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A Content Marketing Funnel Explained

A content marketing funnel can assist potential customers to learn about your company, find 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. Guides and templates that are gated do well in this stage.

Awareness

At this stage, consumers are only aware that your brand exists and the solutions you offer. This is the stage where content is designed to educate and inform prospects about the problems that your solution addresses and its distinct features from competitors.

Take note of the keywords your target audience is using to search online. Through keyword research, you can find out which terms your audience is searching for and which suggest a need for your product or service. This information can be used to develop an editorial calendar and figure out which content pieces will target those terms.

Additionally creating content for this stage of the funnel can help you build your brand's affinity with your customers. The more people are aware of your brand, the more confidence they'll have in your capability to solve their issues. This results in higher conversion rates, whether it's purchase orders, newsletter sign-ups or click-throughs to your website.

A well-planned strategy for content can aid in closing this conversion gap. For example, if you find that the vast majority of your content is targeted at gaining awareness, but not enough is helping buyers make a purchase decision, you may increase the amount of money you spend on advertising campaigns to target keywords in the middle of the funnel.

Another method to increase your bottom-of-the-funnel conversion is to use social media. Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook allow you to interact directly with your customers, giving you an opportunity to showcase your customer service. This could range from posting positive reviews on Twitter to promoting special offers.

You can also use content that already exists to push buyers down the funnel, like blog posts or case studies. For instance, if you write a post about why your product is better than one from a competitor, you can share it on social media and invite readers to subscribe to your mailing list for more information. You can also encourage conversions at this stage by asking users to tag you on their social media posts once they have tried your product. This will motivate other people to follow suit and spread the word about your brand.

Inquiry

A successful content strategy will include a variety of content types that draw customers in every stage of the funnel. For instance campaigns to promote brand awareness could include ads, but they should also feature blog posts and infographics that provide answers to common issues and objections. These content pieces can be distributed via email or social media to increase organic traffic.

As consumers move through the consideration phase and begin to look for specific product features that can help them make a purchase decision. Frequently asked questions (FAQ) pages are a great type of content to use in this phase. Use keyword research tools like Ubersuggest or search popular hashtags for your industry to find people who are asking. Find answers to these questions, and then add them to your content funnel map.

During this stage, it's crucial to provide a clear proposition of value that shows the way your product or service can solve their issues and generate more revenue. This content should also highlight your brand's distinctiveness in comparison to your competition.

This what is a content marketer a straightforward stage to measure since the consumer is making a purchase. To determine whether you're getting the job accomplished, look for metrics such as conversion rate as well as the number of transactions and click-through rates.

When consumers reach the advocacy stage they become loyal fans of your brand and are more likely to share your content because they feel strongly about it. This is a highly effective method to increase the number of people who follow your brand. But you'll have to focus on creating content that inspires people to share it, rather than focusing on purely engagement metrics. You might want to consider using a tool like Sprout Social to track the social shares that result from your content marketing efforts. This will give you an accurate image of your impact.

Decision Making

People are looking for content during the decision-making phase that confirms the purchase and describes how to use the product. At this point, they want to be certain that the product will solve their problem and justify the cost. At this point the need for high-quality content such as product guides as well as case study videos and customer success tales are essential. Your customers would like to ask questions and receive answers from your support staff. Offering them customized emails and 24 hour customer support is an excellent way to delight customers and encourage them to share their experiences with others.

At this stage you're hoping that the customer will become a brand advocate and recommend your product to their colleagues and friends. To turn these advocates into raving customers, you will need to provide them valuable content that allows them to make the most of your product or service. Personalized newsletters tutorial videos and free trial offers and loyalty programs are all great ways to do this.

Once your audience has transformed from leads to paying customers It's time to concentrate on retention. The conventional content marketing funnel (this page) models tend to see revenue as the end of the journey, however it's important to keep in mind that consumers will continue to interact with brands even after they've made a purchase. Therefore, it's essential to redefine the funnel as a loop model rather than a static structure that concludes with revenue.

While traditional funnels for marketing content can aid in planning your strategy however, they do not take into account the complexities of the buyer journey. Reimagining the content marketing funnel as a circular model can assist you in creating an overall strategy. By planning for each stage of the journey, you'll be able to create content that will engage your audience and drive conversions. Then, you can utilize the data from these conversions to enhance your strategy and ensure it's working. Are you interested in learning how this strategy will benefit your business? Contact us today to request a no-cost content marketing playbook!

Retention

A funnel for content marketing is a useful tool that helps brands develop their strategy, execute it and measure its success. It can also help them identify the weaknesses in their strategy. For instance when a company has a lot of content geared toward the public's attention and interest, but a small amount that are geared towards the middle of the funnel, they should prioritize creating content that is targeted at this stage.

Use tools like Ahrefs that look at the average time on page and bounce rates of each piece to determine how specialized your content is. The higher these numbers are the more effective your content is.

It's crucial to regularly keep up-to-date and relevant the content you write for the top of your funnel. This will keep your audience interested in your brand, its products and services. The best way to do this is to create new content that focuses on certain keywords, addresses questions that are likely being sought by your target audience and includes the most recent information on your industry or product.

As your audience steps onto the MOFU stage they'll be seeking more information on your product or service as and ways to resolve their issues. It's important to build trust by giving honest reviews and demonstrating the value of your product.

The final step of the content marketing funnel is when your customers will make a purchase decision. This is typically accomplished through gated content that requires an email address or some other method 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 will follow up.

You can still influence the journeys of your customers through your brand, even if the sales and support teams are the primary ones responsible for customer retention. Create content that will delight your customers throughout the entire process of content marketing. This can include helpful sources, information behind-the-scenes and special offers that only your audience will be able to access. If you can build trust to your customers, they will become your most loyal advocates and will help reduce your sales cycle.