A Content Marketing Funnel Explained
A content marketing funnel helps potential customers discover more about your company and solve their issues. They also feel confident to buy from you. Content is better suited to every stage of the funnel.
At best ai content rewriter sickseo of the funnel informational videos, infographics and checklists attract attention, create leads, and keep readers entertained. Gated content, like templates and guides, also works well at this stage.
Awareness
At this point, consumers are aware of the existence of your brand and the solutions you provide. In this stage, content is meant to provide information and help prospects about the issues your solution tackles and how it differs from competitors.
Think about the keywords your target audience is using to search online. Using keyword research, you will find out what terms your audience is searching for and which indicate an interest in your product or service. This information can be used to build a content calendar and decide which content pieces should be designed to target these keywords.
In addition producing content for this part of the funnel can help you build your brand's affinity with customers. The more people learn about your brand, the more confidence they'll have in your capability to solve their issues. This leads to greater conversion rates, whether it's subscriptions to newsletters, purchases or clickthroughs to your site.
A well-executed content strategy can also help you close the gap in conversion at this stage. If, for example, you observe that the majority of your content is aimed at increasing awareness, but not enough influences consumers to make a buying decision, you may increase the amount you spend on advertising campaigns targeting middle-funnel keyword phrases.
Another method to increase your bottom-of-funnel conversion is through social media. Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook permit you to communicate directly with your customers, providing you the opportunity to show off your customer service. This can include retweeting good reviews to promoting special offers.
You can also make use of existing content to push buyers into the bottom-of-funnel for a lower cost, such as blog posts or case studies. For example, if you write a blog post explaining how your product is superior than a competitor's then you can post it on social media and encourage readers to sign up to your email list for more details. You can also encourage conversion at this point by asking your audience to tag you in their social media posts after having used your product. This will inspire others to follow suit and spread the word about your brand.
Consideration
A good content marketing strategy should include a mix of content types to capture consumers throughout the funnel. For instance the brand awareness campaigns could include ads, but they should also feature blogs and infographics that address common concerns 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 that will help them make an informed purchase decision. This phase is a great time to make use of FAQ pages. Use tools for keyword research such as Ubersuggest or search for popular hashtags for your industry to find questions that your audience is asking. Develop answers to these questions and then add them to your content funnel map.
In this phase it is crucial to present a clear value proposition that demonstrates to potential customers what your product or service can solve their problems and earn them more money. The content should also emphasize the uniqueness of your brand when compared to your competitors.
This is a relatively simple stage to measure, as consumers are making a decision whether or not to purchase. To determine if you're getting the job accomplished, look for metrics like conversion rate, number of payments and click-through rates.
As consumers reach the point of advocacy and become advocates for your brand, it becomes more and more important to them. They will share your content with others because they are so passionate about it. This is a good way to increase your audience. However, you must focus on creating content that entices people to share it, instead of focusing on only 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 more precise picture of your impact.
Decision Making
People are looking for content during the decision-making phase that substantiates the purchase and describes how to use the product. At this point they want to be certain that the product will solve their issue and justify the purchase. Quality content is essential at this stage, including product guides, case studies, videos and customer success stories. Your customers want to be able ask questions and receive answers from your support team. Sending them personalized emails and round-the-clock customer service is a great way to delight customers and encourage them to share their experience with others.
You're hoping that at this point the customer will become an advocate for your brand and promote it to their friends and co-workers. To convert these advocates into raving supporters, you'll need to provide them with relevant content that will help them make the most of your product or service. Personalized newsletters, tutorial videos free trial offers and loyalty programs are all great methods to achieve this.
After your audience has changed from leads into paying customers, it's time to focus on retention. The traditional funnel for content marketing models tend to treat revenue as the end of the journey, but it's crucial to keep in mind that consumers continue to interact with brands after they have purchased. This is why 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 marketing content can help you develop your strategy however, they do not take into account the complexity of the buyer's journey. Reimagining the content marketing funnel as circular models will aid in developing a more holistic strategy. By planning for every step of the process you'll be able develop content that will engage your audience and increase conversions. Then, you can use the information from these conversions to enhance your strategy and ensure that it's working. Are you interested in learning how this strategy will benefit your business? Contact us today to request a free Content marketing playbook!
Retention
A funnel for content marketing can be a valuable instrument to aid brands in planning and implement their strategy. It can also provide an understanding of the gaps in their strategy for content that must be filled. For example, if a brand has a significant amount of content geared toward awareness and interest, but a small amount targeted towards the middle of the funnel, they should be focusing on creating content that is targeted at this stage.
Utilize tools such as Ahrefs, which analyze the average time spent on the page and bounce rate 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 to be at the top of your funnel. This will keep your customers interested in your brand, its products and services. This can be achieved by creating content that focuses on keywords, answers questions that your target audience is likely to search for, and provides the most current information about your product or industry.
As your audience steps onto the MOFU stage they'll be seeking more details about your product or service, as well as ways to solve their issues. In this stage it is crucial to establish trust by providing honest reviews and demonstrating the value.
In the last stage of your content marketing funnel your audience will decide if or not to buy. This is usually done through gated content that requires an email address or other form of registration in order to access. This content is meant to turn the engagement and awareness you've cultivated at the top of your funnel for content marketing into leads that are qualified for your sales team to follow up with.
While customer retention largely falls into the hands of your sales and support teams, you can be a part of the customer's experience with your brand by generating content that delights them throughout the entire marketing funnel. This can include useful sources, behind-the-scenes details and special offers that only your audience has access to. If you can build trust with your audience, then they will become your most loyal advocates and will help you reduce your sales cycle.