A Content Marketing Funnel Explained
A funnel for marketing content can help potential customers learn about your brand, find solutions to their issues, and feel confident about buying from you. Different kinds of content work best in each phase of the funnel.
Checklists, videos and infographics are effective in getting attention, creating leads and keeping readers engaged. Guides and templates that are gated perform well at this stage.
Awareness
At this point, consumers are aware of the existence of your brand. They are also aware of the solutions you provide. This stage is where content is created to educate and inform prospects about the issues your solution solves and also the differences from competitors.
To understand your content gaps for this stage, consider the different types of keywords your audience uses to search online. You can use keyword research to find out what terms your customers use when they search online. This will assist you in determining whether your product or service is required. This data can then be used to create an editorial calendar and figure out the types of content that be targeted at those specific terms.
Producing content for this stage of the funnel will also help you build brand affinity with your customers. If your customers are more informed about your brand, they'll have more faith 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-planned strategy for content can also aid in closing this conversion gap. For instance, if find that the vast majority of your content is targeted at awareness but not enough of it is pushing buyers toward the purchase decision, you can increase spending on advertising campaigns to focus on middle-funnel keywords.
Social media is another way to boost your bottom-of-the-funnel conversion. Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook allow you to interact directly with your customers and give you the chance to show your customer service. This can range from retweeting good reviews to promoting special deals.
You can also use content that already exists to help buyers move through the funnel, like case studies or blog posts. For example, if you write a blog post explaining how your product is superior than one from a competitor then you can share it on social media and ask readers to subscribe to your email list for more information. You can also encourage conversion at this stage by asking your audience to tag you on their social media posts after having used your product. This will motivate others to follow suit and spread the word about your brand.
Then there is the consideration
A good content marketing strategy should include the use of a variety of types of content to capture consumers at every stage of the funnel. For example the brand awareness campaigns could include ad content, but they should also feature blog posts and infographics that provide answers to common issues and objections. The content can then be shared via social media and emails to drive organic traffic.
As consumers move through the decision-making process they begin to search for specific product features which will assist them in making a purchase decision. This is a great time to make use of FAQ pages. Utilize keyword research tools such as Ubersuggest or search for popular hashtags in your industry to discover the people who are asking. Find answers to these questions and then put them on your content funnel map.
During this stage it is crucial to present a clear proposition of value that shows how your product or service can solve their issues and earn them more money. The content should also emphasize the distinctiveness of your brand in comparison to that of your competitors.
It's a fairly simple step to measure, as consumers are making a choice whether they want to buy. To see whether marketing software online getting it done, look for indicators like conversion rates, number of payments and click-through rates.
As consumers reach the stage of advocacy and become advocates for your brand, it is becoming more and more important to them. They will be sharing your content with others because they feel so passionate about it. This is a powerful method of growing your audience. However, you must focus on creating content that encourages people to share it, instead of focusing solely on engagement metrics. You might want to consider using a tool such as Sprout Social to track the social shares that result from your content marketing efforts. This will give you a much more precise picture of your impact.
Decision Making
In the final phase the buyers are looking for documents that support their purchase and provides instructions on how to utilize the product. At this point, they want to know that your solution solves their issue and make the investment worthwhile. At this point, high-quality content, like product guides and case study videos and customer success stories are essential. Your customers would like to ask questions and get answers from your support team. Offering them customized emails and 24 hour customer service is a great way to delight customers and encourage them to share their experiences with others.
At this point you're hoping that your customer will become a brand advocate and promote your product to their friends and colleagues. To turn those who are advocates to raving fans you'll need to provide them with useful information that will allow them to make the most of your product or service. You can do this by creating personalized newsletters, tutorial videos free trial offers, and loyalty programs.
After your audience has converted from leads to 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, but it's crucial to remember that customers will continue to interact with brands after they have purchased. For this reason, it's essential to redefine the funnel as a loop model, rather than an unchanging structure that ends with revenue.
The conventional content marketing funnels are useful for creating your strategy however they do not take into consideration the complexity of the buyer's journey. Instead thinking of the funnel in a loop model will aid in creating an effective and more holistic content marketing strategy. You can create content that captivates your audience and drives conversions by planning for each stage of the journey. You can then use the information from conversions to enhance and test your strategy. Are you ready to see the difference that this strategy can bring to your company? Contact us today to request a free content marketing playbook.
Retention
A content marketing funnel can be a useful instrument to aid brands in planning and execute their strategy. It can also give them an understanding of the gaps in their content strategy that need to be filled. For example the case where a brand has a significant amount of content targeted at generating the public's attention and interest, but few pieces aimed at the middle of the funnel, they should be focusing on creating content for this stage.
One of the best ways to gauge how well-targeted your content is is to utilize tools such as Ahrefs to look at the average time on page and bounce rate of each piece. The higher these numbers are, the more effective your content is.
Once you've created 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 engaged in your brand, its products and services. The best method to accomplish this is by creating new content that focuses on certain keywords, addresses questions that are likely being searched by your audience and includes the most up-to-date information about your business or product.
When your customers enter MOFU and MOFU, they'll be looking for more details about your product or services as well as solutions to their issues. It's also crucial to establish trust by providing honest reviews and demonstrating your worth.
In the final stage of your funnel for marketing content, your customers will decide whether or not to buy. This is done by gated content that requires an email or other form of registration to gain access. This content is designed to convert the awareness and engagement you've created at the top of your funnel into qualified leads. Your sales team will follow to follow up.
While customer retention falls mainly in the hands of your sales and support teams, you can still have an impact on the customer's experience with your brand by generating content that delights them throughout the entire marketing funnel. This could include useful 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, then they will become your most loyal advocates and will help reduce the time to sell.