The marketing funnel is one of the most basic and simple tools you can use to map out the customer journey. Whether you want to call it a ‘purchasing funnel’, ‘customer funnel’ or ‘sales funnel’, the concept is still the same. If you’re curious about what they are and how they can help, keep on reading.
A funnel is a set of steps a visitor needs to go through before they can reach a conversion.
A funnel can be as complex as you want but it doesn’t need to be. Keep it simple and keep it to 5 main components:
- Awareness
- Consideration
- Conversion
- Loyalty
- Advocacy.
AWARENESS
The top of the funnel is where everyone becomes aware of your product – social media, marketing campaigns, word of mouth referrals, website visits.
Tools to use:
SEO, Blog, Website, Social Media, Ads
89% of online consumers use search engines when making a purchase decision.
CONSIDERATION
The funnel starts to tighten here and this is called the middle of the funnel. Your audience is now aware of you and are considering if the product/service is right for them.
Start using specific Call to Actions here and direct your audience to landing pages and forms to complete. Content Marketing generates 3x as many leads as traditional marketing, but costs 62% less.
CONVERSION
It’s happened, they have committed to the purchase or they have taken the action to make it happen. Your client has made it to the bottom of the funnel, but the journey doesn’t end there.
LOYALTY
So now you’ve got them, you need to maintain the relationship with them. If we compared this to a real life human relationship – this is the Honeymoon and beyond. Your clients/customers want to know that you are there if they need you, but if you don’t provide the support they need then they will jump ship.
ADVOCACY
You cannot pay for the potential this part of the funnel has within your customer journey. When you keep your customers happy they’ll not only remain loyal to your business but they will recommend you to friends, family and industry contacts. With recommendations like these, your business will already be top of mind when potential clients realise they have a problem to solve.
If you can understand your marketing funnel and develop a strategy around each of the components of the journey, you will find that you will understand your clients more and tailor your communications specifically to their stage of the journey.
And the more you continue to delight your advocates, the more they’ll contribute to the funnel’s growth.