Are You Responsible For A Content Marketing Funnel Budget? 10 Terrible Ways To Spend Your Money
A Content Marketing Funnel Explained
A funnel for marketing content can let potential customers learn more about your brand, discover solutions to their problems and become confident in purchasing from you. Content is better suited to each stage of the funnel.
At the top of the funnel informational videos, infographics and checklists attract attention, bring in leads, and keep readers entertained. Templates and guides that are gated do 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 offer. In this stage the content you create is intended to provide answers and educate prospects on the problems your solution solves, as well as what makes it different from competitors.
To identify your content gaps for this stage, consider the types of keywords that your customers use to browse on the internet. Using keyword research, you can find the terms your target audience is searching for that indicate a need for your product or service. This information can be used to develop an editorial calendar and figure out the content pieces that will focus on those keywords.
Additionally, creating content for this part of the funnel helps you build your brand affinity with consumers. The more your consumers know about your brand, they will have more faith in your ability to solve their issues. 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 aid in closing this gap in conversion. If, for example, you discover that the majority of your content is aimed at generating awareness, but nothing influence consumers to make a buying decision, then you could increase your spending on ads that target middle-funnel keyword phrases.
Social media is a different way to increase your bottom-of funnel conversion. Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook let you interact with your customers directly and give you the chance to show off your dedication to customer service. This can range from posting positive reviews on Twitter to promoting special offers.
You can also make use of existing content to lure buyers to the bottom of the funnel like blog posts or case studies. If you write a blog article explaining the reasons why your product is superior to that of a competitor, you can share it via social media and invite your customers to join your email list to receive more information. You can also encourage a conversion at this stage by asking your customers to include your name in their social media posts after they have used your product. This will inspire other users to do the same, and help spread the word about the brand.
Consideration
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 that address the most common issues and objections. These content pieces can be distributed via email and social media to boost organic traffic.
As consumers progress through the consideration stage when they are considering their options, they begin looking for specific characteristics of products that will help them make a buying decision. This is the perfect time to create FAQ pages. Use article rewriting tool for keyword research such as Ubersuggest or search popular hashtags for your industry to find questions your readers are asking. Then, craft answers to these questions and then place them in your content funnel map.
In this phase it is essential to present an unambiguous proposition that shows how your product or services can solve their problems and make them more cash. The content should also highlight your brand's distinctiveness in comparison to the competition.
This is an easy step to evaluate because the consumer is making a purchase decision. To determine whether you're getting the job completed, check out metrics such as conversion rate or the number of payments made and click-through rates.
As consumers reach the point of advocacy your brand is becoming increasingly important to them. They will share your content with others because they are so passionate about it. This is a great method of increasing your reach. However, you must focus on creating content that encourages people to share, instead of focusing solely on engagement metrics. Consider using a tool such as Sprout Social to track the social shares that result from your content marketing efforts. This will give you an accurate picture of your influence.
Decision Making

At the decision stage, people are looking for content that confirms the purchase and explains how to use the product. At this point, they need to know that your solution will resolve their problem and will make their investment worth it. At this stage the need for high-quality content like product guides as well as case study videos and customer success tales are crucial. Customers also want to be capable of asking questions and receive answers from your support team. Offering them personalized emails and 24/7 customer service is a great way to delight customers and encourage them to share their experiences with others.
You hope that at this stage the customer will turn into an advocate for your brand and spread the word about it to their friends and co-workers. 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. This can be done by creating personalised newsletters, tutorial video free trial offers, and loyalty programs.
After your audience has changed from leads to paying customers and paying customers, it's time to concentrate on retention. The traditional funnel for content marketing models tend to treat revenue as the end of the process, however it's important to remember that customers will continue to interact with brands after they have purchased. Therefore, it's crucial to think of the funnel as a loop model rather than a static structure that concludes with revenue.
While traditional funnels for content marketing can aid in planning your strategy but they don't take into account the complexity of the buyer's journey. Instead thinking of the funnel in loops will aid in creating an effective and more holistic content marketing strategy. By planning for every step of the process you'll be able to create content that will engage your audience and increase conversions. You can then use the data from conversions to optimize and test your strategy. Are you ready to discover how this approach will benefit your company? Contact us today and request a free content marketing guidebook.
Retention
A funnel for content marketing is a valuable tool that helps brands plan their strategy, implement it, and measure its effectiveness. It also gives them insight into the gaps in their strategy for content that must be filled. For example when a company has a lot of content targeted at generating awareness and interest, but only a few pieces aimed at the middle of the funnel, they should be focusing on creating content that is targeted at this stage.
Utilize tools such as Ahrefs that examine the average time on the page and bounce rate of each piece to determine how targeted your content is. The higher these numbers are, the more efficient your content.
It is essential to update and keep relevant the content you write to be at the top of your funnel. This will keep your audience interested in your brand and its products and services. This can be accomplished by creating content that focuses on keywords, answers questions that your target audience is likely to search for, and provides current information about your industry or product.
As your audience steps onto the MOFU stage they'll want more detailed information about your product or service as well as solutions to their issues. In this moment it is crucial to establish trust by providing honest reviews and demonstrating value.
The final stage of the content marketing funnel is when your target audience will make a purchasing decision. This is achieved through gated content, which requires an email or another form of registration to access. This content is designed to convert the interest and awareness you've created at the top of your funnel into qualified leads. Your sales team can then follow up.
While customer retention is largely in the hands of your sales and support teams, you can have an impact on the customer's experience with your brand by generating content that delights them throughout the entire content marketing funnel. This could include useful sources, information behind-the-scenes and special promotions that only your customers have access to. If you can build loyalty with your audience, then they will become your best advocates and help to reduce the time to sell.