9 Lessons Your Parents Taught You About Content Marketing Funnel

A Content Marketing Funnel Explained

A content marketing funnel can assist potential customers to learn about your company, find solutions to their issues, and feel confident about buying from you. Different types of content are more effective for every stage of the funnel.

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

Awareness

At this point, consumers know that your brand exists. They are also aware of the solutions you offer. In this stage, content is meant to provide answers and educate prospects on the problems your solution tackles and the ways it differs from competitors.

Take note of the keywords your audience uses when searching online. Through keyword research, you will find out which terms your customers are searching for that suggest a need for your product or service. This information can be used to create an editorial calendar and determine the content marketing for b2b pieces that will be targeted at those specific terms.

Additionally producing content for this part of the funnel will help you build your brand affinity with customers. The more people learn about your brand, the more trust they'll have in your ability to solve their problems. This leads to higher conversion rates for newsletter signups or purchases, as well as clickthroughs on your website.

A well-planned strategy for content can also assist in closing this conversion gap. If, for example, you observe that the majority of your content is targeted at generating awareness, but not enough influences buyers to make a purchase decision, then you can increase your spending on marketing campaigns that target middle-funnel keyword phrases.

Another way to increase the bottom-of-the-funnel sales conversion is by using social media. Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook allow you to interact directly with your customers and give you the chance to show off your dedication to customer service. This can include tweeting good reviews to promoting special offers.

You can also make use of existing content to push customers to the bottom of the funnel like blog posts or case studies. For instance, if you write a post about why your product is better than a competitor's then you can share it on social media and ask readers to subscribe to your email list to receive more information. You can also encourage conversions in this stage by asking users to include your name on their social media posts after they have used your product. This will inspire others to do the same and help spread the word about your brand.

Inquiry

A well-planned content strategy should include a variety of content types that attract customers at every stage of the funnel. Brand awareness campaigns, for example may include ads, but also blog posts and infographics to address the most common issues and objections. The content can then be shared via social media or emails to drive organic traffic.

As consumers move through the consideration phase they begin to search for specific features of the product that can help them make the purchase decision. Frequently asked questions (FAQ) pages are a great type of content for this phase. Use tools for keyword research, such as Ubersuggest or Google search for popular hashtags in your industry to discover questions that your audience asks. Create answers to these questions, and then add them to your content funnel map.

In this phase it is essential to present an enticing and compelling argument that shows how your product or service will solve their problems and earn them more money. The content should also demonstrate the uniqueness of your brand when compared to your competitors.

This is a simple step to evaluate because the consumer is making a purchase. Examine metrics such as conversion rate, payment numbers and click-through rates to see whether your efforts are producing results.

When consumers reach the advocacy stage and become loyal customers of your brand and are more likely to share your content because they feel strongly about it. This is a good method of increasing your reach. But you'll need to concentrate on creating content that inspires people to share it, rather than focusing on purely engagement metrics. Utilize Sprout Social, for example, to track social shares that result from your marketing efforts with content. This will give you a precise image of your impact.

Decision

They are looking for content in the decision-making process that confirms the purchase and describes how to make use of the product. At this point, they want to be confident that the solution will resolve their problem and make the investment worthwhile. At this point, high-quality content, like product guides, case study videos, and customer success tales are essential. Your customers want to be able ask questions and get answers from your support team. Sending them personalized emails and round-the-clock customer service is a great way to delight customers and encourage them to share their experience with others.

You're hoping that at this stage the customer will be an advocate for your brand and promote it to their friends and co-workers. To turn these advocates into raving supporters, you'll need to provide them with useful content that can help them make the most of your product or service. This can be done by creating customized newsletters, tutorial video as well as free trial offers and loyalty programs.

It's time to focus on retention after your audience has turned from leads into paying customers. Content marketing funnels typically focus on revenue as their final goal. However, customers will remain in contact and interact with brands after they make an purchase. For this reason, it's crucial to think of the funnel as a loop model rather than an unchanging structure that ends with revenue.

While traditional funnels for content marketing can help you plan your strategy but they don't take into account the complexities of the buyer's journey. Reimagining the content marketing funnel as circular models will aid in developing an overall strategy. By planning for every stage of the journey, you'll be able to develop content that will engage your audience and drive conversions. You can then use the data from these conversions to optimize your strategy and make sure that it is working effectively. Ready to see the difference that this strategy can make for your company? Contact us today to request a free content marketing guidebook.

Retention

A content marketing funnel can be a useful tool for helping brands plan, execute and measure their strategy. It can also help them identify the areas where they are lacking in their approach. If a brand has a lot of content geared towards the public's attention but only few pieces aimed at the middle of funnel, it needs to develop content marketing consultant for this stage.

A great way to see how well-targeted your content is to use tools like Ahrefs to look at the average time on page and bounce rate of each piece. The higher these numbers, the more effective 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 interested and engaged in your brand and the products or services it offers. The best method to accomplish this is by creating new content that focuses on certain keywords, addresses questions that are likely to be sought by your target audience, and highlights the most recent information on your business or product.

As your audience steps onto the MOFU stage they'll want more details about your product or service, as and ways to resolve their issues. At this stage, it's important to build trust by offering honest reviews and demonstrating value.

The final phase of the content marketing funnel is when your customers will make a purchase. This is usually done through gated content that requires an email address or other method of registration to gain access. This content is designed to transform the awareness and engagement that you've created at the top of your content marketing funnel into leads that are qualified for your sales team to follow up with.

You can still influence the customer journeys through your brand, even though the support and sales teams are responsible for customer retention. Create content that will delight your customers throughout the entire process of content marketing. This could include useful resources, behind-the scenes information and special promotions that only your audience will be able to access. When you can foster trust among your audience, they'll serve as authentic advocates for your brand and reduce the time it takes to sell your product.