The Worst Advice We've Ever Received On Content Marketing Funnel
A Content Marketing Funnel Explained
A content marketing funnel helps potential customers to learn more about your company help them solve their problems and feel comfortable buying from you. Different types of content are more effective in each stage of the funnel.
At the top of the funnel Infographics, videos, and checklists draw attention, generate leads, and keep customers engaged. Gated content, like templates and guides is effective at this point.
Awareness
At this stage, consumers are aware that your brand exists. They are also aware of the solutions you provide. At this point the content you create is intended to provide answers and educate prospects about the issues your solution tackles and the ways it differs from competitors.
Take note of the keywords your audience uses when searching online. You can conduct keyword research to determine the terms your target audience is using when they search online. This will assist you in determining whether your product or service is needed. This information can be used to develop an editorial calendar and figure out the types of content that focus on those keywords.
As a bonus, creating content for this part of the funnel can help to build brand loyalty with your customers. The more consumers learn about your brand, the more confidence they'll have in the ability of your company to solve their issues. sickseo.co.uk will result in higher conversion rates for newsletter signups or purchases, as well as clickthroughs on your website.
A well-planned content strategy can aid in closing the gap between conversion and purchase at this stage. If, for example, you observe that the majority of your content is targeted at raising awareness, but nothing influences customers to make a purchase decision, then you can increase the amount you spend on ads that target middle-funnel keyword phrases.
Social media is yet another method to increase your bottom-of funnel conversion. Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook allow you to interact directly with your customers, giving you an opportunity to showcase your customer service. This can include everything from retweeting good reviews to promoting special deals.
You can also leverage existing content to draw customers to the bottom of the funnel, such as blog posts or case studies. If you write a blog article explaining the reasons why your product is superior to the competition's you can share it via social media and ask your readers to join your email list to receive more information. You can also encourage a conversion at this point by asking your followers to include your name in their social media posts after having used your product. This will encourage other people to do the same, and will help spread the word about the brand.
Consideration
A good content strategy will include a variety of content types that draw customers in each stage of the funnel. For instance the brand awareness campaigns could include ad content however, they should also feature blogs and infographics that address common concerns and objections. These pieces of content can be distributed via email or social media to boost organic traffic.
As buyers move through the process of considering and begin to look for specific features in a product which will assist them in making a 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 your readers are asking. Find answers to these questions, and then put them on your content funnel map.
In this phase, it's important to provide a clear value proposition that shows potential customers how your product or service will solve their problem and make them more money. The content should also emphasize the distinctiveness of your brand in comparison to that of your competitors.
This is a relatively easy step to measure, as consumers are making a decision whether they want to buy. Consider metrics like conversion rate, payment figures and click-through rates to determine whether your efforts are producing results.
As they move into the advocacy stage and become loyal customers of your brand. They also share your content because they feel strongly about it. This is a good method to increase the number of people who follow your brand. But you'll have to focus on creating content that entices people to share, instead of focusing solely on engagement metrics. Consider using a tool like 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 at the decision-making stage that confirms the purchase and provides instructions on how to use the product. At this point, they want to be confident that the solution will solve their issue and will make their investment worthwhile. At this stage, high-quality content, like product guides and case study videos and customer success tales are essential. Your customers want to be able ask questions and receive answers from your support staff. It is a great way to impress your customers and to encourage them to share their experiences.
It is your hope that at this stage the customer will turn into an advocate for your brand and promote it to their coworkers and friends. To convert those who are advocates to raving fans you'll be required to provide them with relevant information that will allow them to make the most of your product or service. Personalized newsletters tutorial videos and free trial offers and loyalty programs are excellent methods to achieve this.
After your audience has converted from leads to paying customers and paying customers, it's time to concentrate on retention. The standard funnel for content marketing models tend to treat revenue as the end of the journey, but it is important to keep in mind that consumers will continue to engage with brands after they have purchased. It's crucial to reimagine funnels as a dynamic structure that incorporates revenue, not static models.
While traditional funnels for marketing content can aid in planning your strategy however, they do not take into account the complexity of the buyer journey. Instead reinventing the funnel as loops will aid in creating an effective and holistic content marketing strategy. You can create content that is engaging your target audience and increases conversions by planning for each phase of the journey. Then, you can use the information from these conversions to optimize your strategy and make sure that it is working effectively. Are you ready to experience the impact that this approach can bring to your company? Contact us today to request a no-cost content marketing playbook!
Retention
A content marketing funnel can be a powerful instrument to aid brands in planning and implement their strategy. It will also help them determine the weaknesses in their strategy. For instance the case where a brand has a lot of content geared toward awareness and interest, but only a few pieces that are geared towards the middle of the funnel, they should be focusing on creating content for this stage.
One of the best ways to gauge 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 more effective your content.
It is essential to keep up-to-date the content you create to be at the top of your funnel. This will keep your audience interested in your brand, its products and services. The best method to accomplish this is to create fresh content that focuses on certain keywords, answers questions that are likely being asked by your customers and provides the most current information regarding your industry or product.
As your audience enters MOFU the audience will be seeking out more information about your product or services, as well as solutions to their issues. It's also crucial to establish confidence by giving honest reviews and demonstrating the value of your product.
In the final stage of your content marketing funnel, your audience will decide if or not to buy. This is accomplished through gated content that requires an email or another form registration to access. This content is designed to convert the awareness and engagement you've created at the top of your funnel into qualified leads. Your sales team can then follow to follow up.
While customer retention largely falls in the hands of your support and sales teams, you can still influence your customers' journeys with your brand by creating content that entices them throughout the entire marketing funnel. This could include useful sources, information behind-the-scenes and special promotions that only your target audience will be able to access. If you can build trust with your audience, then they will become your best advocates and will help reduce the time to sell.