Content Marketing Funnel

What Is a Content Marketing Funnel?

A content marketing funnel is a framework that can be used to represent the stages of a customer journey as they move through the buying process. They can play an important role within a digital strategy roadmap, when planning the content marketing strategy for a business. The main stages of the funnel are often described as Top of Funnel (TOFU), Middle of Funnel (MOFU) and Bottom of funnel (BOFU). The AIDA marketing model is another popular framework that can be used to represent the stages of a customer journey, from awareness, interest and desire to an action, such as buying a product or subscribing to a service. The aim is to align content with what a potential customer is thinking and feeling at each stage, so as to attract more leads and convert more leads into sales.

AIDA Marketing Model Explained

Awareness, or TOFU, uses content likely to attract the attention of the target audience. Interest, or MOFU, uses content to inform, educate and inspire curiosity. Desire, also during MOFU, uses content intended to nurture leads and build attraction. The action, or BOFU, stage of the funnel uses content featuring clear CTAs and offers designed to drive sales. The AIDA digital marketing strategy can also be used to help with the process of customer journey mapping.

Providing a framework that describes a customer journey from initial awareness to becoming a paying customer can help a business deliver content that is personalised, relevant and consistent. In reality customers can move forwards and backwards through the different stages of a content marketing funnel, during their decision making process. However, AIDA provides a useful model for understanding customer behaviour, even if it doesn’t capture all of the details.

I created the AIDA framework example shown below for a fictional B2B SaaS company called B2GrowSocialCRM. The content marketing funnel promotes their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform. The content funnel employs a combination of organic and paid search, social media, email campaigns, website content and lead magnets, to guide potential customers from initial awareness to paying for a product or service. When planning an SEO strategy it is also important to be aware of the impact of AI search.

Awareness

The initial objective is to raise awareness of B2GrowSocialCRM with potential customers. This could be done using blog posts, that have been SEO optimised to attract organic traffic. Paid search advertising can be used that is designed to raise awareness with key decision makers in relevant departments, such as sales and marketing. Effective use of social media, blog posts highlighting issues the CRM could resolve and visually appealing content, including infographics, can also help to raise awareness.

Interest

When potential customers have become aware of B2GrowSocialCRM, the next objective is to engage their interest. This can be done using lead magnets, such as eBooks and white papers, that people can download in return for their email address. Landing pages located on the companies website include details of the benefits of using the CRM, forms to collect customer contact details and content of an educational nature, such as videos. Content going into greater detail could provide valuable information, that will more deeply engage customer interest.

Desire

Having raised awareness of B2GrowSocialCRM with potential customers and engaged their interest, the next objective is to build desire within them for the CRM. This can be done by proving social proof, in the form of case studies and success stories. These should demonstrate how the existing B2GrowSocialCRM customers have been able to boost efficiency, reduce costs and increase profits using the CRM. Testimonials could also highlight the benefits of using the CRM and describe results that have been achieved. Advertising on search engines and social media could re-engage interest of those yet to become paying customers.

Action

The final stage of the content marketing funnel is to encourage people to take the action of paying to use the CRM in their business. This can be done using landing pages with content that includes strong calls to action (CTAs). Email sales funnels can increase engagement, with personalised messaging and links to CRM case studies, product demonstrations or free trial offers. Time limited exclusive discounts could be used to create a sense of urgency, by emphasising the missed opportunities if the decision is delayed.

The AIDA model can be used to better understand customer journey stages, as part of a digital marketing strategy. Typically a content marketing funnel will begin with a large number of potential customers and there will be fewer people at each stage. However, those who reach the desire and action stage of the funnel will be leads that with suitable encouragement can be converted into sales. The AIDA marketing model explained using this fictional example could help a business take a structured approach to the planning of their content marketing strategy. For example, email funnel stages explained using this model can make them easier to visualise and implement.

Customer Journey Mapping

The behaviour of people when they interact with a business can be represented using customer journey mapping. Customers typically move from awareness, to interest and desire, before taking the action of buying a product or service. A customer journey map can provide a visual representation of this process, in which factors that influence buying decisions can be identified. When planning how to build a website for a business, such maps can increase understanding of the customer experience, highlight issues and identify opportunities.

The customer mapping process begins by establishing clearly defined objectives that align with business goals and customer wants and needs. Customer profiles can be developed, using demographic data and behavioural characteristics, such as those identified by The Five Factor Model. An outline is created, identifying each point at which customers interact with a business brand. Potential issues and opportunities to make improvements are identified. The impact of changes on performance are tracked and analysed.

Whether engaged in business to business (B2B) or business to consumer (B2C) sales, understanding customer behaviour and knowing how to map a customer journey can increase efficiency, reduce costs, boost sales and retention and increase profits. When planning your digital strategy roadmap, visual mapping tools, such as those in CRM (customer relationship management) software, could assist with data-driven customer journey analysis. Customer insights that lead to more personalised engagement could convert more leads into sales.