A Content Marketing Funnel Explained
A funnel for content marketing helps potential customers learn more about your company, solve their problems and feel comfortable buying from you. Different types of content work better at each stage of the funnel.
Checklists, videos and infographics are effective in getting attention, creating leads and keeping readers engaged. Guides and templates that are gated work well at this stage.
Awareness
At this stage, consumers are simply aware that your brand exists and the services you offer. At this point the content you create is intended to provide information and help prospects about the issues your solution addresses and what makes it different from competitors.
Consider the keywords that your target audience is using to search online. Through keyword research, you can find out what terms your audience is searching for and which suggest the need for your product or service. This information can be used to create an editorial calendar and determine the types of content that target those terms.
The creation of content for this phase of the funnel can help you build brand affinity among consumers. The more consumers learn about your brand, the more trust they'll have in the ability of your company to solve their problems. This will result in higher conversion rates for newsletter signups and purchases and click-throughs on your website.
A well-planned strategy for content can assist in closing the gap in conversion. If, for instance, you find that most of your content is aimed at generating awareness, but nothing influences customers to make a purchase decision, then you could increase the amount you spend on ads that target middle-funnel keyword phrases.
Another way 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 the opportunity to show off your commitment to customer service. This could range from tweeting good reviews to promoting special deals.
You can also use content that already exists to help buyers move through the funnel, like case studies or blog posts. If you write a blog post explaining why your product is superior to a competitor's you can share it on social media and ask your readers to join your email list to receive more information. You can also encourage a conversion at this stage by asking your followers to include your name in their social media posts after they have used your product. This will motivate others to follow suit and spread the word about your company.
Inquiry
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 include ad content but they should also feature blogs and infographics that provide answers to common issues and objections. These pieces of content can be distributed via email and social media platforms to increase organic traffic.
As consumers move through the decision-making process they begin to search for specific product features that can help them make the purchase decision. This is the perfect time to make use of FAQ pages. Utilize keyword research tools such as Ubersuggest or search popular industry hashtags to find the people who are asking. Find answers to these questions and then put them on your content funnel map.
In this phase it is essential to present a clear value proposition that demonstrates to prospective customers the way your product or service can solve their issue and make them more money. The content should also highlight your brand's distinctiveness in comparison to your competitors.
This is a simple stage to gauge since the consumer is making a decision to buy. To see whether you're getting the job done, look for metrics such as conversion rate as well as the number of transactions and click-through rates.
As consumers 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 highly effective way to grow your audience. You'll need to develop content that is inspiring people to share it, instead of simply focusing on engagement metrics. Utilize Sprout Social, for example to track the number of shares on social media that result from your content marketing efforts. This will give you a clear picture of the impact you have.
Decision Making
In the final phase consumers are seeking information that proves the purchase and explains how to utilize the product. At this point, they need to be confident that the solution will solve their issue and will make their investment worth it. At this point, high-quality content, like product guides and case study videos and customer success stories, is essential. Your customers also want to be able to ask questions and get answers from your support team. Providing them with personalized emails and round-the-clock customer service is a great way to delight customers and encourage them to share their experience with others.
It is your hope that at this point the customer will be an advocate for your brand and will promote it to their colleagues and friends. To turn these advocates into enthusiastic customers, you'll need to provide them valuable content that allows them to gain the most value from your product or service. Personalized newsletters, tutorial videos and free trial offers and loyalty programs are excellent ways to do this.
Once your audience has transformed from leads into paying customers, it's time to focus on retention. The standard funnel for content marketing models tend to see revenue as the end of the journey, however it's crucial to keep in mind that consumers will continue to interact with brands after they've purchased. For this reason, it's essential to redefine the funnel as a loop model rather than a static structure that concludes with revenue.
The conventional content marketing funnels are useful for creating your strategy however, they don't take into account the complexity of the buyer's journey. Instead, reimagining the funnel as loops will assist you in developing a more holistic and effective content marketing strategy. You can create content that captivates your target audience and increases conversions by planning for each step of the process. You can then use the data from conversions to improve and test your strategy. Are you ready to see the difference that this approach can make for your company? Contact rewrite article software and request a free playbook for content marketing.
Retention
A funnel for content marketing is a valuable tool that can help brands develop their strategy, implement it and measure its success. It can also give them visibility into the gaps in their strategy for content that need to be filled. If a brand has a lot of content geared towards awareness and interest but very few pieces aimed at middle of funnel, it should create content for 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, the better performing your content.
Once you've created content for the top of your content marketing funnel It's crucial to keep it up-to-date and relevant. This will keep your customers engaged in your brand, its products and services. The best way to do this is by creating new content that focuses on certain keywords, answers questions that are likely to be sought by your target audience and provides the most up-to-date information about your business or product.
As your audience enters the MOFU stage they'll want more detailed information about your product or service, as well as ways to solve their problems. In this moment, it's important to build trust by providing honest reviews and demonstrating value.
The final step of the content marketing funnel is when your target audience will make a purchase. This is typically accomplished through restricted content that requires an email address or other form of registration in order 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 then follow up.
You can still influence the customer journeys through your brand, even though your sales and support teams are responsible for customer retention. Create content that is enjoyable for your customers throughout the entire process of content marketing. This can include helpful resources, behind-the-scenes information and special offers that only your customers have access to. If you can build trust among your audience they'll become authentic advocates for your brand and help reduce the time it takes to sell your product.