A Content Marketing Funnel Explained A content marketing funnel helps potential customers discover more about your brand help them solve their problems and feel confident to buy from you. Different types of content are more effective at every stage of the funnel. Infographics, videos and checklists are effective at getting attention, creating leads and keeping readers interested. Guides and templates that are gated do very well at this point. Awareness At this stage, consumers are only aware that your brand exists and the services you offer. In strategy content marketing create is intended to provide answers and educate prospects about the issues your solution addresses, as well as the ways it differs from competitors. To understand your content gaps for this stage, consider the kinds of keywords that your customers use to search on the internet. You can conduct keyword research to determine what terms your audience uses when they search online. This will assist you in determining whether your product or service is required. These information can be used to create an editorial calendar and determine which content pieces should be designed to target these keywords. Additionally creating content for this part of the funnel helps to build brand loyalty with your customers. The more people are aware of your brand, the more trust they'll have in your capability to solve their issues. This leads to higher conversion rates for newsletter signups and purchases, as well as clickthroughs on your website. A well-planned strategy for content will help you close this gap in conversion. If, for instance, you find that most of your content is aimed at raising awareness, but not enough is influencing consumers to make a buying decision, then you could increase the spending on advertising campaigns targeting middle-funnel keywords. 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 and give you the chance to show your commitment to customer service. This can include posting positive reviews on Twitter to promoting special offers. You can also leverage existing content to lure buyers into the bottom-of-funnel like blog posts or case studies. For instance, if you write a blog post explaining how your product is superior than a competitor's then you can share it on social media and encourage readers to sign up to your email list for more information. You can also encourage conversion at this stage by asking your followers to include your name in their social media posts after having used your product. This will inspire other users to do the same, and will help spread the word about your brand. Then there is the consideration A good content marketing strategy incorporates a mix of content types to engage customers at every stage of the funnel. For instance the brand awareness campaigns could contain ads, but they should also include blog posts and infographics that address common objections and concerns. This content could be further distributed via social media and email to increase organic traffic. As consumers move through the process of considering, they begin looking for specific features in a product which will assist them in making the purchase decision. Frequently asked questions (FAQ) pages are a great type of content to use in this phase. Utilize keyword research tools such as Ubersuggest or search for popular hashtags in your industry to discover the questions your readers are asking. Develop answers to these questions, and then place them on your content funnel map. During this phase it is essential to present a clear proposition of value that shows how your product or service will solve their problems and make them more cash. The content should also demonstrate the distinctiveness of your brand in comparison to that of your competitors. This is a simple step to evaluate because the consumer is making a purchase. To determine whether you're getting the job done, look for metrics like conversion rate, number of payments and click-through rates. As they move into the advocacy stage they become loyal fans of your brand and share your content because they feel strongly about it. This is a powerful way to grow your audience. You'll need to develop content that inspires people share it instead of only looking at 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 a more precise picture of the impact you have. Decision Making The majority of people are looking for information at the decision-making stage that confirms the purchase and explains how to use the product. At this point, they want to know that your solution will resolve their problem and make the investment worth it. At this stage it is essential to provide high-quality content, such as product guides, case study videos, and customer success stories are essential. Your customers want to be able have questions answered and get answers from your support staff. It is a great way to please your customers and encourage them by sharing their experiences. It is your hope that at this stage the customer will turn into an advocate for your brand and spread the word about it to their coworkers and friends. In order to convert these advocates into raving fans, you'll need to provide them with useful information that will allow them to make the most of your product or service. Personalized newsletters, tutorial videos, free trial offers, and loyalty programs are great methods to achieve this. After your audience has changed from leads into paying customers, it's time to focus on retention. Content marketing funnels usually focus on revenue as the final goal. However, consumers will remain in contact and interact with brands even after they have made purchases. This is why it's important to reimagine the funnel as a loop model rather than a static structure that ends with revenue. The conventional content marketing funnels are useful for making your plan however, they don't take into consideration the complexity of the buyer's journey. Reimagining the funnel of content marketing as circular models will help you develop an overall strategy. You can create content that is engaging your audience and drives conversions by planning for each step of the process. You can then use the data from these conversions to enhance your strategy and ensure that it is working effectively. Ready to see the difference that this approach can make for your company? Contact us today to request a complimentary content marketing playbook! Retention A funnel for marketing content is a valuable tool that helps companies plan their strategy, implement it and evaluate its success. It can also give them insight into the gaps in their strategy for content that must be filled. For instance the case where a brand has a lot of content that is geared towards increasing awareness and generating interest, but a small amount targeted towards the middle of the funnel, they should be focusing on creating content for this stage. A great way to see how well-targeted your content is is to use tools such as Ahrefs to analyze the average time on page and bounce rate of each piece. The higher the number, the better performing your content. After you've put together content to be the top of your content marketing funnel It's essential to keep it fresh and relevant. This will ensure that your audience stays engaged and curious about your brand and its products or services. This can be achieved by creating new content that is focused on key words, addresses questions that your target audience is likely to search for, and provides the latest information regarding your product or industry. When your target audience enters MOFU, they will be looking for more information about your product or services as well as solutions to their issues. In this moment, it's important to build trust by offering authentic reviews and demonstrating value. The final phase of the content marketing funnel is when your customers will make a purchasing decision. This is accomplished through gated content, which requires an email address or other form registration to access. This content is designed to turn the interest and awareness you've built at the top of your funnel for content marketing into leads that are qualified for your sales team to follow up with. You can still influence your customers' journeys through your brand, even if the support and sales teams are primarily responsible for customer retention. Create content that will delight your customers throughout the entire funnel of content marketing. This can include helpful sources, information behind-the-scenes and special promotions that only your audience will be able to access. If you can establish a relationship of trust with your audience, then they will be your greatest advocates and will help reduce the time to sell.
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