also leverage existing content to draw buyers to the bottom of the funnel for a lower cost, 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 via social media and ask your readers to join your email list to get more information. You can also encourage conversions in this stage by asking users to tag you on their social media posts once they have tried your product. This will motivate others to follow suit and spread the word about your brand. Inquiry A successful content strategy will consist of a variety types that attract customers at each stage of the funnel. For example, brand awareness campaigns might contain ads but they should also feature blog posts and infographics which address common objections and concerns. These pieces of content can be distributed via email or social media to increase organic traffic. As consumers progress through the decision-making process and begin to look for specific characteristics of products that will help them make a purchase decision. This is the perfect time to use FAQ pages. Use keyword research tools like Ubersuggest or search for popular hashtags in your industry to discover the people who are asking. Develop answers to these questions, and then add them to your content funnel map. At this point it is crucial to present an unambiguous value proposition that shows potential customers what your product or service can solve their issue and make them more money. This content should also highlight the uniqueness of your brand when compared to the brands of your competition. It's a fairly simple stage to measure, as consumers are making a choice whether they want to buy. To see whether you're getting it accomplished, look for metrics like conversion rate, number of payments and click-through rates. As consumers reach the advocacy stage your brand becomes more and more important to them. They will share your content with others because they are so passionate about it. This is a good way to increase your audience. You'll need to develop content that is inspiring people to share it, instead of simply focus 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 picture of the impact you have. Decision In the final phase consumers are seeking information that proves their purchase and outlines how to utilize the product. At this point, they want to know that your solution solves their issue and will make their investment worth it. It is crucial to have high-quality content at this point, such as product guides videos, case studies, and customer success stories. Your customers want to ask questions and get answers from your support team. It's a great way to delight your customers and inspire them to by sharing their experiences. You hope that at this point the customer will become an advocate for your brand and promote it to their coworkers and friends. To convert these advocates to enthusiastic customers, you'll be required to provide them with relevant content that helps them make the most of your product or service. This can be done by creating personalised newsletters, tutorial videos as well as free trial offers and loyalty programs. It's time to begin focusing on the retention of your audience after it has changed from leads to paying clients. The standard funnel for content marketing models tend to treat revenue as the conclusion of the process, however it's crucial to remember that consumers will continue to interact with brands even after they have purchased. It's essential to think of a funnel as a dynamic model that includes revenue, not static models. While traditional funnels for marketing content can aid in planning your strategy, they don't account for the complexities of the buyer's journey. Reimagining the funnel of content marketing as a circular model can help you develop a more holistic strategy. By planning for every step of the process you'll be able to create content that is engaging your audience and generate conversions. Then, you can utilize the information from these conversions to optimize your strategy and ensure that it is working effectively. Ready to see the difference this approach can make to your business? Contact us today and request a complimentary content marketing guidebook. Retention A content marketing funnel can be a valuable tool to help brands plan and execute their strategy. It can also provide visibility into the gaps in their strategy for content that must be filled. For instance when a company has a lot of content targeted at generating awareness and interest, but few pieces aimed at the middle of the funnel, they should be focusing on creating content geared towards this stage. A great way to see how well-targeted your content is to utilize tools such as Ahrefs to determine the average time spent on page and bounce rate of each piece. The higher the number, the more efficient your content. After you've put together content that will be at the top of your content marketing funnel It's essential to keep it current and relevant. This will keep your audience interested in your brand and its products and services. content marketers can be achieved by creating new content which is focused on keywords, addresses questions that your target audience is likely to look for, and provides the most the latest information regarding your product or industry. When your audience arrives at the MOFU stage, they'll be looking for more detailed information about your product or service as and ways to resolve their problems. It's also important to build trust by providing honest reviews and demonstrating your worth. In the final stage of your funnel for marketing content, your audience will decide if they want to purchase. This is achieved through gated content, which requires an email address or other form of 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 then follow to follow up. You can still influence the customer journeys through your brand, even though your support and sales teams are primarily responsible for retention of customers. Create content that delights 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 build loyalty with your audience they'll become authentic advocates for your brand and aid in reducing your sales cycle times.
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