9 Lessons Your Parents Taught You About Content Marketing Funnel

A Content Marketing Funnel Explained

A content marketing funnel is a way to assist potential customers to learn about your brand, discover solutions to their problems and then feel comfortable buying from you. Content is better suited to each stage of the funnel.

Checklists, videos, and infographics are effective in attracting attention, generating leads and keeping readers involved. Content that is gated, such as templates and guides, also performs well at this stage.

Awareness

At this stage, consumers are simply aware of your brand and the solutions you offer. This is the stage where content is created to educate potential customers and inform them about the problems that your solution addresses and also the differences from competitors.

Take note of the keywords your target audience is using to search online. Using keyword research, you can figure out what is content marketing terms your audience is searching for and which suggest a need for your product or service. This information can be used to create an editorial calendar and determine the content pieces that will focus on those keywords.

Producing content for this stage of the funnel will also help you build brand loyalty with your customers. The more people are aware of your brand, the more trust they'll have in your ability to solve their problems. This translates into higher conversion rates, whether that's newsletter signups, purchases or clickthroughs to your site.

A well-planned and executed content strategy can help you close the gap in conversion at this stage. For instance, if discover that the majority of your content is targeted at educating, but not enough is influencing buyers towards a purchase decision, you could increase spending on advertising campaigns to target keywords in the middle of the funnel.

Social media is a different way to boost your bottom-of-the-funnel conversion. Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook let you interact with your customers directly giving you the opportunity to showcase your commitment to customer service. This can include tweeting good reviews to promoting special deals.

You can also use existing content to lure customers to the bottom of the funnel for a lower cost, such as blog posts or case studies. For instance, if you write a blog post on the advantages of your product than one from a competitor then you can share it on social media and invite readers to subscribe to your mailing list for more details. You can also encourage conversions at this stage by asking users to tag you on their social media posts once they've used your product. This will encourage others to do the same and help spread the word about your brand.

Then there is the consideration

A well-planned content strategy should consist of a variety types that draw customers in every stage of the funnel. For example the brand awareness campaigns could include ads however, they should also include blogs and infographics that address common objections and concerns. These pieces of content can be distributed via email and social media to boost organic traffic.

As consumers move through the consideration phase and begin to look for specific features in a product which will assist them in making an informed purchase decision. Frequently asked questions (FAQ) pages are a great content type to use in this phase. Utilize keyword research tools such as Ubersuggest or search popular industry hashtags to find the questions that your audience is asking. Create answers to these questions and then place them in your content funnel map.

During this stage it is essential to present an enticing and compelling argument that demonstrates the way your product or service can solve their problems and make them more cash. The content should also demonstrate the distinctiveness of your brand compared to the content marketing brands of your competition.

This is a straightforward stage to measure because the consumer is making a purchase. Look at metrics like conversion rate, payment numbers and click-through rate to determine if your efforts are working.

As consumers reach the advocacy stage, your brand is becoming more and more important to them. They will be sharing your content of marketing strategy with others because they are so passionate about it. This is an extremely effective way to grow your audience. However, you must focus on creating content that inspires people to share, instead of focusing solely on engagement metrics. Use Sprout Social, for example to track social shares that result from your content marketing efforts. This will give you a much more accurate picture of the impact you have.

Decision

They are looking for content during the decision-making phase that validates the purchase and explains how to make use of the product. At this point, they need to know that your product will resolve their problem and will make their investment worthwhile. Quality content is essential at this point, such as product guides, case studies, videos and customer success stories. Your customers also want to be capable of asking questions and get answers from your support team. It's a great method to impress your customers and encourage them by sharing their experiences.

At this stage you're hoping that the customer will become a brand ambassador and promote your product to their friends and colleagues. To turn these advocates into raving supporters you'll need to provide them with relevant information that will allow them to make the most of your product or service. You can accomplish this by creating personalised newsletters, tutorial video free trial offers, and loyalty programs.

It's time to start focusing on retention after your audience has turned from leads into paying clients. The traditional funnel for content marketing models tend to view revenue as the conclusion of the journey, but it's crucial to keep in mind that customers will continue to interact with brands even after they've made a purchase. It is crucial to redefine the funnel as a dynamic structure that includes revenue, rather than static models.

The standard funnels for content marketing can be useful in planning your strategy, but they do not take into consideration the complexity of the buyer's journey. Instead reinventing the funnel as a loop model will assist you in developing an effective and more holistic content marketing strategy. You can create content that engages your audience and drives conversions by planning for each phase of the process. You can then utilize the data from conversions to optimize and test your strategy. Ready to see the difference that this approach can make to your business? Contact us today to request a complimentary content marketing guidebook!

Retention

A content marketing funnel is a useful tool that can assist brands develop their strategy, implement it, and measure its effectiveness. It will also help them determine the gaps in their approach. If a brand has a lot of content that is geared towards generating awareness and interest but very few pieces aimed at the middle of funnel, it should develop content for this stage.

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

It's important to keep up-to-date the content you create to be at the top of your funnel. This will ensure that your audience remains engaged and interested in your brand and its products or services. The best method to accomplish this is by creating new content that is focused on specific keywords, provides answers to questions that are likely to be searched by your audience and includes the most current information regarding your industry or product.

When your customers enter MOFU the audience will be looking for more information about your products or services as well as solutions to their issues. It's also important to build trust by providing honest reviews and demonstrating your value.

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

While customer retention largely falls to your support and sales teams, you can still have an impact on your customers' journeys with your brand by creating content that delights customers throughout the entire marketing funnel. This could include useful resources, behind-the-scenes information and special offers that only your target audience will be able to access. If you can establish a relationship of trust with your audience, then they will become your best advocates and will help reduce the time to sell.