A Content Marketing Funnel Explained
A funnel for content marketing helps potential customers to learn more about your company help them solve their problems and be confident about buying from you. Different types of content are more effective at every phase of the funnel.
At the top of the funnel informational videos, infographics and checklists attract attention, bring in leads, and keep the readers engaged. Templates and guides that are gated do well at this stage.
Awareness
At this stage, consumers are only aware of the existence of your brand and the solutions you offer. This is where the content is created to educate and inform prospects about the issues your solution solves as well as its differences from competitors.
To understand your content gaps for this stage, consider the different types of keywords your target audience uses to search on the internet. Using keyword research, you can figure 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 create an editorial calendar and figure out which content pieces will target those terms.
Additionally, creating content for this phase of the funnel helps you build your brand affinity with your customers. If your customers are aware about your brand, they will trust you more in your ability to solve their problems. This results in higher conversion rates for newsletter signups and purchases as well as clickthroughs on your website.
A well-executed content strategy can assist in closing the gap between conversion and purchase at this stage. If, for instance, you observe that the majority of your content is targeted at generating awareness, but not enough influences buyers to make a purchase decision, you may increase the amount you spend on ads that target middle-funnel keywords.
Another way to increase the bottom-of-the-funnel sales conversion is by using social media. Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook enable you to engage directly with your customers and give you the chance to show your commitment to customer service. This can range from retweeting positive reviews to promoting special offers.
You can also leverage existing content to push buyers to the bottom of the funnel like blog posts or case studies. For example, if you write a blog post explaining why your product is better than a competitor's then you can post it on social media and encourage readers to sign up to your email list to receive more information. You can also encourage conversion at this stage by asking your audience to include your name in their social media posts after they have used your product. This will motivate other people to do the same, and help spread the word about the brand.
Consideration
A successful content marketing strategy should include a mix of content types to capture consumers throughout the funnel. Brand awareness campaigns, for example may include ads, but also blog posts and infographics addressing common concerns and objections. These content pieces can be distributed via email and social media to increase organic traffic.
As consumers move through the decision-making process and begin to look for specific features of products that will help them make a buying decision. This is a great time to make use of FAQ pages. Utilize tools for keyword research like Ubersuggest or Google search for popular hashtags within your industry to find questions that your readers ask. 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 problems and earn them more money. This content should also highlight your brand's distinctiveness in comparison to the competition.
This is a straightforward stage to measure because the customer is making a purchase decision. Look at metrics like conversion rate, payment figures and click-through rates to see if your efforts are working.
As consumers reach the point of advocacy your brand becomes more and more important to them. They will be sharing your content 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 entices people to share it, rather than focusing on purely engagement metrics. Utilize Sprout Social, for example, to track social shares that are a result of your content marketing efforts. This will give you a more precise picture of your impact.
Decision
The majority of people are looking for information during the decision-making phase that confirms the purchase and explains how to make use of the product. At this point, they need to be confident that the solution will resolve their problem and will make their investment worthwhile. It is crucial to have high-quality content at this stage, including product guides, case studies, videos, and customer success stories. Your customers also want to be in a position to ask questions and get answers from your support team. It's a great method to please your customers and to encourage them to share their experiences.
At this stage you're hoping that the customer will become a brand ambassador and recommend your product to their friends and colleagues. To convert these advocates into raving fans, you'll need to provide them with valuable information that will allow them to make the most of your product or service. This can be done by creating personalized newsletters, tutorial video free trial offers, and loyalty programs.
After your audience has converted from leads into paying customers It's time to concentrate on retention. The traditional funnel for content marketing models tend to view revenue as the conclusion of the journey, however it is important to keep in mind that consumers continue to engage with brands after they've made a purchase. It's essential to think of a funnel as a dynamic model that includes revenue, instead of a static model.
The standard funnels for content marketing can be useful in making your plan however they do not consider the complexity of the buyer's journey. Instead, reimagining the funnel as a loop model will aid in creating a more holistic and effective content marketing strategy. You can create content that is engaging your target audience and increases conversions by planning for each stage of the journey. You can then use the information from conversions to optimize and test your strategy. Are you interested in learning how this approach will benefit your company? Contact us today and request a complimentary content marketing guidebook.
Retention
A funnel for content marketing is a helpful tool that helps companies plan their strategy, execute it, and measure its effectiveness. It will also help them determine the areas where they are lacking in their strategy. For example when a company has a significant amount of content that is geared towards awareness and interest, but only a few pieces that are geared towards 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 is to utilize tools such as Ahrefs to look at the average time on the 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 funnel for marketing content It's crucial to keep it fresh and relevant. This will keep your customers interested in your brand and its products and services. The best way to do this is to create fresh content that focuses on certain keywords, answers questions that are likely being searched by your audience and includes the most recent information on your business or product.
When your audience arrives at the MOFU stage they'll be seeking more details about your product or service, as and ways to resolve their issues. In this stage, it's important to build trust by providing honest reviews and demonstrating the value.
The final stage of the funnel for content marketing is when your target audience will make a purchase. This is done by gated content that requires an email or other form registration to access. The purpose of this content is to transform 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.
You can still influence the customer journeys through your brand, even though your support and sales teams are responsible for customer retention. Create rewrite article software that delights your customers throughout the entire process of content marketing. This can include helpful sources, information behind-the-scenes and special promotions that only your customers be able to access. If you can build trust with your customers they'll become authentic advocates for your product and aid in reducing the time it takes to sell your product.